San Francisco

Historic tennis courts reopen in San Francisco's Bayview-Hunters Point Neighborhood

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Some of San Francisco's freshly surfaced tennis courts opened Wednesday in the Bayview-Hunters Point neighborhood.

They've been restored to the condition they were in when they first opened 37 years ago in 1987 with the help of tennis legend Arthur Ashe.

"Two things I remember about that day is how incredible Arthur was with everyone, especially the kids,” said Mike Skinner, the executive director of Youth Tennis Advantage. “And they really paid attention to him."

But getting the courts repaired and resurfaced wasn't easy.

Seth Socolow of San Franciscans for Sport Recreation, said it took five years to get the funding and permissions needed to do it.

"This is our first project in Hunters Point and we're just really excited to be in Hunters Point because a lot of people forget about this part of the city, and we haven’t,” he said.

Three mayors attended Wednesday’s event – current Mayor London Breed, and former mayors  Art Agnos and Willie Brown.

Organizers of the rehab project say Brown was integral in getting funding for the original courts, and Agnos was helpful in guiding the rehab project through San Francisco's bureaucracy.  

Now that it's done, Skinner says he has a goal of getting 50 neighborhood kids to be part of their tennis and academics program.

And next year, he hopes for 100.

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