The ASB Classic will finally have a roof over its centre court. Tennis Auckland says it has appointed a construction partner for the project and expects the roof over the Manuka Doctor Arena in Parnell to be finished by July 2027, nearly 20 years after the idea was first raised.
Fabritecture NZ Ltd will design and build the fabric canopy, with staged construction starting later this year. The first ASB Classic played under the new cover will be the 2028 tournament. The roof will not be ready for the January 2027 tournament.
For anyone who has sat through a wet week at Stanley Street, this is the news they have been waiting for. Auckland’s summer tournament is a leg of both the ATP and WTA tours, and it has a long record of rain delays, washed-out sessions and players stuck in the locker room waiting for the covers to come off.
Tennis Auckland chief executive Rohan West told RNZ the roof “changes everything”.
“It protects the ASB Classic from rain delays and cancellations and gives players the conditions they expect from a modern tour stop,” he said.
“Just as importantly, it opens the arena up to a much wider range of events beyond tennis, including concerts, theatre performances, conferences and other sporting events.”
Auckland mayor Wayne Brown welcomed the update. “A roof over the centre-court is crucial if the tournament is to retain and build on its international reputation and continue to provide a marvelous spectacle for fans from over the country to come to enjoy in our great city,” he said.
The covered arena will seat 3500 for tennis and up to 4000 for other events.
This year’s tournament showed why the organisers wanted it. On one Thursday in January, rain meant only one men’s quarter-final could be completed. American Marcos Giron’s three-set win over fourth seed Luciano Darderi took almost seven hours because of weather delays. Top seed Ben Shelton was a set down to Argentina’s Sebastian Baez when his match was suspended, and the remaining quarter-finals were pushed to an earlier start the next morning.
The money for the roof has been in place since late last year. In October 2025 the Government committed $5 million from its $70 million Major Events and Tourism Package, the first infrastructure grant from that fund. Auckland Council had already agreed an initial $1.5 million earlier in 2025. In December, the council’s events agency Tātaki Auckland Unlimited confirmed a final $5 million, which it said completed the $15 million needed for the project.
When the Government money was announced, Tourism and Hospitality Minister Louise Upston said world-class events needed world-class facilities. “This roof will mean more certainty for organisers, players and fans alike,” she said at the time.
The roof is the second stage of a larger redevelopment of the Stanley Street venue. The first stage began in August 2025 with the demolition of the 70-year-old Robinson Stand at the southern end of the arena. A temporary scaffold grandstand, of the kind used at Queen’s Club in London and in Monte Carlo, took its place for the 2026 tournament.
The court itself is also being enlarged. In 2023 the ATP revised its minimum court length standard to 40.23 metres, more than three metres longer than Auckland’s 36.95 metres, the Herald reported. The new playing area will be 41 metres long, giving players more room behind the baseline to deal with the heavy serving of the modern game.
The design by architects Jasmax uses a lightweight tensile membrane roof lifted above the stands. According to Jasmax, that keeps natural light, airflow and views of the city skyline, while shielding players and spectators from rain, glare and heat. The practical effect is that the ASB Classic can remain an outdoor-feeling event rather than becoming a closed indoor stadium. Resource consent for the redevelopment was granted in September 2024.
Fabritecture has recent New Zealand stadium experience. The company designed and built the ETFE roof systems at One New Zealand Stadium at Te Kaha in Christchurch, which opened to the public in late March 2026.
The timing matters for the tournament’s long-term future. West has said before that Tennis Auckland had little real choice but to build a roof, given the steady threat of new tournaments in Australia, Asia and the Middle East competing for the same early-season fortnight. A covered court makes the schedule far more reliable, and organisers have said it will also help attract players.
There is also a clear benefit for the wider city. Once the roof is up, the enlarged centre court will be able to host two full-size basketball, netball or volleyball courts, four 3×3 basketball courts or a futsal pitch. When Tātaki Auckland Unlimited confirmed its funding, chief executive Nick Hill said the joint support would strengthen “an important facility that serves Aucklanders year-round”.
For fans, the key date is January 2028. Until then, anyone heading to Stanley Street for the next tournament should still pack a raincoat.
Have you had a day at the ASB Classic ruined by rain, or do you think the money would have been better spent elsewhere? Tell us in the comments below.
This article was written by AI, briefed to report the facts, hopefully without some of the bias people bring to the job 🙂
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