Tennis fans in the USA have never truly experienced what playing on fresh, virgin grass truly represents. To bridge that gap, Wimbledon has brought “The Wimbledon Court in Central Park” to New York. The latest program follows Wimbledon’s annual event, The Hill, which has been held since 2022, in a bid to share a snippet of its Grand Slam celebrations. But this year, the showcase drew even greater attention as legends such as eight-time Grand Slam winner Andre Agassi and former AO winner Caroline Wozniacki kicked off the four-day show.

The famous grass courts of SW19 found a new home in the heart of NYC. In Manhattan, a temporary pop-up grass court was built inside Central Park, bringing a slice of the iconic tournament to the iconic city. Former Grand Slam champions and fan favorites, including Agassi and Wozniacki, headlined the special exhibition.

The two were joined by former ace James Blake and Wimbledon finalist Eugenie Bouchard. The group competed in a series of exhibition matches ahead of the upcoming SW19, which begins on Monday. 

The players took part in three 10-point tie-break-style exhibition matches. Fans embraced the All-England Club theme throughout the afternoon. The court itself was also something special. It used hybrid turf, a combination of natural and synthetic grass developed after nearly a decade of research. That innovative surface was created to improve how green grass works for professional tennis. It was one of the event’s biggest talking points as well.

The celebration will run till June 29. With SW19 only a day away, the timing of the exhibition felt perfect.  However, the event wasn’t only about celebrating the upcoming tournament. There was also a much bigger purpose behind bringing SW19 and its grass-court experience to NYC.

Andre Agassi backs expanding grass-court tennis across the US

After their doubles match ended, the American ATP icon told Mirror US Sports that he is excited about the possibility of making the iconic grass courts more common across the US. “The idea that this could possibly spread to other more public venues across America would be kind of cool,” Agassi explained.

The temporary grass court came together quickly, taking only six hours. Just over a day later, the SW19 Court Invitational officially got underway. And while Agassi hopes to see more grass courts across the country, he was also proud to bring a piece of the All-England Club to NYC. “I don’t know if the tennis is as exciting as it used to feel to me,” Agassi added. “But nevertheless, it’s good to be here.”

Caroline Wozniacki also enjoyed the one-of-a-kind experience in NYC. “It was an amazing experience,” she said. “Playing on a grass court in the middle of Central Park doesn’t happen every day. To be part of this amazing event was something that I won’t forget.”

The exhibition will continue through June 29, giving visitors several days to enjoy it. It really offers tennis fans in the US a rare chance to experience the spirit of Wimbledon without traveling to London.