Starting next week the world's greatest tennis players will take center stage when the U.S. Open gets under way, but today the United States Tennis Association put the spotlight on the borough of Queens. NY1's Roger Clark filed this report.
No forehands or backhands here, just a lot of shaking and twisting. It's a Zumba class, courtesy of Corona's Mambo Fitness.
"Zumba is like a party, it's a cardio party, and that's why people really have a great time and they don't realize they are working out," says co-owner- Jackie Vargas.
Mambo fitness is a neighbor of the USTA's National Tennis Center, and so it took part in the center's second annual Queens Day, a spotlight on the borough that hosts the world's leading tennis players at the US Open.
"We thought it would be a great idea to bring everybody here in one forum and just get everyone excited about the different cultural neighbors that we have here,"says USTA Community Relatins and Events Manager Kathleen Cassino.
So the Queens Theater was there, the Queens Zoo, and the New York Hall of Science too. They gave me the lowdown on the science behind tennis, you know, top spins and back spins and such.
"We also love our community. We are really close to the tennis center so we are really happy to be here on Queens Day," says New York Hall of Science Senior Explainer Sandhya Sewnauth.
"It's great to be outside and seeing a whole different group of people who like tennis, and then we can just tell them a little more about tennis," says New York Hall of Science Explainer Marie McNamara.
There is plenty of tennis, too—and the qualifiers are free with top players seeking sixteen spots in the main draw of the U.S. Open. Fans love it.
"It's just nice because it's pre-crowd, so you get to actually see everything, take your time, it's very relaxing," says tennis fan Pat Hamilton.
"Qualifying week I think it's more fun. Because you don't have to deal with the crowds. Look at the day we have today. It's just exciting all around," says tennis fan Lilly Bellando.
The qualifying rounds will be followed by Arthur Ashe kids day on Saturday, and the start of the two-week tournament on Monday. For more information, go to usopen.org.