The Association of Pickleball Players (APP) / SunMed St. Louis Open gets underway at 8 a.m. from August 9 to August 13, 2023 at Forest Park’s historic Dwight Davis Tennis Center.
The tennis center consists of 18 lighted tennis courts and a stadium court. In 2017, the stadium court was converted to four pickleball courts. The center is named after native St. Louisan Dwight F. Davis, creator and donor of professional tennis’ famed Davis Cup.
“To play at Dwight Davis, the literal historic home of the Davis Cup, a tennis facility, and to transform it into pickleball courts is something I didn’t think I’d ever see just a year ago or so,” stated Tournament Director Jim Berger of the USAPA Middle States Regional Championships.
The five-day national tournament was originally slated to be held in San Diego, Berger said. But organizers pivoted about two weeks ago, choosing St. Louis instead. Fenton, MO hosted the tournament last year at an indoor location, but this will be the first year the open-air courts of Dwight Davis Tennis Center will play host to the tournament.
According to APP, 412 competitors have registered to participate at both pro and amateur status level. Players have traveled from all across the country to participate in the event. A cash prize will be awarded to the professional players.
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Caroline Hecker of the Associated Press contributed to this report.
