Ready to ser ve
New Long Island City spot is courting kids — and their parents — with high-tech tennis on glass floors that light up
COURT 16 in Long Island City looks like a hot nightclub: The lights are dimmed, Top 40 hits blare through the speakers and glowing beams of light shoot up from the floor. But the clonks of tennis balls give it away: It’s a tennis facility for all ages, opening to the public on Tuesday.
Anthony Evrard, who was a nationally ranked player as a teen in his home country of Belgium, opened his first Court16 location in Gowanus in 2014. Since then, he’s been looking to expand — and make playing tennis as fun as a night on the town.
“We wish it was the US Open all yearround — there’s so much interest right before it and maybe three days after it,” Evrard tells The Post. “But there’s so much more to get excited about.”
One of the ways he’s changing the game is with the technology in his new 11,000-square-foot spot. The courts feature glass floors with tiny and strategically placed raised ceramic bumps (said to reduce skidding) and customizable LED lighting panels underneath. The lines on the court can be adjusted with a tap of a touchscreen.
The unusual surface has been used in Europe for handball, badminton and basketball. “It’s got a very strong grip. It’s anti-slip, which is huge for tennis,” says Evrard.
That fancy flooring is just one part of the new facility, which will offer lessons, kids’ movie nights and guest speakers connected to the fitness and tennis world.
Dan, a Brooklyn dad with two boys, 11 and 5, in the kids’ program in Gowanus calls Court 16 “energetic and positive.” He recently visited the Long Island City outpost.
“My youngest is just so excited at the end of the day that he’s played tennis — he gets to be silly and have fun while he’s also really learning,” says Dan, who declined to give his last name. For his older son, “It’s very much about the game. I think they both just enjoy being on the court.”
If you’re worried about your tennis talents, you can try something called pickleball at the new sports club. It’s a sort of mini-tennis played with paddles and a whiffle-style ball on a 34-foot-long court (the pros use a 78-foot-long court).
Even if you’re far from a tennis pro, says Evrard, “It levels the playing field and you can play with anyone.”
Court 16 LIC, 13-06 Queens Plaza South, Long Island City; Court16.com/LIC. Court rentals, $50 per hour; lessons from $32 for a half-hour.