Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani: Good morning, everyone. It is good to be back in the Bronx. And it is great to be here to cut the ribbon on 10 newly resurfaced, professional-grade tennis courts right here in Crotona Park. Can we have a round of applause? We are joined here today by leaders from inside and outside of City government. And I want to just take a moment first to acknowledge USTA Foundation CEO Ginny Ehrlich, who's here with us; Yonex USA President LaNiece Douglas, who's here with us; NYJTL CEO and President Udai Tambar, who is here with us; my former colleague and still friend, Assembly Member Chantel Jackson, who's here with us; current colleague and current friend, Council Member Amanda Farías, who is here with us; our Bronx Community Board 3 district manager, Etta Ritter, who is here with us; also, our first deputy commissioner, Mark Focht, from New York City Parks. And I want to just give a special shoutout to Larry Leeds as well.
Now, New York City is a town that moves fast and fights for every advantage. So, it is only fitting that when people think of world-class tennis, they think of our city. From the more than 500 public courts and parks across the five boroughs to the more than 100-year history of the U.S. Open in Queens, this sport has been played, shaped and transformed by New Yorkers from all walks of life. I'm thinking of New Yorkers like Mayor David Dinkins, who did not pick up - we should have a round of applause for Mayor Dinkins - Mayor Dinkins, who did not pick up a racket until he was 40 years old. I think of the kids practicing their topspin and their volleys right behind me. I think of the athletes who grew up in Harlem and Queens and would go on to become some of the greatest players the sport has ever seen.
Players like Althea Gibson, who learned by playing with her friends on a roped-off street on 143rd Street before playing on the courts of the Cosmopolitan Tennis Club in Sugar Hill and who would later become the first Black player to ever compete in and win a Grand Slam in 1956. I think of players like John McEnroe, or Johnny Mac to those who've been around long enough to watch him play, who, long before he became the world No. 1, was just a kid from Douglaston with a racket and a dream. Though Gibson and McEnroe grew up in different boroughs and in different eras, though they played a very different game, New York City gave them both the same opportunities: courts to play on and the chance to be great.
And today, as we cut the ribbon on these 10 newly resurfaced courts, we are giving that legacy a new life. These courts are some of the most popular in the Bronx. They are home to the country's largest free junior tennis competition, the Mayor Dinkins Cup, hosted by our partners at New York Junior Tennis &Learning and featuring more than 800 young players from across the city. And yet, for too long, these courts have been worn down with cracks in the surface that make bounces unpredictable and play all too difficult.
Today, I'm proud to say that we've given these kids and New Yorkers across the Bronx not only a court to play on, but a new, repaired, professional-grade surface that will allow them the chance to be great. I want to commend New York City Parks and the workers who completed this refurbishment in just three weeks. I want to thank the USTA Foundation for their work to bring tennis into the lives of young people across the country, for their investment in coach training and professional-grade courts like these and for their partnership with Yonex that provided the grant that made today possible. And I am deeply - yes, yes, we should - and I'm deeply grateful for New York Junior Tennis &Learning's leadership and for their work to ensure that tennis belongs to everyone.
Just as we made it possible for New Yorkers to watch the beautiful game up close throughout the World Cup, we have also partnered with USTA to make 1,000 discounted tickets available for New Yorkers to do the same at the U.S. Open. Now, those tickets went on sale about 12 minutes ago, and they're probably sold out.
New York City would not be synonymous with world-class tennis if it were not for everything that the USTA does to make this sport accessible. I'm grateful for their partnership in this effort and for their work to ensure that every New Yorker has the opportunity to watch the world's greatest players perform on the world stage. Because whether you're watching or whether you are playing, there is no doubt about it: it is the season of tennis here in New York City.
And we want the 12-year-olds who are awed by Alcaraz's signature drop shot or Sabalenka's serve in the night match to be able to come out here the next morning and to try it themselves. We want seasoned players and amateurs alike to know the satisfaction that comes from hitting on a high-quality court: one without a sagging net, without dead spots, without weeds growing on the service line. And we want all New Yorkers to be able to share in the magic of tennis as they watch and play the game that they love.
