The Judge Jean Murrell Capers tennis courts played host to the 79th edition of the Tri-City tennis tournament during Labor Day weekend. 

The three-day tournament, sponsored by the oldest Black tennis club in the nation, Forest City Tennis Club, alternates between Cleveland, Detroit and Chicago each year. This was the first tournament to be played on the freshly renovated courts.

Players of all ages and skill levels put on a display of high quality tennis, some re-connecting with people they hadn’t seen in years. One of the most experienced players, Nancy Gilbert, shared fond memories, having played the sport for over 50 years.

The sign at the Judge Jean Murrell Capers Tennis Courts at Rockefeller Park.
Tri-City Tennis Tournament at the Judge Jean Murrell Capers Tennis Courts at Rockefeller Park.
Dozens of trophies on a table at the Tri-City Tennis Tournament at the Judge Jean Murrell Capers Tennis Courts at Rockefeller Park.

“I grew up in Arkansas,” Gilbert said. “I didn’t get to play much tennis with other people, but I would hit against my barn wall often. Part of my curriculum in college required me to play a sport, so I chose tennis, and I haven’t looked back.”

Gilbert has seen a lot of changes to the Judge Capers courts throughout the years. It warmed her heart to see the new courts filled with players.

“I’ve played this tournament so many times. To see Forest City Tennis Club in full operation was a beautiful thing to see,” Gilbert said. “What the club has meant to the Black community, how we have held it up and how we’ve supported one another is really just unbelievable.”

Tri-City Tennis Tournament at the Judge Jean Murrell Capers Tennis Courts at Rockefeller Park.
Credit: Kenyatta Crisp

The courts are named after Jean Murrell Capers who, in 1949, was the first African-American woman elected to Cleveland City Council. In addition, she served as assistant Ohio Attorney General in 1959 and as a municipal court judge until her retirement in 1986.

She was an avid tennis player and the first African-American woman to win the Greater Cleveland Tennis Championship. Capers was also a member of the Forest City Tennis Club. The seven lighted courts are a designated city landmark and open to the public.

See photos below from photographer Kenyatta Crisp.

A woman holding a trophy at the Tri-City Tennis Tournament at the Judge Jean Murrell Capers Tennis Courts at Rockefeller Park.
Tri-City Tennis Tournament at the Judge Jean Murrell Capers Tennis Courts at Rockefeller Park.
Tri-City Tennis Tournament at the Judge Jean Murrell Capers Tennis Courts at Rockefeller Park.
Two men sitting and watching at the Tri-City Tennis Tournament at the Judge Jean Murrell Capers Tennis Courts at Rockefeller Park.
K.P. Pearson, left, and Phil Davis, right, at the Tri-City Tennis Tournament. Credit: Kenyatta Crisp
Tri-City Tennis Tournament at the Judge Jean Murrell Capers Tennis Courts at Rockefeller Park.
Tri-City Tennis Tournament at the Judge Jean Murrell Capers Tennis Courts at Rockefeller Park.
Tri-City Tennis Tournament at the Judge Jean Murrell Capers Tennis Courts at Rockefeller Park.
Two men in caps on a players' bench Tri-City Tennis Tournament at the Judge Jean Murrell Capers Tennis Courts at Rockefeller Park.
Hill Weber, left, and Steve Nicholson, right, at the Tri-City Tennis Tournament. Credit: Kenyatta Crisp

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