Forest Hills' West Side Tennis Club celebrates 125 years—and a future

Written by Michael Steinberger; photos, videos and captions by Ed McGrogan

Forty years ago this summer, the US Open was held for the last time at the West Side Tennis Club in Forest Hills, Queens. It went out with a bang—literally.

During a night match between Eddie Dibbs and an 18-year-old local kid who had just made a run to the semifinals at Wimbledon, John McEnroe, a spectator was shot in the leg, the bullet apparently fired from a nearby apartment complex. Between the citywide blackout and the Son of Sam killer, it had been a summer of mayhem in New York, and the 1977 Open was not spared. In addition to the gunfire, the tournament was marred by racial and transgender controversies, boorish on-court behavior, unruly fans and an uproar over a newfangled racket—with so-called spaghetti strings—that would soon be banned because of all the crazy spin it generated.

Five years ago, I wrote an article looking back at the raucous ’77 Open. As part of my reporting, I paid a visit to the West Side Tennis Club. The famed Tudor clubhouse was as stately as ever, but the club was struggling. It had an aging membership and had experienced financial difficulties. The stadium, scene of so many historic matches, was in total disrepair and looked like a Roman ruin. Two years earlier, club members had narrowly rejected a proposal to sell the stadium to a developer who wanted to replace it with condos. But the outlook for the stadium and for the club seemed bleak.

* Built in 1923, the stadium at West Side has been the scene of some of tennis' most important moments, including Althea Gibson's barrier-breaking entry into the 1950 U.S. Nationals; Arthur Ashe's triumph at the 1968 U.S. Open; and the culmination of Maureen Connolly's and Rod Laver's calendar-year Grand Slams.*

Curious to find out where things stood now, I returned to Forest Hills this August. My timing was good: not only is it the 40th anniversary of the final US Open played there, it is also the West Side Tennis Club’s 125th birthday.

The news is even better: I’m happy to report that the club is enjoying a renaissance, albeit one with an unexpected twist (more about that in a moment). It was midday when I arrived, and summer tennis camp was in session. Kids, all dressed in whites—it is still a requirement—were everywhere, their laughter echoing across the grounds. It was a nice sound, a hopeful augury. The courts—38 in total, eight of them grass, three synthetic grass, 21 Har-Tru, two red clay, and four hard—were in excellent shape. The clubhouse was just as elegant and cozy as I remembered it. The staircase leading to the men’s locker room, lined with black-and-white photos of the greats who played there (Laver, Ashe, Connors, McEnroe) gave me chills all over again. A word of advice: playing once at Forest Hills should be a bucket-list item for every tennis enthusiast.

* History abounds at West Side, especially in its clubhouse. Photos of past champions—Henri Cochet and Alice Marble, to name just two—cover its walls.*

Over lunch on the terrace, tennis director Bob Ingersole told me about the club’s revived fortunes. One reason for the turnaround, he said, was that the club had lately attracted a “slew of young players,” as he put it. Some of them were very accomplished—a couple of 5.0s, even one or two 5.5s—who had raised the club’s competitive metabolism and made it a more attractive option for other strong players.

The club had also started pulling in more Manhattanites. Ingersole, a soft-spoken, affable Australian who has run the tennis program since 2003, said the club had had trouble attracting people from Manhattan in the past; it was seen as too far away, too inconvenient (Saul Steinberg had it right: Manhattan folk can be so provincial). That seems to have changed now.  “They’ve found that there are a couple of bridges and trains that go across the river,” Ingersole joked.

More young families were joining the club, as well. Ingersole said the club had also done a lot of outreach in the surrounding community, trying to get local kids interested in tennis, and this effort was yielding dividends: the club’s clinics and camps were packed these days. When Ingersole was hired, the club had three pros; now, it has 22. “This is an altogether different club than it was just a few years ago,” Ingersole said.

* With tall apartment buildings in the horizon, club members from all over New York City can play on grass, clay and hard courts.*

But he went on to tell me that it wasn’t tennis that ultimately saved the club from possibly going under; it was music. A few years ago, the club struck a deal with a music promoter to hold concerts in the 14,000-seat stadium. This was not the start of a new role for the facility but the resumption of an old one: back in the 1960s and 70s, the stadium had doubled as a concert venue—the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, The Who and Jimi Hendrix all performed there—but it had been years since it had hosted one. The promoter covered the cost of renovating the stadium, and it now sees a steady flow of marquee acts. This summer’s lineup included Chance the Rapper, Tom Petty, the Chainsmokers, The xx, and Hall & Oates.

