Listen to this articleThe basics:
- Prudential Center debuts its first tennis event Dec. 7 in Newark
- Carlos Alcaraz, Frances Tiafoe, Amanda Anisimova & Jessica Pegula to compete
- Event includes junior matches, tribute to NJ icon Althea Gibson
- Turkish Airlines, PGIM, Tennis Channel among major event partners
Prudential Center enters its tennis era this weekend, as the Newark venue hosts its first-ever tennis event Dec. 7.
Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment and Unified Events joined forces to launch to the inaugural A Racquet at the Rock.
“It is a tremendous honor for our company, in partnership with Unified Events, to announce this debut of elite professional tennis at Prudential Center,” said Dylan Wanagiel, vice president, Sports Properties and Special Events, HBSE/Prudential Center, in September when the event was first announced. “While our venue has a long history of hosting marquee events we have not yet seen the likes of ‘A Racquet at The Rock’ featuring some of the best tennis players from all across the world.
“This is a significant milestone for our team, and will continue to showcase Newark as a leading sports and entertainment destination.”
State of play
“We are thrilled to partner with HBSE in bringing together the top tennis talent in the world for the first-ever ‘A Racquet at The Rock,’” said Molly Pendleton, senior vice president, Unified Events.
The event features two best-of-three singles matches between some of the top players in the world:
- 2025 Wimbledon and U.S. Open finalist (and Jersey native) Amanda Anisimova versus 2024 U.S. Open finalist Jessica Pegula
- U.S. Open champion and World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz squaring off with two-time U.S. Open semifinalist Frances Tiafoe
In addition to the featured singles matches, the four will compete in a special mixed doubles exhibition. For that, Tiafoe and Anisimova will team up against Alcaraz and Pegula.
“It is always a lot of fun to be on the court with Frances—we love to compete against each other, and I can’t wait to put on a great show for the fans in Newark,” said Alcaraz, when the event was first announced in September. “To play again in the metropolitan area with all the amazing fans, it’s something special. They bring such unique energy, and they love tennis so much. I’m looking forward to Dec. 7 at Prudential Center, it will be a special night of great tennis.”
“It’s a special feeling to return to the place where my tennis dreams first began,” said Anisimova. “It will be an incredible celebration of tennis on Dec. 7 at the inaugural ‘A Racquet at The Rock.’”
Local legend
The night will open with a special junior tennis showcase at 4:30 p.m. featuring two of the top junior players in the world: Ronit Karki (New Jersey) and Jack Kennedy (New York).
“I’m super excited to play on such a big stage at Prudential Center in my home state of New Jersey,” said Karki, who was born and raised in East Brunswick. One of the most accomplished junior players in the nation, he has ranked No. 1 nationally in every United States Tennis Association age division.
The event will also honor tennis legend and New Jersey icon, Althea Gibson.
The longtime East Brunswick resident broke barriers as the first African American to win a Grand Slam title – winning five major singles championships in her storied career. At Newark’s Branch Brook Park, there is both a bronze statue in her honor as well as the Althea Gibson Tennis Courts.
Each participating player at A Racquet at the Rock will receive a customer commemorative plaque bearing Gibson’s name.
“On behalf of the Althea Gibson Estate, we are deeply grateful for this thoughtful tribute,” said Michelle Tatum-Curry, administrator, The Estate of Althea Gibson; founder, Althea Gibson Sports & Education Foundation.
Supporting players
An impressive group of partners came together to support the event. Turkish Airlines will serve as presenting sponsor; PGIM, the $1.5 trillion global asset management business of Prudential Financial, serves as the Official Financial Services Partner; and Tennis Channel will serve as the exclusive domestic broadcaster of the event in the U.S.
Additional partners include Wilson, as Official Match Ball Provider, and Gatorade, which will supply sports nutrition and hydration for participating athletes.
File under: Sunday’s vibe 📁🎾✨
Don’t miss A Racquet at The Rock at Prudential Center on Dec 7 – tickets at https://t.co/StlKjismjw. pic.twitter.com/hs0miuH27F
— Prudential Center (@PruCenter) December 4, 2025
In advance of the event, NJBIZ caught up with Wanagiel to discuss the first-of-its-kind event at the Rock and how this continues the venues streak of bringing big events to New Jersey.
“What sparked the idea to bring this first-ever tennis event to Prudential Center?” NJBIZ asked.
“We say often that we’re in the big events business, so we’re always looking to really swing for the fences,” Wanagiel told NJBIZ, noting that Unified Events, which has been getting more involved in tennis exhibitions, contacted them. “And when they mentioned tennis in general, which we love, and specifically, Carlos Alcaraz, No. 1 player in the world; global icon – it was pretty easy to say, yeah, let’s give this a shot.
