I've driven past this bubble under the bridge more times than I can remember on my way home to Queens. It felt great to finally play here. I used the Mind Body app to sign up for a beginner class though I'm more advanced beginner. There were three of us on the clay court with Ben as our teacher. He gave fantastic instruction and was patient and charming. The tennis center has adult and junior classes, a gift shop with everything you need, friendly staff and friendly pricing. Prices are great for Manhattan and the company has three locations - 59th and York, 89th and York hidden in an apartment building, and another hidden INSIDE Grand Central Station. If you're suffering from insomnia, you can rent a court into the wee hours:-) 10 and 20 packs make their pricing comparable to Queens, and a steal for Manhattan. You pick your classes at your convenience on the app and can cancel without penalty with 24 hours notice. This flexibility is unheard of at other tennis sites in NYC I look forward to my next lessons at one of their sites. Highly recommended for tennis players at all levels. read more

See all

8 indoor clay courts. Great option to play in the winter or a rainy summer day. If you have a tennis permit, you can play for free in the summer. Or, get a day permit for $15. They do check for permits, as there is an office on site when you walk in. Winter rates are $200+ / hour. Like all NYC tennis courts, you still have to get here super early to get a court time- got here at 7am, waited about an hour and was able to snag an afternoon spot. This spot is pretty popular with beginners because they offer so many clinics and classes here. Only gets docked a point because it could be cleaner? read more

Fun to play on clay courts, just a bit expensive. I found the court and hitting partners on joinplaytennis.com/new-york read more

Helpful and friendly people who love tennis. Weather-proof. Offers clinics and lessons.

Played with a friend who is in a weekly clinic (I usually do drop-in's at Yorkville with Jonathan who is just fantastic). My friend only has nice things to say about this club and her clinics as well as Alex who teaches her son; personally I thought it was uncomfortably cold and the surface was very unpredictable and damaged. I will go back when the temperature is higher and maybe that will add a star. Worth a visit nonetheless. read more

The courts have been overrun with big FLIES, sitting in packs in netting, squashed underfoot, circling in the air. It is so disgusting and probably an actual health hazard. Also the waiting area reeks of cleaning product from a dirty mop and bucket left right there. Yuck. read more

See all

Nice people work here, esp Jony. The courts are in decent shape and I love the location. Good groups.

I can't believe how much this place charges with the condition of the courts and bathrooms/locker rooms. There are mice running around the courts, huge black flies everywhere, mold and grime on the faucets and sinks. It's literally a disgusting place that needs to be redone. read more

Be careful that AB doesn't try to scam you, and pay for things that have already been paid for! He is extremely rude and belligerent, and careless in his record keeping! read more

Having open to the public courts in New York is very nice although reservations are tricky here. Also, the clay courts sometimes have inconsistent surfaces which can make playing difficult... I like the indoor concept as if the weather sucks there is an option!! read more

8 indoor clay courts in Midtown East - 2 courts are for public use and can be played on with the NYC Permit. Nice facilities and lockroom and bathroom available to change read more

See all

This is a great indoor tennis facility in Manhattan. I've been going there for the past 6+ months and have nothing but positive feedback. I'm honestly confused why the rating isn't higher so I wanted to leave a review. There's 8 clay courts, and they have a variety of programs available, from just booking a court to signing up for a class. They offer lessons, clinics, drill & play and match & play one off classes. The prices for pros are steep but if you want to keep up lessons in the winter this is the most affordable I've found. They offer incentives for playing off hours - early AM & late evening. You can purchase a package of 10 or 20 court times for a discounted rate. If you have a package, it enables you to book in advance. If you don't have a package, during non-peak hours they have walk on courts available for $20! They also offer clinics, which I've enrolled in. These are 1-1.5hr classes that run for 8 weeks, once per week. They have a generous selection of times to choose from at all levels and are lead by a pro. The clinics consist of about half drills - practicing ground strokes, volleys, overheads, shortballs, serving etc, and then about half of the remaining time is games - like queen of the court etc. The package is around $450, and works out to around $50 per class. Lastly, they also have 2 hr drill & play and match & play offered at various times. You can sign up for these one at a time, they're $90. The drill in play consists of hitting drills the first hour and playing a match (either doubles or singles) in the later. Everyone I've met here is has been really nice & approachable, from the staff and pros to other players - it doesn't have any pretentiousness at all, there's none of that stereotypical stuffy, cliquish tennis club vibe. Anyway highly recommend checking it out if you're interested in looking to playing indoors in Manhattan. I was almost skeptical to share because I like that it's usually not too hard to get a court or book in advance. read more

Sutton East Tennis - Indoor clay court at Sutton East. - Tennis Near Me - New York, New York

Okay for tennis, but facility needs updates - peeling courts, crumpling locker room. Price increased, but no quality improvement. Recommend playing only in summer with park permit. read more

Love these tennis courts, I'm in Greenpoint, Brooklyn so its right over the bridge for me. They are clay courts and kept in great condition. The staff is very helpful with organizing my bookings and are always friendly. I recommend these courts to anyone in the area! read more

Sutton East Tennis - Tennis Near Me - New York, New York

Honestly, I'm very confused by the negative reviews. This place is a gem! Not only the staff is super helpful and friendly, Coach Doug is AMAZING. I literally came in for the first time in October and I've improved significantly. I was terrified on my first class cause I've almost never played before and I am "too old to learn in public". I received honest instruction suited for the level I signed up for and in line with what a class is supposed to be: a space for LEARNING. If I wanted to just hit the ball and play like garbage the rest of my life I'd just go to the free courts around the city, or hit against a wall. I feel very supported by both staff and patrons and I think is fairly priced too. I also got my racquet here, I was able to demo a few racquets before deciding and both Doug and Joseph helped me get the best option for me. I'm super happy I found this place where I can play tennis year round and feel comfortable in my learning experience. read more

Horrible experience and would stay clean if you have young children and are looking to get them engaged in tennis. Michael Filipek, their head pro, could not have been more horrific towards my 4 year old and told him that he is the problem not the coach who my son instantly starts to cry every time he sees him. Then, instead of offering to switch him to another court with a new coach he told us to leave and that he would refund us. I've never experienced this in a facility where they are trying to engage the next generation of tennis. They also strongly encourage you to drop off your child for their lesson because their viewing space is limited. I would never leave my child alone with someone who had this kind of behavioral towards children. Beyond disappointing and disheartening. read more

I took classes here and was already insecure about my tennis game. But still, I went ahead and took the class to push myself out of my comfort zone. I took advanced beginner because I used to play, but hadn't picked up a racquet in a couple years. The instructor after class made a comment to me that i needed a lot of improvement and wasn't a great player. That was incredibly hurtful and has completely turned me off to playing. Giving people that kind of feedback really stings and I'm disappointed with my experience. read more

I had a very discouraging experience here with an incredibly rude and untactful instructor. He told me in front of the class that I was "not a strong enough player" to participate in a particular intermediate class, though I had attended the same class a week earlier with that instructor and he did not mention this. I disagreed with his assessment because the week prior I was matched well with the group, and had even beat a few of the players in a point-based game. When I asked him why he didn't mention this last week he said it's an "uncomfortable conversation to have" and he thought I would have "come to this conclusion on my own." Regardless, the way he handled this was brash, off-putting, and embarrassing. I made the club aware and they processed a refund for me -- but it ruined my experience there and discouraged me from something that was bringing me so much joy. read more

Love this club. Been playing squash for years but squash courts were closed due to pandemic. Tried tennis since July and I am now hooked; many thanks to pros and staff at Sutton East. Very welcoming to new and advanced players. Always looking out for the overall experience of the group. They even kick out players who are nuts like that comment from 5 months ago. I was there and strongly agree with Doug's call. read more

Very dissatisfying experience with Sutton East due to their awful customer service. A friend gave me a gift certificate for my birthday, but I did not feel comfortable using it until now. When I called to book a lesson I realized the gift expired ONE month ago. Sutton East would not make an accommodation given the pandemic and current circumstances or just life. Do not give this place your business. read more

Love this place. I truly like everyone I've met there over the past few years..staff, pros and players. I've made real friends and look forward to going every single time. Doug's classes are in high demand for good reasons! read more

It's amazing to have clay courts right in the middle of Manhattan, but the condition of the courts is less than perfect. Very uneven surfaces, and in desperate need of some serious maintenance. read more

I have been playing here this summer with a NYC Park Tennis permit. This place could not have more rude staff! One time I went to reserve a court in the morning and specifically asked for a doubles court to play at 7 PM. My friends and I got there and got a singles court that we had to later switch with other people who were only playing singles. So the following time I went to reserve a court I made sure the guy gave me a doubles court, and told me he didn't have one, so I said fine and I could switch with someone. And he said he really doubts I can do that given that everyone is playing doubles at the time I reserved the court for. After he said that he just threw my permit on the table back to me! What an attitude! Oh, and the courts are terrible! There is barely any clay on them and the surface is pretty rough and worn down. I only use these courts because I live only a few minutes away and it's convenient for me to reserve a court in the morning. read more

We went early Sunday AM and the staff was very friendly and the price for a walk-in at 6/7am was very reasonable. There are plenty of places to sit and relax and the temperature of the bubble was very comfortable. We will be returning all winter. read more

Such a bad experience. The instructor Keith on Sunday Match Play at 6-8pm extremely rude and totally disorganized. Personally insulted me, so upset definitely I will insist on the dismissal or reprimand of him. So my recommendation, if you want have a good time and enjoy your play any day except Sunday read more

I recently started playing tennis again after a ten year hiatus. My friend convinced me to buy a package of ten Advance Beginner clinics from Tennis in Manhattan. On a Friday night, I tried my first hour-long clinic at Sutton East Tennis. The location is very much out of the way unless you live very far east in Manhattan. Despite the less than desirable location, the facilities were overall adequate. Prior to this, my most recent tennis experience was at a country club in Westchester that has pristine tennis courts and top notch instructors, so initially I was disappointed walking into the tennis "bubble" at Sutton East Tennis. It was very stuffy inside the "bubble" and the clay courts looked dirty. I walked over the my assigned court for the clinic, which was suppose to have six participants. The instructor Jeremy showed up a few minutes later and the clinic began with just three of us. We started off with some drills and the other participants were about my level, which made for equal playing and instruction. I have to say the instructor was not as good as my instructors at the country club, but I'm not paying as much for these lessons. I had the chance the practice my forehand, backhand, and volley and the instructor did provide feedback to us all. I left feeling satisfied from the clinic and look forward to returning for another. I just wish that clinics were offered on the weekends during the day. Most of the clinics are late at night during the week. read more

Just about the worst place to play tennis in NYC. The courts are not well maintained and the staff are apathetic at best and plain rude in general. They are very lax re safety. The classes are very mixed (higher level players mixed with players who can barely rally). Most of the instructors have no enthusiasm and act like ball feeding machines- no instruction. Frankly I do not understand why anyone would play here- seems like a waste of time and money. read more

Bought the groupon for this place (started in Yorkville and ended at Sutton when it opened up for the season), and so the package for ten classes came out to about 30 dollars a class. Classes were ok, but it really depended on the teacher. Some teachers talk a lotttt so you don't have barely have time to hit. If you can only make a certain window at a time (say on the weekends like a normal working person), you are likely going to have the same teacher over and over again. You don't get much individual attention, because once you've hit/attempted to hit the ball over the net, the teacher is busy feeding the next person the ball. Class sizes are limited to six, but I think they should have been limited to four. Even with four people (when two people wouldn't show), I feel like it's not a ton of time to hit around. I was there where there was a class with six people, and you could pretty much forget about learning anything useful. God forbid if your king-of-the-court partner is bad, then you won't be playing at all. I'd say typical class breakdown: 60% waiting for your turn to hit the ball 20% hitting the ball. 20% instructor talking/moving/setting up the exercise/picking up balls A star comes off for not being able to book over the phone as well. I called ahead one time because the classes were not available to book online if it was within 48 hours. The person on the phone made it seem like he was going super out of his way to book it over the phone but said "since you didn't know, I will make a one-time exception." It took him all of two seconds once I gave him my last name. You need to book classes way in advance too because weekend spots fill up quickly. I would recommend this place to a friend, but definitely only with a groupon (and maybe one that made it out to 20 a class). read more

You must be kidding... The worst quality of Indoor facilities i ve ever seen before. You should pay at least 150$/hour, and you get into dirty messy place. The clay court is ok, but... It's freezing inside! Guys, did you ever heard about price quality correlation??? Locker room looks like a pig stay, you will never accept to take a shower here. Towels? What are you takling about? Dissapointed! What a shame for UES! read more

