The Art Newspaper

Anyone for tennis?

The German artist Tobias Rehberger plans to build a tennis court in London's Hyde Park and has invited Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal to play on it

By Anny Shaw. News, Issue 231, January 2012
Published online: 18 January 2012

Rehberger has invited international tennis starts including Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal (above, at Wimbledon in 2006) to play on his court

As London gears up for Wimbledon and the Olympic Games, the German artist Tobias Rehberger (above) plans to create a full-sized tennis court in Hyde Park this summer. He has invited star players, including Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, to play a match on the work of art.

“It’s important that my outdoor work is accessible to people, but not in the sense that it is more democratic because anybody can go to a museum or gallery. I’m interested in situations, preferably difficult situations,” he says.

A spokeswoman for the Royal Parks, which looks after Hyde Park in central London, says: “A proposal has been received from the artist, which is being considered”.

“We are in the process of researching and checking different options,” says a spokesman for Rehberger’s studio.