VCO players hit Charleston courts to serve kids
William held the racket tightly while stepping up to his turn a few feet from the net. On the other side, a woman with her hair pulled back in a tight pony tail tossed him the ball.
“Nice!” she said, as the young boy took a swing. “Keep looking at the ball!”
Pleased with his shot, William stepped around to rejoin a line of other kids awaiting their turn on this sun-filled afternoon at the Jack Adams Tennis Center in downtown Charleston.
On the surface, it may have looked like any other practice day on the courts here last Monday. But on this particular day, there was most definitely a little added star power sprinkled in. Four players from the Volvo Car Open stopped in to lend a hand as part of the tournament’s “Tennis in the City” event, an annual one-day inner-city youth tennis clinic sponsored by SunTrust Bank. The purpose of the event is to bring together WTA tennis players, tennis pros, and high school and college players, to introduce the game to local kids.
William’s teacher during the program was WTA player Alla Kudryavtseva of Russia, who thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
“I love to talk to kids about tennis and play,” she said, while taking a break from interacting with her eager young students. “It’s nice to see a spark in a kid’s eyes when they make a good shot or a good serve!”
Fourth grader Samiya Grant got a chance to practice with Abigail Spears, a WTA player from the USA who started playing tennis at age 7.
“It was good!” exclaimed Grant. “I learned about my forehand and backhand.”
“It’s all new to me,” added Jalejah Bennett, a student at Charleston Charter School for Math and Science. “…I got to hit the ball today! It’s been a good experience!”
Spears and fellow USA player Raquel Atawo have taken part in Tennis in the City several times while playing for the Volvo Car Open, formerly known as the Family Circle Cup. Both were glad to be back for the program this year.
“This is how I started out,” said Spears. ‘I started playing at public parks, so I feel like if kids like it and they have fun, then it’s something they can do…Raquel and I like working with the kids. It puts things in perspective, because sometimes you get outside ourselves in what we do.”
“It’s very nice,” added Atawo, who has earned 15 WTA doubles titles in her pro career. “The kids are always excited to play. It’s fun. We’re not just drilling them. We’re getting involved with them, talking to them, kind of having a laugh. And giving them a little feedback, too!”
As for their best advice for those interested in pursuing the sport?
“Be disciplined and work hard,” said Atawo. “And try and laugh at yourself every now and then. Some of them may not understand that quite yet!”
“It’s hard to make (it) alone, so find a friend!” added Kudryavtseva, currently ranked 191 in the world. “You can find a friend and you can go together and play. Every time you have a chance to work on your hand and eye coordination, that’s going to get you healthy and athletic throughout your whole life, whether its tennis or another sport. But as far as tennis, I always tell them to look at the ball! You’d be surprised. I’ve been in professional tennis for 20 years and my coach still has to tell me ‘Keep your eyes on the ball!’”
The afternoon appeared to be a grand slam for 11 year-old homeschool student Joe Gladstein.
“I’m having a lot of fun. I’ve never actually met a pro tennis player, so it’s been very interesting! A lot of them speak different languages!”
Fourth grader Evelyn Hill, a student at Lambs Elementary School, was equally impressed.
“It’s awesome!” she said. “I’ve never played before and I think it’s really cool learning what the awesome tennis players do. I learned how you have to move around and stuff! I love tennis!”