“Because it really doesn’t get much bigger than Carlos – and the whole field is star-studded.”
What to expect
Wanagiel noted how the building has been open for over 18 years now.
“So, it’s rare that you get to do something for the very first time,” said Wanagiel. “To have tennis here, initially is great. But to add to that with Carolos, Francis, Amanda and Jessica, is really incredible. Because you can’t get much better than that. So, we’re super excited for Sunday. And this is exactly the type of event that we want to keep bringing to Newark.”
“What should fans expect in terms of it operating like a traditional tennis venue – and any special activations or features or offers that are happening at Prudential Center to mark the event?” NJBIZ asked.
“We’re excited for fans to see a tennis court set up in our bowl for the first time,” said Wanagiel. “It’ll be a really cool look for people who’ve seen tennis inside of arenas. In terms of the content, in addition to the men’s match, the women’s match, a mixed doubles match – we have two of the very top juniors in the country playing shortly after doors open.
“And the USTA has a little fun activation on the court called – Red Ball Tennis – after the juniors play. The presenting partner is Turkish Airlines, and they have a big booth on the concourse where fans can pick up a model Turkish Airlines airplane. So, it’ll be a fun day for everybody involved – from the minute the doors open.”
Bouncing off the walls
“What’s that process like of installing a tennis court in the arena bowl – what’s that going to be like?” NJBIZ asked.
“We have a very large concert on Saturday night – Mega Bash – which is annually a really big show here for us. We have been planning this for months, but we really won’t be able to get started until 3 a.m.,” said Wanagiel. “That’s when the mad dash will occur to get not only the competition surface installed. But also the LED walls that will have sponsored logos on them that surround the court – very common in tennis.
“The Tennis Channel has a pretty big production coming in for their broadcast, which is broadcast domestically – but, also, internationally to probably 10 or more countries that this event will go to live in most markets. So, it’s a pretty big production. But we’ve been planning this for many months now. These discussion started back in June. So, we’ve had a lot of time to get our plan in place – and we feel confident in it.”
We have a very large concert on Saturday night – Mega Bash – which is annually a really big show here for us. We have been planning this for months, but we really won’t be able to get started until 3 a.m.
— Dylan Wanagiel, HBSE/Prudential Center, about turning the venue into a tennis court
In-demand
“Another piece is the tribute to Jersey native, tennis icon Althea Gibson. How important was including that part of the programming as well?” NJBIZ asked.
“Very important,” said Wanagiel, also highlighting that the U.S. Mint recently issued a quarter with Gibson’s image on it. That coin will be used for ceremonial coin flip for the matches. “Our company has always done a good job of looping in a community aspect to all of the events that we own or co-own. And that became an important piece to this.”
“What kind of feedback have you heard since this was announced and what kind of demand for tickets? And also, where can the general public purchase tickets for the event?” NJBIZ asked.
“The buzz has been great since we announced this event right around the time of the U.S. Open – and tickets are still available at ticketmaster.com. But they’re going fast,” said Wanagiel, noting that tickets are also available at the Prudential Center box office. “And thankfully, there’s been a lot of great media coverage – and the players themselves have done a good job of putting out some cool and fun posts on their social media channels.
“The buzz is strong – and we’re super excited for a great crowd and exciting event on Sunday.”
Big picture
“You mentioned big events at the top – and you can look in any number of directions, WWE, UFC, all kinds of major events are coming through there that are not just the [New Jersey] Devils. How does this speak to almost that next evolution in terms of how Prudential Center is thinking about programming and bringing different types of events and things of that nature to Newark?” NJBIZ asked.
“This fits the bill,” said Wanagiel. “And we’re constantly swinging for the fences. A couple of weeks after tennis on Saturday, Dec. 20, we have the eighth edition of the Never Forget Tribute Class. And this year we have Houston, who’s currently No. 8 in the country, against Arkansas, No. 25 in the country. Coach [John] Calipari and Coach [Kelvin] Sampson. These are marquee programs.
This is exactly the type of event we’re constantly trying to bring to Newark. And that’s our plan – to always bring in these big events.
— Dylan Wanagiel, HBSE/Prudential Center
“This is exactly the type of event we’re constantly trying to bring to Newark. And that’s our plan – to always bring in these big events. It’s a lot of work and a lot of competition for these events, both in our market and outside of our market. We were fortunate to get the NCAA East Regional back in March, which was an amazing event. Our concert business is very strong. Family entertainment business is strong.
“But these one-off sporting events, which attract a lot of eyeballs,” he continued. “This is definitely the type of event we’re trying to bring in here. I would add to that, having diverse programming, really reflects New Jersey. New Jersey is very much a melting pot with any different pockets of people who have different interests.
“And we’re trying to appease all of those different crowds.”
