Royal Tennis Hall

Built during a time of great division across the world, the Kungliga Tennishallen, or Royal Tennis Hall is a sports venue that was meant to bring people together. The Tennis Hall – which is hailed as Stockholm’s very own ‘Madison Square Garden’ has operated consistently since it opened in 1943 during WW2.

Tennis first came to Sweden after Crown Prince Gustaf traveled to England in 1879. After becoming acquainted with the game, he fell in love with the sport and vowed to bring it to his home country. The first formal tennis clubs began forming in 1890 and within two years the Royal Tennis Club of Stockholm (KTLK) was created. Yet, it would be nearly three decades before the Royal Tennis Hall was built.

In 1938, Gustaf V, now King, decided that he wanted a tennis facility of his own. At a cost of 3 million SEK, Gustaf completed the Royal Tennis Hall during the height of WW2. Although Sweden maintained neutrality during the War, the new Tennis Hall provided a much needed escape for KTLK club members from the daily stressors of a world at war.

The Hall has hosted tennis matches, heavyweight boxing, concerts, and numerous other tournaments. Louis Armstrong, David Bowie, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, and the Rolling Stones have all performed there. In 1975, the venue hosted the year-end Masters tennis tournament as well as the Davis Cup final between Sweden and Czechoslovakia.

KLTK tennis club members remain committed to developing the Royal Tennis Hall. In recent years, a new membership structure has been introduced and an additional 120 million SEK has been invested into the facility to continue its reign as one of the foremost tennis facilities in the world.