The Mubadala Citi DC Open, held annually in Rock Creek Park, has hosted players like Coco Gauff and Serena Williams. This year, it’s adding chefs from Michelin-starred restaurants into the mix. Entrepreneur Mark Ein, who is behind the highly anticipated event, envisions it as “a tennis tournament wrapped in a Best of Washington food and wine festival.” (One important caveat: the offerings from Michelin-starred chefs are located in the VIP Citi Lounge, which patrons can only access if they own a Citibank card.) Here’s what to expect when it kicks off on Saturday:
The Players (Now With Mics!)
This year’s competitors include Aryna Sabalenka, Ben Shelton, and Hyattsville native Frances Tiafoe, among others. “One of the real joys is exposing some of the world’s best and most famous athletes to our city—and they love our city,” says Ein. DC Open plans activities that let players explore DC during their down time, including concerts (this year it’s Luke Combs), fine dining, and a visit to Commanders training camp. They rent bikes for the players, too. Rafael Nadal once took one for a spin, according to Ein, and later told him, “‘this is one of my favorite cities.’ And every time I see him around the world he just tells me how much he loves being here.”
This year’s event will be the first tennis tournament ever to attach microphones to players. Willing competitors in doubles matches will be miked so that anyone listening to the broadcast can hear partners’ communication with one another. Ein says it’s exhilarating to hear teammates planning their next move while also hearing their opponents, across the court, guessing what they’re going to do (Hitchcock’s ‘bomb under the table’ theory of suspense, essentially). Miking players has been piloted in charity games and pre-game warm-ups before, but never during matches in an official tournament.
The Food and Drink
Another fan-focused upgrade this year is the food. The Citi Lounge—which you need a Citibank credit card to access—includes five pop-ups from heavy-hitter chefs: José Andrés, Michael Rafidi of Albi, Matt Baker of Gravitas, Jeremiah Langhorne of the Dabney, and Patrick O’Connell of the Inn at Little Washington. O’Connell will bring truffled parmesan popcorn, which was first made available to the public outside of the Inn’s private tasting room at last year’s DC Open. Rafidi will offer smoked chicken shawarma and rockfish wrapped in grape leaves, Baker will serve tuna tartare and kale pasta salad, and Langhorne will vend ham sandwiches and truffled mac and cheese croquettes. Andrés’s restaurant group will sell the txuleburger from New York’s Mercado Little Spain as well as “Flan de Mamá Marisa,” Andrés’s mother’s flan recipe.
In the larger “market square” area, there will also be eats from other local favorites such as Duke’s Grocery, which will serve their signature Proper Burger and its Impossible fake meat equivalent, and Taco Bamba, which will offer tacos in corn shells or in cabbage cups. The event will feature various options for drinks, with lounges for DeLeón Tequila, Kim Crawford, Aviation Gin, and others.
The Details
The 55 year-old tournament runs from Saturday, July 27 to Sunday, August 4, and is held at the public William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center inside Rock Creek Park. The stadium has a 7,500-seat capacity and is already sold out for the entire week, but $22 outer grounds passes to access the food area and outer court matches are still available on the tournament website.
The event was founded when Richmond-born Black tennis champion Arthur Ashe, his agent Donald Dell, and tennis administrator John A. Harris sought to create a tennis tournament on integrated, equal-access public land. The tournament was a highlight of Ein’s childhood, too—he once was a ballboy—and he says that is part of the reason he sheds money to host it in its historical location instead of moving it to a private club.
Since Ein bought the tournament five years ago, the amount of temporary infrastructure that is installed each summer has tripled. Hundreds of people work throughout the year to prepare for each summer’s tournament, culminating in a three week build-out period, during which the site is closed to the public. Take a peek inside the construction ahead of doors opening this weekend:
