Hermon Park’s Battle Over Court Space: Tennis and pickleball players are clashing over plans to convert one tennis court into four pickleball courts at Hermon Park in Los Angeles. The city will hold a community meeting on Wednesday, April 9, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Highland Park Senior Center to hear from both sides.
Tensions Rise Over Shared Court Space
Hermon Park, located near Highland Park and Monterey Hills, is at the center of a growing fight between fans of tennis and the fast-growing sport of pickleball. The park has 11 public tennis courts that are free and first-come, first-served.
“You can just come at any point and just play,” said Alex Haug, a tennis coach who works with clients at the park. “In L.A. that is a rarity.”
The Department of Recreation and Parks plans to change one tennis court into four pickleball courts. The proposal has upset local tennis players, who say courts are already crowded.
Tennis Players Speak Out
Many tennis players have joined together to oppose the plan. Cynthia Su, a freelance film worker who plays at Hermon Park, is one of them. She said she started playing tennis a few years ago and now practices almost every day. “ I considered Hermon my home court,” said Su, who lives in Eagle Rock.
Su began organizing with other tennis players after hearing about a similar plan to convert courts at Griffith-Riverside Park. “As soon as he told me about that, I got right on it,” Su said. She later helped with another case in Echo Park and now leads a digital petition to protect tennis courts citywide.
“I decided [that] this is gonna keep happening and… I would love to just organize the greater tennis community in Los Angeles because it really affects us all when we lose courts. When there’s overflow at one court, you kind of migrate to another court. So you’re always just looking for vacancy and availability somewhere else.” – (su)
Su has also been putting up flyers in Hermon Park to tell people about the upcoming meeting.
Pickleball Players Want More Courts
Pickleball players say they face similar problems with not enough places to play. Tim Cruz, a Los Feliz resident, says he plays in Glendale, West Hollywood, Pasadena, and Burbank.
“It’s hard to get a good court rotation.” – (Cruz)
He added that in Glendale, where there are four pickleball courts, weekend wait times can stretch to 90 minutes, with around 30 people on the sidelines.
“The thing with pickleball that’s really unique is that you end up talking with strangers and your friend list suddenly grows.” – (Cruz)
Most pickleball courts are made by adding lines to tennis courts, which can be confusing.
”Don’t get me started about indoor pickleball, because you’ve got basketball lines, you’ve got badminton lines, you’ve got, oh my God, pickleball lines.” – (Cruz)
He also said pickleball is easier to start playing than tennis.
“But here is the issue, right? It’s that most of the time, the tennis courts are empty. Then you just pan over to the pickleball courts and there’s just like tons of people waiting. Why? Because the barrier of entry in pickleball versus tennis is vastly different.” – (Cruz)
Still, tennis players disagree.
“There’s usually long wait times for tennis courts. The idea that some of them would be changed into a different sport is kind of upsetting.” – (Haug)
Parks Department Responds
Juan Aynat, who oversees recreation in the San Fernando Valley and leads a pickleball committee, said both sports need their own spaces.
”They want brand new courts. They want access in the morning and at night. They want to play indoors, they want to play outdoors.” – (Aynat)
At first, the city used a “hybrid” model where both sports shared a court, but now the plan is shifting.
“ We are definitely headed in the direction of just doing dedicated facilities.” – (Aynat)
About 20 dedicated pickleball courts exist across the city. Last summer, four were built in Porter Ranch. In the future, more standalone courts may come.
“ We have heard the voices of the tennis community. we have way more tennis courts, obviously.” – (Aynat)
Hermon Park was picked because nearby areas lack pickleball access. Only two courts are available at Montecito Heights Recreation Center.
“In that L.A. area, we’ve been getting a lot of responses from the community as to why there’s no pickleball. That is one of our hotspots that we need to increase some access for them.” – (Aynat)
An earlier plan to convert two courts for eight pickleball courts was dropped due to tennis player concerns. Still, that’s not enough for players like Su.
“He said to me, it’s a different sport, get a different court, you know. I’m not fundamentally against pickleball. I just wish it didn’t have to come at the expense of an existing sport that already means so much to so many people.” – (su)
News in Brief: Hermon Park’s Battle Over Court Space
Tennis and pickleball players in L.A. are clashing over plans to convert a tennis court into pickleball courts at Hermon Park. The city will hold a meeting on April 9 to gather feedback. Players from both sides say courts are crowded and want dedicated spaces for their sport.