April 2025
Features
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The Atlanta Open’s last stand: The final summer days of professional tennis in Atlanta
Yes, the Atlanta Open was not the best venue for tennis, though I do also see its temporary structure, and existence, as a sign: Commitment is important, for both the people with the checkbooks and pens, and the fans.
A beginner’s guide to playing tennis in Atlanta
I’m not an athlete, but as I climb further into my 30s, I find myself caring more about physical fitness. The thing is, I need to have fun doing it. Chasing and hitting a ball is fun, plus there’s a social aspect. Last summer, I joined an ALTA league, unlocking a world of tennis I didn’t know existed in Atlanta. Starting a new sport can feel overwhelming, but fear not; I’m here to help you.
Atlanta’s Forgotten Tennis Pioneer: Horace Reid
It wasn’t unreasonable to imagine Horace Reid on a rocket ship to the top of the tennis world. Many already saw him as the next great Black champion. But within a few years, Reid’s tennis dreams would be all but dashed: He’d quit college, fail to find consistency on the pro tour, and suffer an agonizing fallout with Arthur Ashe, his hero and would-be mentor. The rupture would not only hamstring Reid’s career, in his telling, but also burden him with a secret he felt he could never share: how everything went so wrong.
Christopher Eubanks searches for the confidence that brought him to new heights at Wimbledon
Christopher Eubanks, who grew up playing on the courts of the South Fulton Tennis Center, announced himself at Wimbledon in 2023. His string of upset wins was impressive, but the reckless abandonment he played with, plus the shock on his face after every win, made him a crowd favorite. His run ended in the quarterfinals, the furthest an American man had gone at the tournament since 2017, and his ranking jumped to number 29 in the world, a career high. But since that summer on grass, Eubanks hasn’t been back on tennis’s biggest stages.
How Atlanta’s tennis mania—with 100,000+ active players—exploded thanks to rec leagues
Atlanta is widely acknowledged as the tennis capital of the world, with more than 100,000 players throughout the metro area in leagues such as the Atlanta Lawn Tennis Association (ALTA) and USTA Atlanta. It’s near impossible to get an exact number, with those participating in junior tennis, high school, and college teams, as well as those who play independently or in private clubs, adding to the tennis craze.
The quiet champions of Atlanta: Celebrating the magnificence of our city’s biggest trees
In a culture obsessed with competition, it comes as no surprise that even our trees have been put to the test. In honor of Earth Month, celebrated every April, this series documents a handful of Atlanta’s champion trees—just some of the towering neighbors with whom we share our city. Their size makes them notable, but they are perhaps most remarkable simply because they have stayed alive.
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The Connector
Pro women’s vollyball team Atlanta Vibe serves up excitement in Duluth
The women’s pro volleyball team Atlanta Vibe started its second season in January, and it really is a vibe. The Vibe is one of eight teams in the Pro Volleyball Federation, a women’s professional league that launched in January 2024. The new league reflects a recent explosion of growth for American professional volleyball, which struggled for decades to attract investment and fans.
Atlanta Public Schools buses are doing the electric slide
In summer 2023, Atlanta Public Schools announced it was partnering with electric vehicle manufacturer The Lion Electric Company to begin transitioning its 400 school buses away from diesel-powered internal combustion engines. Ultimately, the school district plans to replace its entire fleet with zero-emission electric vehicles.
Though not as big as it once was, SweetWater 420 Fest’s DNA is still the same
This month, the annual SweetWater 420 Fest reconvenes for its 20th year, held for the second time at Kirkwood’s Pullman Yards. The festival, hosted by SweetWater Brewing Company, is a celebration of Earth Day, music, and beer (and, for some, cannabis culture). Though the event has shrunk in recent years, it remains a beloved event and a surprising engine of water conservation.
The Bite
Review: Delbar in Buckhead shines with Persian nostalgia
Following the success of two other Delbar locations in Inman Park and Alpharetta, Delbar finally opened in Buckhead in November 2024. The restaurant is under Fares Kargar’s hospitality company Nooshe Jan Group. Nooshe Jan is a Farsi phrase meaning “May it feed your soul.” It isn’t just a name; it’s a promise.
A sourdough lover’s guide to Atlanta
You may think that sourdough refers to one type of bread, but the truth is that it exists in many forms—and not only in bread. Recent years have brought a variety of sourdough treats to Atlanta. Appearing everywhere from walk-in bakeries to farmers markets and microbakeries without brick-and-mortar shops, the artisanal craft of sourdough is alive and well in the city.
Chinese street food makes for a winning menu at Handmade Dumplings & Noodles
Handmade Dumplings & Noodles in Marietta’s open kitchen turns out Chinese street food favorites (Sichuan fried rice, hearty noodle dishes, and dry-fried green beans and eggplant) and some 1,000 dumplings a day. As good as the food was that first night, it was even better as leftovers. Over-ordering is strongly encouraged.
The Goods
Nothing can stop the inimitable Lonnie Holley
Atlanta-based artist and performer Lonnie Holley never plays the same song twice. Through thought-smithing, this septuagenarian songster has produced five studio albums since 2012. His latest, released in March, is Tonky—his childhood nickname from when Holley lived in a honky-tonk.
As Core Dance turns 45, cofounder Sue Schroeder has reinvented herself and created the best work of her life
There’s been a plethora of projects Sue Schroeder has created since reshaping her dance company four years ago. Through collaborations at home and abroad, Schroeder, 67, has discovered new ways to amplify her artistic voice and bring Atlanta more deeply into the conversation around experimental, movement-based art.
Miscellaneous
Editor’s Journal: The Sir Elton grudge match
I can say with particular pride that I was the first person to play tennis inside State Farm Arena. Elton John staged a tennis benefit for his AIDS Foundation at the newly opened building, then Philips Arena, in 2000, with Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras, Billie Jean King, and other legendary players on hand. I was a tennis newbie and arranged to hit with doubles star Luke Jensen before the event for a story I was writing.