For the last couple of years, Sutton East has been one of my go to tennis clubs in the city for lessons and court time. With covid, they seem to be taking every measure to operate safely. Everyone who works here, from staff at the front desk to every instructors I've met, is very friendly and helpful. My play has grown a lot since starting out as a total beginner. Kudos to Jeff and Adam for the pointed feedback! read more

Most everything about this facility and their programs rate 0.5 stars. I've been in Match Play and Drill and Play since 2017 and had various pros. I am not a great player nor am I a terrible one. Yet, I think because I'm older (and not on any review of my actual play) I am 99% of the time paired with the worst players. Inasmuch as I paid the same as every other player I feel I should not be stuck every time I play at SE in the afternoon (versus Yorkville or an evening session) one of my doubles games is invariably with someone who might not be able to serve, keep score, etc. This is obviously unfair. I used to set up matches myself and I know it is difficult with the wide range of playing levels; altho the requirements (not adhered to) are set out before players are enrolled, supposedly. Also, every time I get a different pro s/he doesn't know my game and I start out at the bottom after quick drills to assess abilities. I played with Sergio, Jeff and they knew my capabilities and I wasn't ALWAYS paired with the Animal House pledges. But I made my opinion known to Joseph and he just brushed me away with a condescending look and said "Take it up with the front desk." Who essentially said talk to the matchmaker, i.e. Joseph. The staff is definitely not customer-friendly. I would not recommend spending your money here. I have other grievances which are for another day. Oh, so you might wonder what should the pro do. The matches could be set with one very good player and the other very poor against a similar pair, not all four deemed poor. It seems better players are always kept in the same group. They can complain (and put up with bad matches) as well I can...it's only fair. read more

Not impressed with the junior tennis program. The website claims that the student to coach ratio would never be more than 6 to 1 for the weekend 2 hour clinics but my daughter's group always has 7 kids. read more

Jerry at Sutton East Tennis is great. Extremely helpful and very responsive to emails. He hooked me up with 2 free classes because there was a promotion that came up 2 days after I made the purchase. I'm looking forward to playing some tennis this summer and highly recommend Sutton East for anyone that is interested in learning/playing tennis. read more

Four stars for Sutton East Tennis. I've signed up for several dozen clinics over the last couple of years and had a positive experience overall. It's in a great location under the 59th Street Bridge (I can't bring myself to call it the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge), it's also inside a giant bubble (no excuses on a rainy day), and has an online reservation system which allows you to avoid human contact. All of which are plusses. So let's get to the minuses. Because you are unable to select specific instructors for clinics, you will not know who your instructor will be until you actually show up. While we should all be able to learn something from everyone, I would prefer to select instructors, as the clinics are not inexpensive, and the instructors vary greatly in style of instruction and personality. Some instructors put more effort into having fun and making sure that there is a good mix of drills and games than others. You will learn quickly who will push you harder than others, and who will focus more on games than on drills, etc. The other minus is poor temperature control. It is probably too costly to adequately heat and air-condition the bubble, so it's just something you will need to accept unless and until they do something about it. I've played on oppressively hot summer days and made a mental note not to repeat the same mistake next summer. So those are the minuses. If you can deal with rolling the instructor dice when you sign up for a clinic and if you are unbothered by temperature, I highly recommend Sutton East Tennis. read more

Wonderful first time experience! Received 10 beg/adv beg lessons as a gift. Pros: Sergio the instructor is TERRIFIC - gifted at knowing how to motivate you to up your skills/game while being patient/encouraging. Easy to schedule online and on the app. Monday beginning clinic at noon was great as I shared the lesson with one other person so it was like a semi-private. Other students seem friendly, motivated, and willing to consider playing outside the lesson. Clay courts great for learning. There's coffee/lounge area and a deck area. Locker rooms available (bring your own lock) Tennis racket rental available (~$10) No frills (some might consider this a downside, but if it keeps costs down so I can afford to play tennis for the long haul in the city, it's a plus :)) Cons: Challenging to get there - I come from the West Side so location seems far, but still worth it. Would recommend to others!! read more

