Mason's Tennis Mart

For tennis clothing, footwear and racquets, check out Mason's Tennis Mart. This family owned store has been around for 30 years and and the staff is friendly and knowledgable. While their website is pretty basic and in need of some upgrading, the store - located on 53rd between Park & Madison - had a nice selection. I was specifically looking for tennis apparel and found brands such as Nike, Fila, Addidas, Tail and more. Note: they also do racquet stringing. http://www.masonstennis.com

More Courts in Riverside Park

Years ago I played tennis once at some courts in Riverside Park & 119th street. As I recall, the courts were pretty run down at the time. I went back there again recently and happily discovered that the courts were redone in the "US Open Blue" surface and the facility looked like it was in great shape. There are 10 hard courts here in beautiful Riverside Side Park alongside the Hudson River. As with other New York City public courts, to play here you either need a NYC tennis permit ($100) or a day pass ($7). Warning: you must purchase these in advance at the Arsenal in Central Park or at Paragon Sports; they are not sold at the Riverside courts. Courts must be reserved in person on a first come/first serve basis and reservations are not taken in advance.