Remember When Tennis Legends Lit Up Central Park Stadium in Schenectady?

Did you know that, at one time, Schenectady had tennis courts that drew some of the biggest tennis stars in the world to the Electric City to compete? Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras, Serena and Venus Williams, and so many more.

Let's take a look back at the Central Park Stadium in Schenectady, home to the World Team Tennis matches and the former OTB International Open which took place in the 1990s and early 2000s.

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The OTB Open was a World Tennis Association Tour, Grand Prix and Association of Tennis Professionals Tour affiliated tennis tournament that played from 1985 to 1994. It was held in Central Park Stadium in Schenectady and played on outdoor hard courts. It was sponsored by the Capital District Regional Off-Track Betting Corporation.

Billie Jean King played and coached on this court. Pam Shriver, Martina Navratilova, Ivan Lendl, and Jimmy Connors competed on courts that no longer exist.

The OTB tournament came to an end in 1994 but World Team Tennis matches continued into the early 2000's as a home court to the New York Buzz. The Buzz played at the Central Park Stadium until 2007. The team eventually moved to San Diego.

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In June of 2024, at the cist of $10 million dollars, the site of the former Central Park Stadium reopened as the new Central Park Swimming Pool. This section of the park now features a lap pool, kiddie pool, splash pad. Take a look at the picture below.