Thank you all so much. And thank you to everyone who made this possible. I have to also acknowledge our Council Member Justin Sanchez, here in an official Council member tennis uniform. Well, I would love to introduce Udai Tambar and call him to the stage, the CEO and president of NYJTL.
Udai Tambar, CEO and President, New York Junior Tennis & Learning: Thank you and good morning. Thank you not just to the mayor, but also to NYC Parks, the USTA Foundation and Yonex for making this revitalization possible. You know, NYJTL was founded over 50 years ago by Arthur Ashe, who understood that tennis teaches discipline and resilience. And at NYJTL - he created NYJTL so that young people could benefit from these lessons and carry them into all aspects of their lives.
Today, NYJTL reaches 90,000 young people across the city. We offer free programs in 100 unique locations throughout the five boroughs. We use these parks, as the mayor said, for the Mayor Dinkins Cup; we also host our free community tennis programs on these very courts. A few steps from here, you have our Cary Leeds Center, which is our flagship home, where we partner with local schools, the local precincts, local residents. We provide free community programs, free court time each year. It's a true community center where everyone comes together; they can connect, they can learn and they can thrive.
You know, the mayor mentioned the U.S. Open, and the U.S. Open is just six miles from here. And for many people, many young people, it can often feel like it's beyond their reach. But when they step onto a court that reflects the sport's highest standards, that distance begins to narrow. These courts sent a powerful message to Bronx youth: you deserve every opportunity to imagine a future as ambitious as your talent.
So, on behalf of NYJTL and the Bronx, I want to thank the USTA Foundation. Thanks, Yonex, for the significant investment. We approached the foundation to help identify funding to restore these courts to professional standards. And the result shows what happens when government, community organizations, philanthropy and the private sector work together toward a shared goal.
Also want to thank Mayor Mamdani for recognizing the importance of this event. Your presence here means a lot. Thank you. And I know he gave a shoutout because they're his people - to the parks, but I also want to acknowledge Parks. Commissioner Aponte and the team for [being] great partners for making this project a reality. Three weeks is not a lot of time to make this happen.
Lastly, you know, Arthur Ashe knew the lessons learned through tennis could shape a young person's future, and thanks to the contributions we're celebrating today, thousands of young people will step onto these courts and discover what they're capable of achieving, both in tennis and in life. So, thank you. Now, it's my pleasure to introduce USTA Foundation CEO Ginny Ehrlich.
Ginny Ehrlich, CEO, USTA Foundation: Good morning, everyone. What a spectacular and beautiful day to welcome these courts and celebrate these amazing 10 courts that are a product of a community of effort. Mayor Mamdami, thank you so much for being here. It's such an honor. Udai Tambar, thank you for your leadership of making sure that young people have access to not only the game of tennis, but hopes, dreams and all the support they need to live their best life stories every day. LaNiece, thank you to you and to Yonex for making this possible for this community.
And thank you to all of the community leaders who are with us today, as well as the USTA Eastern leadership here today, my team and the Young Professionals Initiative. It truly has taken a village to make this happen, and we couldn't be prouder of being here. For more than 30 years, the USTA Foundation has been transforming the lives of young people and communities through the power of tennis, education and mentorship.
NYJTL is one of our flagship programs. NYJTL is not only a part of our National Junior Tennis and Learning Network, founded by Arthur Ashe, Charlie Pasarell and Sheridan Snyder, but also one of the inaugural 10 community impact hubs, an initiative that we announced at the U.S. Open last year and is now on track to reach 680,000 young people and family members across 10 communities in the United States and, by 2027, 285,000 here in New York City. So, thank you, NYJTL, for taking this on.
We know that once these families catch the tennis bug, they will be out here on these beautiful courts, getting to play. And that creates access to this community and unparalleled access in this park because I understand it's the only place where there are lit courts for evening play, which is so important for families. So, thank you to NYJTL and the City Parks Commission for making that part of the vision.
Our amazing partner, Yonex, has not only supported this project, but is the official equipment partner for our Community Impact Hub initiative across the country and has invested $270,000 to give young people here and across the country access to our beautiful game of tennis. I can't wait to start using these courts and helping these young people behind us who are playing do the same every day and have a safe haven to be, a place to dream, and a place to thrive, grow and learn. And with that, I'm so pleased to introduce our partner, LaNiece Douglas, president of Yonex North America. Thank you.
