Cincinnati Open

Overview

Opportunity

Solution

Impact

Team

Tennis Within a Park: The renovation of the Lindner Family Tennis Center — featuring lush green spaces, a shaded fan pavilion, sunken court, and two-story player clubhouse — ushers the nation’s second-oldest tennis tournament into a new era.

Location

Mason, Ohio

Client

Beemok Capital

Expertise

Sports Hospitality Brand Design [FPO] Interior Design Climate Action & Sustainability

Opportunity

A storied tournament needed a campus transformation that could match global tennis expectations while preserving its identity and intimacy.

As tennis tourism grew and elite tournaments raised expectations for hospitality, player amenities, and technology, the Cincinnati Open needed to prepare for expanded ATP and WTA singles draws. The opportunity was to transform the Lindner Family Tennis Center without losing the tournament’s long-standing character. The campus had to support more courts, larger crowds, better player recovery, sponsor activation, premium experiences, year-round racquet sports, and a landscape-driven identity that could feel both global and unmistakably local.

Why This Matters

01
Legacy Meets Growth
The Cincinnati Open needed to expand from a beloved regional tournament into a global tennis destination while preserving its long-term home and identity.
02
Elite Player Experience
Modern tennis demands best-in-class player facilities, including recovery, dining, fitness, practice, and secure spaces that support elite performance.
03
Fan Destination
Fans now expect more than matches, so hospitality, food, shade, landscape, social space, and intuitive movement became central design priorities.

We are ushering in a new era at the Cincinnati Open, and the complete transformation of our campus will create an unparalleled experience for our fans and players.

Solution

The design turns the venue into “tennis within a park,” unifying courts, hospitality, player spaces, shade, and landscape into one campus.

Gensler’s holistic master plan reimagines the existing campus rather than replacing it. Center Court and Grandstand Court are unified by a continuous facade, while a shaded pavilion, viewing lawn, food commons, Champions Court, and layered landscaping create a more social, comfortable fan journey. A two-story player clubhouse with dining, lounge, recovery, fitness, and locker spaces supports elite athlete needs. New practice, indoor, pickleball, and padel courts expand year-round use, while flexible divider walls support sponsor activations and broader event programming.

From brief to build: how a legacy tennis venue became a 40-acre, park-like campus for global competition.

The process began with a larger question: how to expand a tournament without erasing what fans already loved. The design team studied player needs, ATP and WTA standards, fan arrival, practice-court access, hospitality, sponsorship, operations, landscaping, and year-round use. Rather than treating buildings and courts as standalone assets, the campus was organized as a sequence of shaded, social, planted, and highly intuitive environments.

Impact

The transformation positions Cincinnati Open as a global tennis destination with richer fan experiences and best-in-class player amenities.

The reimagined campus welcomed record attendance and earned praise from players, fans, clients, and the wider tennis industry.

What Changed Because of This

01
For the Fans
Shade, landscape, food, video displays, plazas, lawns, and new seating transform the grounds into a layered all-day destination.
02
Player Amenities
The Clubhouse, renovated performance areas, recovery rooms, locker rooms, dining, and fitness spaces elevate daily tournament operations.
03
Year-Round Value
Public racquet courts, restaurant, flexible event spaces, and community programming extend campus use beyond tournament weeks.

We wanted this to be transformative so that when people showed up on campus, it was going to blow them away.

Recognition

01

ATP Tour

ATP Tour detailed the $260 million transformation, including campus expansion, player clubhouse, Champions Court, landscaping, and operational execution.

02

Sports Illustrated

Sports Illustrated highlighted Gensler’s role, Kristin Byrd’s design vision, upgraded hospitality, expanded courts, and record attendance.

03

Premium Experience Association

PX Awards coverage described the project as “Tennis Within a Park” and recognized its premium hospitality and venue transformation.

Team

Project Leadership

[FPO] Kristin Byrd

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[FPO] Jessica Donoghue

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Steve Chung

Steve Chung is a Design Director and Sports Leader for Gensler’s Southwest region, where he leads sports, training, and recreation projects with a focus on access, performance, and community impact.

FAQ

01

Where is the Cincinnati Open located?

The Cincinnati Open is held at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio.

02

What changed in the renovation?

The renovation added courts, a player center, pavilion, fan amenities, landscaping, hospitality areas, and updated stadium facades.

03

How large is the transformed campus?

The transformed campus is approximately 40 acres.

04

How does the project support players?

The project adds dining, lounges, recovery rooms, locker rooms, fitness areas, and a renovated performance center

05

How does the project support year-round use?

Public tennis, pickleball, padel, a clubhouse, restaurant, event spaces, and flexible pavilion areas support use beyond the tournament.

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Related Expertise

Sports Hospitality Brand Design Interior Design Climate Action & Sustainability

Tennis Within a Park: The renovation of the Lindner Family Tennis Center — featuring lush green spaces, a shaded fan pavilion, sunken court, and two-story player clubhouse — ushers the nation’s second-oldest tennis tournament into a new era.

A storied tournament needed a campus transformation that could match global tennis expectations while preserving its identity and intimacy.

Why This Matters

The design turns the venue into “tennis within a park,” unifying courts, hospitality, player spaces, shade, and landscape into one campus.

From brief to build: how a legacy tennis venue became a 40-acre, park-like campus for global competition.

The transformation positions Cincinnati Open as a global tennis destination with richer fan experiences and best-in-class player amenities.

What Changed Because of This