Photo: Courtesy of Pixabay.com
Massachusetts’ loss became New York’s gain recently, when the professional tennis squad operated by World Team Tennis shut its doors in the Boston area and reincarnated as the New York Empire, based in Forest Hills, New York. The Boston Lobsters won’t play any matches this year. Instead, the newly formed New York team will assume their place. They will compete in a 12-game series of matches scheduled to occur between July 31st and August 13th this year. The final reportedly will take place on August 27th.
The New York Empire tennis squad will conduct matches at the former location of the U.S. Open. They will compete at the West Side Tennis Club’s newly renovated Forest Hills Stadium. They become New York’s first professional tennis squad since the departure of New York Sportimes, who moved to San Diego for the 2013 tennis season.
Patrick McEnroe will serve as the New York team’s new head coach. A New York native, he spent his childhood living just a short distance away from the newly refurbished stadium, originally constructed in 1923. He welcomed the selection of the Forest Hills site. The new team will reportedly finalize its roster of players in March.
Forest Hills has long served as a prominent center for professional tennis. As the site of the U.S. Open, the stadium provided a venue for many exciting matches. During former eras it showcased tennis stars like Arthur Ashe, Billie Jean King, Chris Evert, Bobby Riggs and Bill Tilden.
Recent renovations will permit the site to continue to host world-class tennis events. New York residents will certainly benefit from the decision to locate the New York Empire squad at this scenic location.
The Boston Lobsters participated in many professional-level games sponsored by Mylan World Team Tennis since the founding of the WTT by Billie Jean King in 1974. The team underwent both successes and failures, surviving significant financial losses during the 1970s, then welcoming participation from stars like Martina Navratilova, who spent two decades playing for the Lobsters.
The Lobsters played matches during the past decade in Middleton, at the Ferncroft Country Club, and later at a club in Manchester-by-the-Sea at a 1500-seat Manchester Athletic Club. Previously, the team had played at Harvard’s Bright Arena.
WTT CEO and Commissioner, Ilana Kloss explained recently that the squad had searched for over a year for a new local Boston-based ownership group, but had not succeeded in finding one. The team spent 2015 on the market. The public announcement that the team would disband in Boston and be moving to New York as the New York Empire occurred on February 17, 2016.
Bahar Uttam previously owned the team, but retired at the close of the 2014 season. Last year, the squad participated in a seven-match series beginning with their a match in July, 2015 against the defending Mylan World TeamTennis team, the Washington Kastles. The team, under the ownership of the league at the time, finished the 2015 season last in the division, with a disappointing record of 5-9.
League officials did not rule out the possibility that the Lobsters will eventually return to Boston. Ilana Kloss hinted at this possibility, indicating that the way remained “open” for the squad’s return to Massachusetts “with the right ownership”.
The implications of the change in the WWT league locations remain unclear at this point. If residents of Boston hope to re-establish the Lobsters for the 2017 season, they will need to act quickly.
-by Cary Teller