LaNiece Douglas, President, Yonex USA: Good morning, everyone. On behalf of Yonex, I'm proud and honored to be here alongside New York Junior Tennis & Learning, the USTA Foundation and everyone who helped bring this project to life. At Yonex, we deeply believe that sport has the power to bring people together. But for tennis to make an impact in someone's life, they have to have a place to play. And that starts with access. Access to courts in their own neighborhood, access to equipment, coaches, programs and to a community that makes them feel like they belong in the sport. And that's why today is so meaningful.
These 10 courts are more than just newly resurfaced places to play. These public spaces are where young people will pick up a racket for the first time, families will come together, and where the next generation can build confidence, friendships and skills that they'll take beyond tennis. Through our partnership with the USTA Foundation's Community Impact Hub initiative, Yonex is committed to helping revitalize courts across the country that are often overlooked, while also providing equipment to help make the sport more accessible.
We're especially proud to be supporting NYJTL, an organization that's spent more than 55 years creating opportunities for young people across New York City. At Yonex, we believe potential exists everywhere, and opportunity should, too. Our hope is that thousands of young people step onto these courts, many for the very first time, and discover not only the love for tennis but also a place where they feel welcome, supported and inspired.
I want to thank NYJTL, Udai, the USTA Foundation, Ginny, NYC Parks, the entire Bronx community [and] Mayor Mamdani. We're incredibly proud to be part of this moment and excited to see the courts filled with players for many years to come. So, thank you, everyone, and we hope you all enjoy the courts
[Ribbon Cutting Ceremony.]
Question: The city's court filings on the second-home luxury tax, it seems like the number of covered properties is dwindling by the thousands and getting closer to the 5,000 homes affected that a former city finance commissioner estimated. So, tell me, why do you see the numbers dwindling so fast, and what does this mean since your budgets assume years out, you're going to get $500 million each year?
Mayor Mamdani: We continue to be confident in that assessment of what the annual revenue will look like. And what we see right now is that we have three categories of properties that we're going to be sending out letters to. To your question, two of those three categories, one of them is to properties owned by a corporate entity like an LLC or a trust where the Department of Finance does not have sufficient information on a primary residence holder. That applies to about 6,400 households. Then the third category is properties where the Department of Finance does not have any 2025 tax returns that would indicate whether or not this is a primary residence holder. That amounts to about 4,400 households.
Question: Just to follow up, why were these estimates so wildly overestimated when you were starting with a pool of 26,000 potentially covered properties?
Mayor Mamdani: So, by my last count, I think we sent out less than 20,000 'you may be subject to' letters. I think it was about 17,000 or 18,000. And at the time that we sent those out, we did not have access to the 2025 income tax filings. That is something that is typically released in February of the next calendar year. The state has now provided us with early access to those filings, and that's what's informing these three categorizations of the letters
[Crosstalk.]
Question: Okay, so, completely different topic, but right now the NYPD is searching for Jesus Acosta, who's wanted for a robbery and murder in a bodega here in the Bronx. He was also connected to a homicide in Brooklyn. The Bronx DA confirms that he has five local arrests, and there's also reports showing he was paroled in April after a 10-year sentence for a subway shooting.
Do you think that there should be more harsher penalties to keep people with records like this behind bars, or should there be more coordination with the state and local courts in order to ensure people like this aren't getting out on parole and causing more mayhem in the city?
Mayor Mamdani: I think, first and foremost, we know that when the NYPD makes something a top priority for them, it is something that they put every single resource that they have toward it, and I'm confident in their abilities of being able to find him. And what this speaks to is the importance of public safety. And to me, every day is an opportunity for us to do more.
We're proud of the fact that we're reducing shootings and murders to the lowest levels in recorded history in our city. And we also know that there's always more work to be done, especially as we're speaking about this in the Bronx, where we know in recent weeks, we've seen the kinds of shootings that have torn families apart and, frankly, entire neighborhoods that are still shattered by the loss of the young people that [have] been stolen from them. So, this will continue to be a top priority for us.
Question: And really quick, secondly, City & State is reporting that some childcare providers have not received the advance funding from the city and DOE ahead of the first day of school. And they're having to take out loans and dig into their own pockets in order to be able to open on Sept. 10. Do you have any explanation for the delays, or when these providers will be able to see those funds come in?
