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Tax-paying tennis regulars slam NYC coaches of rich and famous who hog public courts

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Tax-paying tennis regulars slam NYC coaches of rich and famous who hog public courts

There’s no love lost here.

Tennis coaches for the rich and famous are facing off with players in a Manhattan park who are fed up with the pros hogging up public courts to teach their lessons.

Most days, instructors can be found saving spots on line at Hudson River Park, waiting for clients to show up just in time for a lesson.

A line forms early at the Hudson River Park courts, which are open to the public from 6 a.m. to 1 a.m. for an hour at a time and operate on an honor system. J.C. Rice
Failure to follow the court rules can result in players being asked to leave and may result in the issuance of a summons, according to the park. J.C. Rice

Sometimes, they take up two of the three of the taxpayer-maintained courts as a long line of players wait on benches, some arriving as early as 4:30 a.m.

“It’s a ridiculously well-off neighborhood with people who could afford to take tennis lessons . . . anywhere,” said SoHo player Brian Kelly, who lives blocks from the park.

One of the high-end trainers is rumored to be Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour’s former coach, regulars say.

“They’re taking an amenity away from taxpayers,” griped one longtime player from SoHo who has witnessed fights break out and even saw a player throw a coach’s bicycle helmet into the river.

The Hudson River Park Trust, a partnership between the state and city, manages the four-mile green space.

Signs clearly state “no private lessons” and “no more than six balls on a court.”

Yuki Tsutsumi arrived at Hudson River Park at 4:30 a.m. on Wednesday to get access to the courts, beating out other players and coaches for the first spot. J.C. Rice
Tennis players say coaches holding spots on line to teach private lessons makes the wait to play even longer. J.C. Rice

An instructor on Wednesday morning was seen teaching two clients at once and littering the court with balls.

“They come in and pretty much sequester all the courts,” said Lower Manhattan resident Dino Denoso.

It has only gotten worse with the closing of the Midtown Tennis Club, he added.

Critics say the ball is in Hudson River Park’s court, and that there is no enforcement.

“Unauthorized commercial activities are not permitted in the Park, including at the tennis courts, which is enforced to the extent practicable,” a Hudson River Park Trust spokesperson said.

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