The USTA Foundation’s mission is to combine the sport of tennis with education to help enhance lives of youth. We do it at the grass roots level and we are wholeheartedly proud to support those in need and the programs that offer life skills and tennis programming crucial to the overall development of under-resourced youth.
We were fortunate to have Robin Montgomery join us at our 2017 Opening Night Gala at the US Open and share her personal story. She is proof that tennis and education are a winning combination.
At 13 years old, Robin Montgomery has already proven that hard work really does pay off. After reaching the finals of the Girls’ 12s National Clay Courts and claiming third place in the Girls’ 12s National Hard Courts, Robin was rewarded with the No. 2 national ranking in the USTA Girls’ 12s standings.
Following her spectacular summer in 2016, Montgomery moved up to the Girls’ 14s this year. Undaunted, she has already achieved a No. 1 ranking in the USTA Mid-Atlantic Section and catapulted to No. 30 in the nation. Montgomery has had a fantastic summer season, winning her first national title, the 2017 USTA National Girls’ 14s Doubles Clay Court Championship, in July in Plantation, Florida.
Robin started playing tennis at the age of five in the Junior Tennis Champions Center’s (JTCC) NJTL program in Washington, D.C., at the Turkey Thicket Recreation Center. She quickly showed great promise and enthusiasm for the sport, which led to her receiving a scholarship to train at JTCC in College Park, Maryland, under the instruction and mentorship of JTCC Senior Coach Ali Agnamba.
A true team player, Robin has been part of the USTA Foundation Excellence Team program as a member of Team Wilander since the age of six. Robin made her international debut in August 2016 at “Coupe Le Blanc” in Montreal, Canada, where she helped Team USA reach the top step of the podium.
Montgomery has also excelled off the court, as evidenced by her success as a USTA Mid-Atlantic sectional winner in the USTA Foundation’s prestigious NJTL Essay Contest and by her involvement in setting up a new community outreach site at Hope Community Public Charter School in Washington, D.C. She recognizes the need to give back to the sport we love, and she was recently recognized as the deserving recipient of the 2017 Fila REACH (Realizing Extraordinary Accomplishments with Courage and Humility) Award.
Click here for a further look into Robin's story and her progression.