James Blake first set foot into a National Junior Tennis and Learning chapter nearly 40 years ago at age 5, when his father, Thomas Blake, brought him and his brother Thomas, Jr. to their first tennis lesson at the Harlem Junior Tennis & Education Program.
As the USTA Foundation celebrates an anniversary that's nearly as long in 2024, the former world No. 4 and U.S. Davis Cup champion is reflecting on just how much the organization has become "near and dear to [his] heart" in the years since then. This year, the national philanthropic arm of the United States Tennis Association is celebrating its 30th anniversary, and NJTL, which was co-founded in 1969 by tennis legend Arthur Ashe, Charlie Pasarell and Sheridan Snyder, has been the flagship program of the USTA Foundation for much of that time, helping to facilitate growth, development, and health and wellness opportunities for under-resourced youth across the United States.
"The USTA Foundation ... it means so much," Blake said. "Thirty years is an incredible run for one foundation. ... It gives back to so many programs that made a big difference to me, like the Harlem Junior Tennis Program where I started playing tennis. These kinds of grassroots programs really make a huge difference in kids' lives."
Blake's connection to the USTA Foundation already ran deep as a former NJTL student-athlete, but it become even more so after he retired from the ATP tour in 2013. From 2015-18, Blake was chairperson of the organization's board, and says he was proud to raise more than $15 million in support of its life-changing work. Funds donated to the USTA Foundation support not only the sport-based youth development organizations in the NJTL network, but scholarships, grants and other opportunities that change kids' lives on and off the court, and help open doors for them to strive to achieve their dreams.
"[These programs] may not turn out tons and tons of pro players like myself," Blake says, "but it'll turn out tons of great credits to society: people that want to give back, people that want to do something positive with the sport that they love."
"I’m really proud that [the USTA Foundation has] made it 30 years," he adds, "and I hope to be celebrating 30 years from now when it's on its 60th anniversary as well."