"Certainly Coco always wants to win on her home turf," U.S. captain Lindsay Davenport said when the USTA announced its Billie Jean King Cup team on Oct. 21. Home turf here means the Delray Beach Tennis Center at 201 W. Atlantic Ave. That's a block most people in town pass several times a week on the way to dinner, the library, or the Saturday market.
On Nov. 21 and 22, the United States plays Hungary there in a Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge Playoff. USTA Florida calls these "the same courts where she grew up around the game." The city's two biggest November dates are on West Atlantic, and most of the rest of the month's calendar, from the GreenMarket to the Sundy Village restaurants, sits within a few blocks of the Tennis Center gates.
A home record built on a downtown block
The U.S. Billie Jean King Cup team has played four times at the Delray Beach Tennis Center and won all four. The last win came in 2023, when Gauff and Jessica Pegula swept Austria in front of near sell-out crowds. Billie Jean King Cup is often called the World Cup of women's tennis. The stakes this month are simple: the winner goes back into the Qualifying pool and gets a shot at the 2027 championship.
The nominated U.S. team is about as strong as the sport offers at the end of a long season:
- Coco Gauff, two-time Grand Slam singles champion, world No. 5 as of the Oct. 21 announcement
- Madison Keys, 2025 Australian Open singles champion
- Ann Li, world singles No. 25
- Taylor Townsend, four-time Grand Slam doubles champion and world doubles No. 2
- Nicole Melichar-Martinez, world doubles No. 9
Hungary has nominated Ana Bondar, Dalma Galfi, Amarissa Toth, Fanny Stollar and Adrienn Nagy. Davenport is a member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame, and she led the U.S. to the 2025 Billie Jean King Cup final.
These weekends also bring real money downtown. The USTA reports that last September's Davis Cup qualifier between the U.S. and Czechia, held at the same venue, generated more than $2 million for the local economy. The restaurants, garages and Freebee rides near the Tennis Center will feel that weekend.
How the two days run
The format affects how you plan Sunday. The tie is best-of-five, and the first country to win three matches takes it. If either side clinches in the third or fourth match, the rest of Sunday's schedule can be shortened.
| Saturday, Nov. 21 | Sunday, Nov. 22 | |
|---|---|---|
| First match | 1:30 p.m. ET | 1:30 p.m. ET |
| Matches | Two singles, between each country's top two nominated players | Doubles, then up to two more singles |
| Single-day ticket | $35 | $35 |
| Two-day package | $50 for both days | Included |
Downtown Delray Beach's event listing says gates open at noon. Tickets are sold through Ticketmaster, and the USTA's announcement links straight to the event page. Tennis Channel will carry the matches in the U.S. for anyone watching from home. The USTA lets each captain make roster changes through Nov. 20, so the five names above are nominations and could still change before the first ball.
Parking and Freebee rides
The Tennis Center is easy to reach if you already know the downtown lots. Downtown Delray's parking guide lists the Tennis Center Lot at 201 W. Atlantic Ave. and the Delray Beach Library Lot at 100 W. Atlantic Ave. as free. The Old School Square Garage is at 95 NE 1st Ave. Standard downtown rates are $2 an hour in lots and $1.50 an hour in garages.
The free lots are right next to the venue, so they will likely be the first to fill on a match day. Paying $1.50 an hour at the garage east of Swinton is a fair trade for a short walk.
Freebee is the other option. The City of Delray Beach describes it as free, on-demand transportation covering most of the area east of I-95 to A1A, between Gulfstream Boulevard and SW 10th Street. It runs 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday. That gives Saturday spectators two extra hours to stay downtown after the matches. If you're out late on Sunday, plan the ride home around the 9 p.m. end of service.
Across Swinton, a campus still filling in
Walk east from the Tennis Center and you reach Sundy Village, the campus around the historic Sundy House. When this blog covered Delray in August, the project was still months into its buildout. By match weekend, the campus will be noticeably fuller.
Double Knot has been open at 22 W. Atlantic Ave., #150, since June, according to Boca Magazine. It's the closest established sit-down option to the Tennis Center gates on the Sundy Village side.
Maman, the French café and bakery brand that started in New York, was slated to open at Sundy Village in November, Palm Beach Illustrated reported in late September. The same report noted the brand's West Palm Beach café, open since 2024, and a West Boca location at Shadowood Square scheduled to open Oct. 6.
Baya Bar, at 22 W. Atlantic Ave., Suite 130, has its grand opening listed for Dec. 12 on Downtown Delray's directory.
The newest wine stop in the area is a few blocks north. Preface Wine opened in late October at 279 N.E. Second Ave. in Pineapple Grove. Boca Magazine describes it as part wine shop, part wine bar. It's a good place for a glass after Saturday's two singles matches, or to pick up a bottle on the way home.
The rest of November, counted from the same corner
Most of the month's other events happen at Old School Square, a short walk east of the Tennis Center. Here is the calendar from Friday, Nov. 13, through the start of December:
- Friday, Nov. 13: Movies at the Square. The Downtown Development Authority's free screening series shows The Wizard of Oz. Gates open at 5 p.m. and the film starts at 6.
- Saturday, Nov. 14: Delray Winter GreenMarket. Now in its 31st season, the market runs Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Old School Square through May 22, 2027.
- Sunday, Nov. 15: Pooches & Presents in the Park. The seventh annual edition of this free, pet-friendly event runs noon to 4 p.m. at Old School Square, with adoptable animals and holiday activities.
- Saturday, Nov. 21: GreenMarket, then tennis. The market closes at 2 p.m. and the first singles match starts at 1:30. Shop in the morning, then walk west to the Tennis Center before the gates get crowded.
- Sunday, Nov. 22: Doubles and the deciding singles at the Tennis Center, starting at 1:30 p.m.
- Tuesday, Nov. 24: Full Moon Yoga and Wellness Market. Free at Old School Square, 5 to 9 p.m.
- Saturday, Nov. 28: The last November GreenMarket, on Thanksgiving weekend.
- Tuesday, Dec. 1: The 100-foot Christmas Tree Lighting and Yuletide Street Fair, 6 to 9 p.m. The city lists more than 60 vendors and marks 33 years of the tree tradition.
The Cornell Art Museum at Old School Square has three new exhibitions running through Feb. 28: a retrospective of Ron Garrett, Blooming in Color! and River of Grass. The museum sits on the same square as the GreenMarket, a short walk east of the Tennis Center.
On the east end of Atlantic, the lifestyle apparel brand Johnnie-O is coming to 321 E. Atlantic Ave. That's a separate walk for a separate afternoon. For the second half of November, most of what's happening downtown sits between Old School Square and 201 W. Atlantic.
Scott Correale follows West Atlantic year-round, on match weekends and on quiet weeks alike. If you're weighing a home within walking distance of the Tennis Center, Sundy Village or Old School Square, schedule a private consultation and we'll talk through what these blocks are like on a match day and on an ordinary Tuesday. More on the area is on our Delray Beach neighborhood page.
