Platform Tennis Courts to open in Cleveland's Flats Sep 30th 2021 Share via facebook Share via email Share via print Share via twitter Share via pinterest By Kevin Smith – Staff Reporter, Cleveland Business JournalSep 30, 2021 Updated Sep 30, 2021, 5:05pm EDTMore outdoor sports are on their way to Cleveland.The Cleveland Platform Tennis Foundation, a subsidiary of the Pittsburgh-based American Platform Tennis Association, is finishing up construction on platform tennis courts in Cleveland's Flats near Hart Crane Park, on the property of The Cleveland Rowing Foundation at 1003 British Rd.The tennis courts are planning to open before the end of the year after a material delay initially threw the project off schedule, according to Hank Stewart, a board member of the Cleveland Platform Tennis Foundation."We think the game is very addictive," Stewart said.Kirk Lang, the executive director of the Cleveland Rowing Foundation, believes that the outdoor sports compliment each other, and many rowers will take an interest in tennis."We're always looking to expand, and this seemed like the perfect marriage," Lang said. "Athletes around Cleveland want to be outside and around the city.""These guys are out here dodging 600-foot freighters, and we come out and dodge 600 mph drives," Stewart smiled.Heaters will be placed underneath the platforms in order to help melt snow in the winter, enabling year-round play.Karen Nejedlik, a board member of Cleveland Platform Tennis Foundation and former president of Cleveland Paddle Tennis Association, explained how the new take on tennis worked."During the winter, you dress in layers, and you start to shed them all as the game goes on and things get more intense," Nejedlik said. "It's fun for people who are younger and older."The two would-be-full-sized tennis courts are cut in half by a screen, which players can play the ball off of in order help to score points. Games are usually played during evenings."It's not so much about overpowering your opponent. Usually, folks that touch the ball last end up losing," Nejedlik said.The 10,750 square-foot facility will offer monthly and annual membership options, with cheaper rates for younger clients, and plans to occasionally host free events for the public to learn more about the sport.Reilly Green Mountain Platform Tennis, which specializes in setting up platform tennis courts, is working on the project.