Mayor Mamdani: So, this is something that is a top priority for our New York City Public School system, is to put significant additional resources toward the registration of these early childhood education contracts and to ensure that every single provider is ready for the first day of school. And that both includes whether their contract will be registered or whether they will be provided with an interest-free loan.
[Crosstalk.]
Question: Building off of Dan's question, also in the filing, it says that there's going to be approximately 4,000 property owners who will receive a letter informing them that they won't be subject to the tax. Was that always part of the initial rollout, or was it always the plan to send people the letters and then they would have to file for exemption themselves?
Mayor Mamdani: The plan always was that we wanted to give New Yorkers enough time to ask any questions that may come to mind, to appeal for an exemption, and that is part and parcel of why we hired dozens of additional civil servants to be able to actually reach out to those New Yorkers to field those kinds of questions, and that we changed the business center such that they could actually accept any questions in person wherever they were in any one of the five boroughs.
And so, yes, there have been a number of New Yorkers who have filed for exemptions. We have about 3,000 of which have been accepted thus far. And we will continue that process until Oct. 6. And then after that point, if New Yorkers still want to appeal an assessment, they can still appeal to the Tax Commission until early next year.
Question: But were the letters saying that they'd be exempt from the tax always part of the rollout, or did that come following the court?
Mayor Mamdani: The letters that are being sent now as a result of early access to the 2025 income tax filings, that is a reflection of the new information we have and letting New Yorkers know if they haven't started an exemption process that they don't have to because we have the requisite information now.
[Crosstalk.]
Question: So, what would you want to say to the people who erroneously got some of these tax bills for second homes, and do you have any plans on extending the exemption?
Mayor Mamdani: You know, we've extended the exemption deadline to Oct. 6, and again, if someone does not appeal by that time, they can still appeal to the Tax Commission until early next year. However, we're confident that with a little more than a month and with this newfound information that that should be a requisite amount of time.
And to any owner who has additional questions, what I would always say is that we are here to answer those questions, whether that is through the Department of Finance, whether that's through calling 311, whether that's going in person at a business center. Our job is to answer those questions. Our job is to make this process as easy as possible.
Question: So, from City & State yesterday, I was the one who reported about the discrepancy in the funding for 3-K and pre-K. So, in my experience while speaking to these education providers, a lot of them expressed a lot of concern about the idea of universal 2-K because under these conditions of them not getting their, you know, payments on time, and a lot of them spoke to me about regularly receiving late payments, almost a month late.
And so, they said they spoke to you in February and kind of discussed their concerns regarding pay parity and how a 2-K rollout is supposed to go forward under this current condition of not being able to get properly funded for 3-K and pre-K.So, under these recent experiences, I guess what would you say about your impending 2-K rollout?
Mayor Mamdani: First, what I want to say is thank you to these child care providers because they are such a critical part of what even makes universal child care a possibility in our city. And in that time that I spent with them, what I also heard from them was the importance of the city being responsive to the variety of needs that they have.
We made the decision to invest tens of millions of dollars in additional funding for a better contract for many of these providers because they hadn't seen an update to that contract for many years, while a lot of their costs had been going up. We also made the decision to create a grant fund for child care providers who are in need of immediate financial assistance, and the absence of that could force them to go under.
And this is all a reflection of the fact that we don't have this child care system without these providers, without these child care workers. And we're also not going to accept what has been the standard from the city over the last many years of these kinds of delays. And that's why this is a top priority for us to both fix this for now and fix this for the future as well.
Question: For providers in the immediate who are looking like a Sept. 10 opening is not possible for them, they can't pay their teachers, they can pay their custodians to open the schools, they can afford the meals that they have to give the kids mandated, what is a solution? Because right now it seems like the bridge loan is the only solution. A lot of them have not seen a response yet for their application for a bridge loan.
Mayor Mamdani: We have made this very clear that this is a top priority internally, and New York City Public Schools will be pursuing that, whether it means the registration of those contracts expeditiously or it means the provision of an interest-free loan, because these providers should have all the resources they need to start school and start providing what, frankly, is an essential service for so many families across the city.
