USTA Eastern Metro Region Local Kids Get Unmatched Opportunity at the U.S. Open
Dagnall (far left) and Thakur (second from right pose with trophy presenters Yuv and Caitlin just before the US Open women’s singles final
D
uring the U.S. Open, USTA Eastern receives the opportunity to invite kids from across the geographical section to help with some of the ceremonial aspects of the Flushing Meadows-based slam. Those who take part get to toss coins at the beginning of matches—to determine which player will serve first—as well as present trophies to eventual champions at the end of the fortnight. USTA Eastern Community Tennis Coordinators Neil Thakur and Natalie Dagnall handled most of the logistics for the 2021 event. We talked to both of them about their experience working on-site in this capacity. Due to proximity, USTA Eastern was able to have a lot of kids participate in various roles at the U.S. Open this year. What do you enjoy about giving these young athletes this kind of opportunity? Thakur: This is my fourth year participating, and it never gets old. Seeing the amazed look on the face of a young tennis player when they go onto the court in 24
Arthur Ashe Stadium or interact with their favorite tennis player is priceless. When parents tell me how appreciative they are of the opportunity, that makes it all worthwhile. I never take it for granted and I always enjoy every moment because I know it's very unique and fleeting. I'm truly blessed to be doing a job that I love. How do you go about selecting the participants? Dagnall: Neil and I chose these kids to represent five out of six regions across Eastern. We have kids from parks programs, kids from NJTLs, kids from competitive clubs, kids who play socially and kids who play competitively. They're a really diverse mixture of kids, but they all love tennis, and they were so excited to be part of this incredible event. Did you witness any interesting or funny interactions between the kids and the players during the event? Thakur: Caitlin and Yuv, two of our trophy presenters,
New York Tennis Magazine • November/December 2021 • NYTennisMag.com