After lunch, Ingersole took me to have a look at the stadium. It was great to see it back in working condition, although I have to confess that the concert stage that now overlooks the tennis court is a strange sight.

The new stage is as noticeable a sight as the old stadium which surrounds it. Behind the structure are West Side's tennis courts and clubhouse; in front is the stadium, used for World TeamTennis in 2016.

The stadium doesn’t have corporate boxes; instead, it has what they call speakeasies, small, court-level rooms located under the stands that are reachable through secret doors and that are used for private functions. One is named the Raccoon Room, in honor of the raccoons who took up residence in the stadium back when it was unused and crumbling.

West Side's hip quotient received a boost with its speakeasies, an exclusive set of rooms underneath the stadium seating.

I asked Ingersole if people in the neighborhood ever complained about noise from the concerts. He said they didn’t—and then showed me why. He had me walk into one of the stairways leading into the stadium; when he called up to me, beaming, I could barely hear him; the stairways had been soundproofed, as had the stadium’s exterior.

He also showed me the storage room where the club keeps Open memorabilia—plaques, posters and other keepsakes from when the tournament was held in Forest Hills. One large white sign listed the prize money for the 1970 Open. The winner received $120,000. Players who lost in the first round that year took home $300. First-round losers at this year’s Open will earn $50,000.

After I wrote the article about the ‘77 Open, it occurred to me that it was a pity the USTA didn’t hold a match or a night session of the Open at Forest Hills, as a nod to history and tradition. With the club located just three miles from Flushing Meadows, where the Open moved in 1978, it seemed to me that the logistics wouldn’t be prohibitively complicated.

It turns out I wasn’t the only one thinking along these lines. While doing some Googling, I discovered that in 2010, when the club’s members were deliberating about whether to sell the stadium, a local Congressman sent a letter to the USTA urging it to hold an Open match at the club. (Just for the record: the fact that the Congressman was Anthony Weiner does nothing to diminish my enthusiasm for the idea.)

When concerts aren't being hosted, tennis is still played on West Side's iconic stadium court. During the 125th anniversary gala—which the club hopes will become an annual event—Michael Russell, Vince Spadea, Luke Jensen and Jan-Michael Gambill got a taste of what the legends have experienced.

"This is my first time playing on this court," said Russell, who spoke to West Side's unparalleled history in the sport. "To gave future events a venue like this, would be incredible for players and spectators alike."

Ingersole told me the club would welcome the chance to be part of the Open again. He said the concerts have served as a kind of “proof of concept,” demonstrating that the club is once again capable of staging major events. “We’re not a concert arena; we’re a tennis club,” he said. “The concerts have given us the opportunity to get back into the tennis arena.”

Professional tennis never entirely disappeared from Forest Hills; from 1980-1990, it was home to the WCT Tournament of Champions, and from 2004-2008, it was the site of a WTA event. More recently, the club has been used for World TeamTennis matches, and it has just submitted an application to host a Davis Cup tie.

The borough of Queens and the City of New York proclaimed August 25, 2017 as West Side Tennis Club Day. "After Wimbledon, this is the most important tennis site in the world," said USTA executive director Gordon Smith.

Last Friday night, the club held a gala to celebrate its 125th anniversary. Jan-Michael Gambill, Vince Spadea, Luke Jensen, and Michael Russell played an exhibition match, which was followed by an al fresco dinner on the lawn in front of the clubhouse. Todd Martin, the chief executive officer of the International Tennis Hall of Fame, and Gordon Smith, the executive director and chief operating officer of the USTA., both spoke. "This is the most important tennis site in America," Smith said proudly.

In his brief remarks, Roland Meier, the president of the West Side Tennis Club Foundation, expressed a desire to see Forest Hills reintegrated into the Open in some capacity. He suggested that perhaps it could host a warm-up event. I’d like to see the USTA go a step further and put an Open match, or a night session, on the club’s stadium court. So much history was written on that court, and using it again would make the Open, great as it is, even more special.