USTA Eastern Metro Region Update

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

During 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 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,

were still on the court after the [men’s singles championship] ceremony near the players bench. At that point [2021 US Open men’s singles champion Daniil] Medvedev was taking things out of his bag and throwing them into the crowd. He stepped over to Caitlin and offered her his used shirt. She immediately stepped back and refused it. I think Medvedev was a little puzzled but then he went to the crowd and gave it to someone else. When she came off the court we asked her why she didn't accept the shirt. She made a face and said it was sweaty and disgusting! Yuv said he was surprised and wished he had been offered because he would have loved it!

Dagnall: I think Caitlin also said it was too big for her!

Naomi Osaka Refurbishes Queens Tennis Courts

Four-time major champion Osaka hits with NYC kids at the August 27 event in Queens

Just before the 2021 US Open, four-time major champion Naomi Osaka partnered with Queensbased sports beverage company BODYARMOR to refurbish the Jamaica, Queens tennis courts on which she grew up playing. In collaboration with her older sister Mari and New York graffiti artist Masterpiece NYC, Osaka added a splash of color—including bright blues, greens and reds—to the Detective Keith L. Williams Park courts to, as she said, give the facilities a little “pop”. At the event, Osaka also held a clinic, and

continued on page 26

Naomi Osaka Refurbishes Queens Tennis Courts continued from page 25

local kids from New York Junior Tennis & Learning (NYJTL), the CityParks Foundation, the Harlem Junior Tennis & Education Program (HJTEP) and the Libert-T Community Tennis Association all got the chance to interact and hit a couple balls with the tennis star. Sharon Simmonds, who runs Liber-T and is a member of the USTA Eastern Metro Region Council, said the event proved formative for those who attended.

“It is important to give kids these kinds of experiences because it will serve to inspire them to work hard to realize their full potential as tennis players,” Simmonds said. “They get evidential proof— Naomi herself—that hard work, discipline, and commitment to the game will lead them to success. I know that Naomi spent a lot of time on these courts playing and dreaming of making it big and winning Grand Slams. So to see her come back to where it all began and spend time with kids who are now in the same position she was in 20 years ago was very heartwarming.”

Observing Osaka up close, Simmonds added that the 24-year-old displayed a “gentleness” and genuine sincerity when interacting with the young players.

“There was a 3-year-old boy who wanted to play with Naomi,” Simmonds recalled. “He picked up a ball and made his way across the court and stood in front of Naomi, then handed her the ball. She stopped what she was doing and took the ball from him. He was so happy he squealed with delight! And she cheered.”

Simmonds was also thrilled with the more modernlydesigned courts at the park.

“Naomi is known and loved in Southeast Queens and her collaboration with BODYARMOR to refurbish the courts was very well received by members of the community, not just tennis players,” she explained. “We have to give a big thank you to both for all that they did. It is greatly appreciated.”

Metro Region Council Offers Regional Grants

Organizations in the Metro Region can still apply for regional grant funding to support programming aimed at increasing tennis participation in the community. Special consideration will be given to: school and afterschool programming; junior competitive play; adult competitive play; diversity and inclusion initiatives; Community Tennis Associations (CTA) & National Jr. Tennis and Learning (NJTL) Programs; special populations and wheelchair tennis programming; and innovative programming.

Regional grant awards are up to $1,000 and are for tennis programs and events operating in 2021. To learn more about eligibility requirements please visit USTA Eastern’s website. The deadline is November 15.