2019 Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day • Fun Continues USTA’s Outreach Efforts To Grow Youth Tennis – 10sBalls

By: Thomas Cluck

Another successful Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day came and went on Saturday inside the house named after the great tennis champion, humanitarian, activist, and icon, continuing to grow the game in the US and put more racquets in childrens’ hands after a fun day celebrating the work Ashe did his entire life. 

Under the roof of Arthur Ashe Stadium inside the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, the US Open’s Fan Week special continued with kids of all ages enjoying the fun and excitement of the kids’ day stadium show and all the activities around the grounds for families to enjoy, all free of charge.

The stars came out once again for Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day, hosted by stars Meg Donnelly, Morgan Tompkins, and JD McCrary, with singing stars Blanco Brown of The Git Up challenge, Ava Max, and Austin Mahone joining the stars of tennis such as defending champion and world number one Novak Djokovic, three-time US Open winner Rafael Nadal, 2017 champion Sloane Stephens, 15 year-old phenom Coco Gauff, and legendary doubles team The Bryan Bros. 

Benefiting the USTA Foundation and the NJTL, founded by Ashe and his dear friend Charlie Pasarell, Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day promotes the game of tennis to kids and the next generation, creating a fun and entertaining atmosphere to grow the game and youth tennis initiatives such as the USTA’s Net Generation program. 

Outside of the fun and big stars of the stadium show, the tournament grounds were buzzing with fans young and old enjoying the end of Fan Week on Saturday, taking in top stars’ practice sessions up close on Grandstand and other courts, participating in a Wilson Net Generation tennis clinic with players such as American NextGen star Reilly Opelka, NCAA great and Stanford standout Nicole Gibbs, and Greek star Maria Sakkari among others. 

There was something for everyone as well, those die-hard tennis fans and those on the grounds of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time, as some of the biggest names in entertainment rocked the AAKD Festival Stage to create a party atmosphere for this festival of all that is good in tennis, growing the sport for the next generation and many to come.