National Tennis Tournament's Return to Forest Park Recalls Dwight Davis Legacy

Aerial view of the Dwight Davis Tennis Center

The National Public Parks Tennis Championship returns to St. Louis this month, 100 years after it was launched by National Public Parks Tennis Association founder and former St. Louis City Parks Commissioner Dwight Davis. 

Davis, a decorated tennis player among many accomplishments during his career, helped introduce active recreation to Forest Park during his tenure as commissioner.

The National Public Parks Tennis Association holds its annual championships at different locations around the U.S. each year. In 2023, the tournament invites players from around the U.S. to the Dwight Davis Tennis Center in beautiful Forest Park on Sept. 14-17. 

The year after the (then males-only) tournament was founded, a different name from St. Louis history captured the spotlight: From 1924 to 1927, one of the "greatest tennis players developed in St. Louis," Theodore R. (Ted) Drewes, won four consecutive singles championships. Read more about Ted Drewes' tennis accomplishments, his "far-flung Christmas tree business and two frozen custard stands in south St. Louis," here.

Born in 1879, the proud St. Louisian Dwight Davis was the national outdoor men's tennis doubles champion from 1899 to 1901. He famously donated the Davis Cup and spent his life developing partnerships to make tennis in public parks available to all. The Dwight Davis Memorial Tennis Center in Forest Park bears his name, but his legacy extends far beyond the tennis court.

Main entrance of the Dwight Davis Tennis Center in summer.

As the City Parks Commissioner from 1912 to 1915, Davis transformed Forest Park into a space for recreation and civic events. He famously said, "If we can't have the grass and the people in our parks, let's sacrifice the grass," and removed the "Keep Off the Grass" signs that filled city parks. 

Today, an innovative public-private partnership between the City of St. Louis and Forest Park Forever helps maintain and improve Forest Park — its grass, its flowers, its waterways and paths and everything in between.

Founded in 1986, our private nonprofit conservancy works to restore, maintain and sustain Forest Park as one of America's great urban public parks for a diverse community of visitors to enjoy, now and forever. Thanks to its mix of natural areas, beautiful landscapes, cultural institutions, recreational amenities and more, Forest Park is widely recognized as one of the nation's best city parks.

Soon, the City and Forest Park Forever hope to add an inclusive and comfortable outdoor setting for basketball to join the Park's many recreational activities — another sport in the Park to follow the tradition started by Davis over a century ago. Read More about the goal for Forest Park basketball courts here.