A full-sized public tennis court is going back up on the Seaport waterfront this month, and this time the three-week activation comes with a Naomi Osaka cameo, a Coco Gauff documentary screening, and nightly watch parties built around an 18-foot outdoor screen. The Seaport Racquet Club runs from August 24 through September 13, offering free public court time in Lower Manhattan timed to the U.S. Open.
According to Time Out, the court at Seaport Square includes stadium-style seating, and the surrounding programming folds in athlete appearances, watch parties, and a returning pop-up space called The Clubhouse at Pier 17. Osaka is set to appear at Volley With Olly, described as an on-court tennis and wellness event, while Tennis Channel will screen a forthcoming Coco Gauff documentary at the Seaport with featured guests appearing after the screening. Vicky Mboko is also expected to join a community event hosted by Mejuri and Wilson, per the same report.
A Pop-Up Rooted in Last Year's Debut
The Seaport Racquet Club isn't a brand-new idea. It first debuted in August 2025 as a collaborative pop-up between developer The Howard Hughes Corporation and quarterly print publication Racquet Magazine, establishing the multi-week format now returning for a second year. This year's edition again lands at Seaport Square, a 38,000-square-foot outdoor waterfront plaza at Fulton and Front Streets managed by Howard Hughes at the base of Pier 17.
The Clubhouse returns with pop-ups, special events, movie screenings, and food and drink tastings, and Racquet Magazine will hold its Issue No. 29 launch party there. Founded in 2016, Racquet Magazine has built its identity as a quarterly print and digital publication focused on the intersection of tennis, art, fashion, and culture. The Seaport Racquet Club also has more programming still to be announced, the article notes.
Watch Parties, Honey Deuces and a VIP Lounge at Sadie's
Tournament watch parties will unfold at Sadie's Garden Bar at 19 Fulton Street, where an 18-foot outdoor LED screen anchors the two-level dining room and open-air bar setup. Honey Deuces, the signature cocktail created as the official drink of the U.S. Open, will be available at Sadie's throughout the tournament; the drink routinely yields millions of dollars in concession sales during the Queens event, according to Forbes.
World of Hyatt is taking over Sadie's Garden Bar on Saturday, August 29, and Sunday, August 30, with each day's takeover running from 10:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. World of Hyatt credit card members will get access to a VIP lounge during the takeover, while DJ Kyle Cooke is booked to perform on Sunday. Blueair is providing a courtside cooling experience elsewhere on-site, rounding out the sponsor lineup that also blends corporate hospitality with the free public court time.
Why the Seaport Keeps Chasing U.S. Open Crowds
The push to plant tennis programming in Lower Manhattan lines up with the calendar for the 2026 U.S. Open Tennis Championships, which run August 23 through September 13 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, Queens, according to Rove Travel. The three-week Grand Slam generates more than $1.2 billion in annual economic impact for New York City, a figure that exceeds the full-season economic impact of the Yankees and Mets combined, per Secret NYC.
That footprint extends well beyond Flushing Meadows. The USTA projected employing nearly 7,000 seasonal workers across New York City and Long Island for the 2026 tournament, filling roles in VIP concierge services, catering, maintenance, and event operations, Newsday has reported. The organization also unveiled an $800 million self-funded capital plan for the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in May 2025, including a $250 million Player Performance Center and Arthur Ashe Stadium renovations debuting across 2026 and 2027, according to USOpen.org.
The Seaport isn't the only downtown waterfront chasing that Open-season energy. The activation coincides with other Lower Manhattan tennis events, including the 10th annual Brookfield Place Open along the Hudson River at 230 Vesey Street, the Downtown Alliance notes. Together, the dueling pop-ups suggest a broader neighborhood strategy to pull U.S. Open foot traffic away from Queens and into Manhattan's waterfront corridors for the length of the tournament.
