Young New Yorkers Gain Front-Row Experience at US Open
By MOHAMED FARGHALY
mfarghaly@queensledger.com
For more than 50 years, the New York Junior Tennis & Learning (NYJTL) organization has been introducing young people across the city to tennis while promoting education and personal growth. This year, a dozen of its participants got to experience the excitement of one of the sport’s biggest stages: the U.S. Open.
Founded in 1971 by tennis legend Arthur Ashe and Lewis “Skip” Hartman, NYJTL has grown into the nation’s largest youth tennis and education nonprofit, reaching more than 90,000 children annually through afterschool programs, community tennis initiatives, and teacher training across all five boroughs.
Udai Tambar, CEO and president of NYJTL, highlighted the program’s long-standing reach. “We’ve been around for over 50 years. Founded by Arthur Ashe. We reach about 90,000 young people annually. We have served young people about 100 unique sites throughout the city. We’ve had about a dozen or so kids in our program who are part of the ball crew. And it’s exciting, you know, the other day as sort of watching a quarter final match with center, and it was the number one seed and there was someone in our program who was a ball on part of the ball crew. So, I think it’s exciting for the kids who play tennis to be on court, like, literally, on court with these amazing players who they look up to.”
Tambar also emphasized the broader impact of NYJTL’s programs. “We believe in creating success for young people on and off the court. We mean that we want our young people not only to do well playing tennis, we want them to do well in school as well. So, we take pride in the fact that our young people graduate from high school, go to college. We’re able to connect them with scholarships, financial aid, some player, some people, will play at a college level. We have students in elementary, middle school who are getting into competitive programs like prep for Prep, some of the specialized high school, high schools as well. And so, for us, that’s the legacy of Arthur Ashe that, you know, that’s been consistent, that we’re creating success on and off the court, and both is very important.”
Among the participant’s representing Queens was 16-year-old Kento Smith from Briarwood, who has been playing tennis for 11 years. “I have been playing tennis for 11 years, mainly with the NYJTL community tennis program, and for my latest years, the Scholar Athlete Program (SAP). I love tennis because I am able to construct points and problem solves with techniques that I have developed throughout my years of training. I have always enjoyed problem solving, so tennis is the perfect sport,” Smith said.
Smith, a returning member of the ball crew, described the tryouts and training as rigorous and focused on skill and teamwork. “Tryouts for the US Open were a mix of many components. These include agility, awareness, technical abilities such as rolling and catching, and the ability to work as a team. In order to do well, you always have to be present and focus on what is going on now; not what you did a point before, and not what you are going to do a point later,” he said.
He added that the experience fostered a strong sense of community. “I returned because I love the sense of community here, and I genuinely believe that this is a great community to be a part of. The connections I make here are ones that I plan to carry on throughout my life… Now for a more personal experience than team wise, this year I had the honor to be a ball person on Arthur Ashe Stadium multiple times, and it shocked me how different the atmosphere was. The roars from the crowd, and the echoing songs in between change overs made my heart race; both from nervousness and excitement. Being on this stadium was an amazing experience, and an absolute honor.”
Smith said his favorite players currently include Alcaraz and Sinner, noting his personal experience on court. “I was able to be a ball person for Alcaraz during his quarterfinal match against Lehecka, and seeing one of my idols right in front of me was an unexplainable feeling. I felt proud that I was able to be a ball person for someone who I have admired for a long time.”
NYJTL, the nation’s largest youth tennis and education nonprofit, continues to offer afterschool programs, community tennis, teacher training, and college pathway initiatives, aiming to make tennis accessible and teach life skills like perseverance, resilience, and problem-solving along the way. You can learn more by visiting nyjtl.org.
