Last Saturday, July 25, Friends of Patterson Park traveled with Girls Rule the Court™ tennis players to Washington D.C. for the Mubadala Citi DC Open 2026. This annual tournament, held at the William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center, is special for Patterson Park kids because of kids day - an event during the tournament where youth get to meet and play with international tennis stars! Our next generation of tennis players (along with parents and siblings) took a bus from Patterson Park to D.C. for a fun-filled day of rotating through tennis games, skill stations, and interactive activities led by coaches. One of the biggest highlights of the day was meeting professional tennis players (see Rafa Jódar below). After the morning’s activities, families stayed for the afternoon and got a behind-the-scenes look at world-class tournament qualifying matches.
The Friends of Patterson Park free tennis programs, and this annual event, are made possible by generous funding from the United States Tennis Association National and Mid-Atlantic Foundation. This year we are excited to expand our tennis programs to include youth 13-15 years old! Registrations for beginners, Match Ready, and Girls Rule the Court are open for the early fall session - register today!
