Best Tennis Courts in Palo Alto, Santa Clara County for 2026

6 tennis courts in Cubberley Community Center in Palo Alto, California. 6 tennis courts are separated into three sections of two courts each. There are no court lights. The courts have been recently relaid and are quite decent to play on. The weekends can get crowded. From a positioning perspective, it’s very difficult from one of the sides for left handlers to serve – the sun comes directly onto the eyes. Tennis courts are closed for maintenance 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of every month. Restrooms are available at community center and they are usually open (but not always).

For evening play check Mitchell Park Tennis Courts with lights just one block away.

Tennis Court Rules

• One hour 15 minutes time limit when players are waiting.
• An individual may not hold a court when players are waiting.
• Court shoes only, no cleats allowed.
• No wheeled vehicles allowed inside fence.
• Recreation department programs have priority use.
• No private lessons permitted.

Tennis Court Cleaning

• 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month
• The City of Palo Alto’s landscape contractor is responsible for clearing City maintained courts.
• On scheduled cleaning days, please be aware you may be asked to vacate the courts between the hours of 8:00 am and 3:00 pm for court cleaning and inspection for your enjoyment and safety.
  Palo Alto Recreation Department, City of Palo Alto

City of Palo Alto Tennis Classes

Classes for beginning to advanced players are offered through the Palo Alto Recreation Department and are taught by the staff of Stanford Hall of Famer John Whitlinger and longtime Stanford/USPTA Professional Tom Sarsfield.

Information regarding Palo Alto classes and private instruction can be found here.

Parking

There is plenty of parking space. There’s a large parking lot at the center’s main entrance, with a smaller lot in the back closer to the courts. There is another small lot adjacent to the courts located at the end of the center’s North entrance (between the center and Piazza’s shopping plaza).

Tennis Court Policy Updates

Private Instructors & Time Limits

There is an issue with private instructors (who are technically prohibited from teaching for compensation on city courts) monopolizing courts for hours.

• Enforcement Shift: Rather than banning ball machines or hoppers (which hurts residents practicing alone), the city plans to strictly enforce the time limit.
• Time Limit: 1 hour and 15 minutes for drop-in play when others are waiting.
• Proposed Tool: The city is investigating installing “Court Clocks” to help players and staff visually track and enforce time limits.

Youth Organization Access

• Proposal: Formalize a policy allowing Palo Alto-based youth organizations (private school teams without courts, youth programs) to reserve courts.
• Restriction: These reservations would be limited to Off-Peak Times:
  • Monday – Friday: Before 5:30 PM
  • Saturday: 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM

Public Feedback & Usage Details

During the City Council public comment section, residents highlighted several issues:

• Fees: Current reservation fees are $8/hr for residents and $10/hr for non-residents.
  • Resident proposed to keep resident fees the same but significantly increase non-resident fees (to $30/hr).
• There is a high demand for tennis courts because of closure and conversion of courts for pickleball and the unreliability of school courts.
• Residents noted that there is a lot of private instructors and official City tennis lessons are limited and difficult to get into.