South Minneapolis has the region’s only public clay tennis courts. Fans are raising money for more.

With the French Open underway in Paris, fans may notice that the world’s greatest players are matching off on clay courts — common throughout Europe yet mostly a perk of private clubs in the United States.

Local tennis lovers, who founded the nonprofit Minneapolis Community Clay Courts, are helping the cash-strapped Park and Recreation Board complete asphalt-to-clay conversions. Their mission: Bring public clay facilities to the Twin Cities and build the community to maintain them in perpetuity.

Minneapolis Community Clay Courts is now raising money to install new courts along Minnehaha Creek, where infamously decrepit asphalt courts were demolished last year to make way for reconstruction.

Clay courts are softer and easier on players’ joints, said Charles Weed, the group’s 58-year-old founder. They allow aging players to stay in the game they love, and they also help beginners hone proper ball placement and court coverage techniques by slowing down the game.

“It’s hard to keep playing tennis and not have your joints really just start to deteriorate,” Weed said. “A lot of my friends are my age too. So we just started thinking, ‘Well, why can’t we have a clay court here that we take care of?’”

Weed said he was inspired by visiting a little town in New Hampshire, where a group of regular older men had built a clay court and were taking care of it themselves. None of them had the knee braces Weed was so accustomed to seeing in the age bracket.

He pitched the Park Board, which had a bunch of deteriorating courts systemwide in need of resurfacing, on the idea of uncrackable clay courts that volunteers with Minneapolis Community Clay Courts would help with the daily upkeep (sweeping and watering). Park staff were on board.

In 2021, Minneapolis Community Clay Courts partnered with the Park Board to open the metropolitan area’s only public clay courts at Waveland Triangle Park in the Linden Hills neighborhood.

Signs there instruct players to sweep the courts when they’re done. While there was some doubt at first that an urban community would take care of a higher maintenance common asset, players got it right away.

“We’re so excited about this next project because the proof of concept is there now with Waveland Triangle, and it’s busy,” said Becky Cantellano, CEO of United States Tennis Association’s Northern chapter. The association gave $57,500 to help pay for the Waveland courts, and has committed a $10,000 matching grant to the upcoming construction at Minnehaha Creek.

With more tennis courts losing ground to pickleball amid growth in both sports, both sports need more space, Cantellano added. Converting courts to long-lasting clay is one way to hold space for tennis.

Construction and grand opening of the creekside courts will likely take place next year, with fundraising complications delaying the timeline laid out in an agreement between the Park Board and Minneapolis Community Clay Courts approved last year.

It will cost an estimated $300,000 to $400,000 to construct the courts.

Park staffer Madeline Hudek said it has been challenging to find funding. The courts would be in Minnehaha Regional Park, but aren’t eligible for environmentally oriented regional park dollars because they’re more of a neighborhood park amenity.

The Park Board will consider applying for Hennepin County youth sports grants to help close the gap this summer.

For now, a grassy field remains in place of the demolished asphalt courts as park staffers work on designing a bike skills course nearby.

“Since I ran for office, I’ve been hearing from everyone how sad they are about the condition of the tennis courts on Minnehaha Creek,” said Park Board Commissioner Steffanie Musich at the time the board advanced its partnership with Minneapolis Community Clay Courts. “So seeing that we’re moving forward with a way to rehabilitate those, since we are unable to utilize our regional park monies for that type of activity, it’s very exciting to see that this is happening.”

Park staffers said they are still searching for good locations in north and northeast Minneapolis to spread clay facilities more equitably across the city.

“When I’ve played across the country, you have to get to a private club, or you have to be part of a membership somewhere, to play on a clay court,” said Park Superintendent Al Bangoura. “As a tennis player, being able to walk on a public court free, and have no barriers, is just stunning, and an incredible thing.”