How New York City celebrated the Australian Open with an intimate tennis gathering in Tribeca

Hours before Aryna Sabalenka completed the champion’s lap of honor inside Rod Laver Arena, tennis socialites in New York City were toasting the end of the summer Down Under. The “Grand Slam Australian Open Party,” hosted by the Tennis Social Club, emphasized the group's initiative by bringing together tennis players, media, and sports lovers alike.

Tennis Social Club, a project announced last year in the aftermath of the US Open, bills itself a 'Topgolf-for-tennis' concept that is creating the first tennis simulator product in hopes of making the sport more social.

"We are building the first AI tennis simulators that are social and gamified, similar to Topgolf," said Steven McClendon, CFO and co-founder of Tennis Social Club. "Nights like these continue to show that tennis has the appetite and innovation to fuse tennis fanatics and new players together, to grow the sport and lifestyle we all love."

Immediately upon arrival to Maxwell Tribeca, Australian flags and tennis balls decorated the space. The two-story club inspired the network of people to meet and mingle, and provided a live DJ set in the second portion of the evening for much-needed dancing.

“It’s so refreshing being in a room full of tennis fans,” said Lilian Poling, a former Division I tennis player who's also played ITF professional tournaments.

“The venue was amazing, it had so much character that invited us all to get to know each other.”

Along with a playable billiards table, a decorative bath tub, and a tennis court on the ceiling of the basement, was a screening from the five-set thriller that Nick Kyrgios and Karen Khachanov played at the 2020 Australian Open.

The tennis theme even carried into the dress code, where classy off-court styles ranged from “vintage whites” to “wild with your brightest." One guest wandered the venue with a giant racquet and ball, and another carried a tennis-court purse.