I played at Sutton today for the first time. I bought a drill and play package on line, but may switch over to Yorkville instead although their rating isn't much better. You have to book online to play here and sign up way in advance. I nabbed the last spot for today's class, but half the ppl must not have shown up, since there were only 4 of us. I would normally love a small class, but our pro, Ya-Ya was beyond horrible. He fired balls at us wildly and often we had to jump over balls to get to his random shots. He would shout something at us but his accent is so thick and it was so noisy in the bubble, that it was often hard to hear and understand him. Since there were only four of us in the class, we definitely got a nice cardio workout. Ya-ya never gave us a water break, which actually wasn't so bad, we were all in decent shape and could keep up, but I was definitely winded by the end. The reasons for the 2 stars is because although I found most of the staff at Sutton to be courteous, Ya-ya, was by far the rudest tennis pro I have ever encountered. Not only is he rude, he is a misogynist that has been complained about several times in the past (scroll down on other reviews). He somehow thinks it's ok to berate people in French in front of them. The amenities are nothing to rave about either. The locker room is shabby, didn't see any towels. Looks like there's one shower. There are footprints all over the couch. O' and it smells like gasoline inside. However, the other pro there seemed nice and the receptionists were warm. And my three classmates and I were all around the same level (3.5-4.0). read more

It's ok place if you want to play tennis , convenient spot in the city.

I had a fairly good first experience at the Advanced Beginner Clinic. The people I played with were friendly and the instructor was helpful. I would have liked a little more direct instruction, but overall I had a nice time at the clinic and I would return. I don't love clay courts, but the facility is good. I do not recommend coming here on a very hot day though because it was unbearable on a 90+ degree day. read more

I've been doing the drill and play here for a while and it's really great. Good instructors and facilities, and the staff is very helpful. Playing on clay is great for the relieving pressure on the joints. I would say though, if you go during the day time comparing outside to inside the light may seem a little dim, but I guess that's expected from the bubble set up they have. Other than that great place to play and meet read more

The facility is decent, in fact I would consider it above average if you factor in the price and the fact that it's in manhattan. However, my comments are really in regards to the drill and play. I've bought my sessions through groupon or gilt city, i.e. whenever there are steep discounts. There is no way my experience playing here justifies paying the full price or even a slight discount. The first hour is basically drills - don't expect to learn much here, the instructors are here to feed you balls, get your heart rate up (i.e. cardio-type exercises) and some even told me as much. You're not going to get individual attention/instructions. This is all perfectly fine - there are eight people on court and that is how it was marketed. After all, it does say that it is meant for "intermediate and advance" players (who can serve/rally decently and are looking for additional hitting/drilling opportunity), which in my view are really high 3.0s , 3.5 and perhaps 4.0 USTA men's rating level. But here is when things really break down. Yesterday, I ended up playing on court with 3 other players who are really high 2.5s and barely 3.0s (there were only 4 of us). I got nothing out of it - they couldn't serve in, return serve or rally consistently (for more than 3 shots). I have nothing against people playing up slightly and wanting to improve, in fact, I have no problem playing 3.0 players. Everyone is here to have fun and improve. But a line needs to be drawn somewhere. Having played a number of times, I would say that the average level is probably low 3.0 and in all honesty, I had a decent experience maybe 50%-60% of the time. The problem is that there is not even a half hearted attempt to enforce playing level restrictions, even though it clearly says in the fine print that beginners or advance beginners are not allowed AND that instructors may remove certain players not player at the suitable level at their discretion. Obviously only allowing those with USTA ratings wouldn't be feasible for the club since not everyone has a rating. But they could at least make people self rate themselves as part of the registration and perhaps have the instructors evaluate them, especially since the instructors have nothing to do other than observe the players in the 2nd hour of play. But again, it may not make financial sense for the club. I still continue to play in the drill and play sessions - as I mentioned, 50-60% of my experience have been decent but that also means that I'm only willing to pay when there is a significant groupon/gilt city discount. For the record, I've played men's 3.0 for around 3 years and 3.5 for another 3 more years. So I think that I have a pretty good idea of what level of play would constitute intermediate and advance. In most cases, I would give the benefit of doubt but there are just too many times when it's pretty clear that there are players who shouldn't be playing there. If the drill and play was marketed differently (e.g. to include advance beginners), then I understand, but that's not how it was set up. read more