Six deserving student-athletes from five National Junior Tennis and Learning (NJTL) chapters across the country have been awarded the first-ever individual player grants from the USTA Foundation's France Tiafoe Fund.
The six athletes, four girls and two boys, hail from NTJL chapters in California, Georgia, Maryland, New York and Texas, and have cumulative been awarded $40,000 from Tiafoe's eponymous philanthropic fund by the USTA Foundation that launched last summer. The grants are part of the USTA Foundation's collective individual player grants program, which helps support the tennis and educational improvement of players who excel in school, train and compete in tournaments year-round, and meet certain ranking or GPA requirements. These grants help fund travel, training, equipment expenses, and other academic support needs.
Individual player grants have a competitive nomination process and are awarded to youth ages 10-18 who participate in the USTA Foundation’s flagship NJTL network, which was created in 1969 by tennis legend and humanitarian Arthur Ashe, along with Charlie Pasarell and Sheridan Snyder. These more than 250 sport-based youth development programs support more than 150,000 under-resourced youth nationwide, and give them access to free or low-cost tennis and academic programming that helps prepare them for the challenges and opportunities of life.
The 2022 US Open semifinalist and former Top 10 player recently surprised the recipients on a Zoom call to deliver the news to the youngsters in person.
"I've always had huge aspirations of paying it forward and to be able to be in this position," Tiafoe said. "To be able to be in this seat now, and see you guys aspire to be not only better athletes but people, it's a real win for me in this thing we call life. It's an honor to be able to do this, and hopefully, you guys will be able to excel with what I've been able to give."
“We are incredibly proud of these student-athletes and their commitment to their education and the sport of tennis,” USTA Foundation CEO Ginny Ehrlich said. “They were selected not only for their on-court talent but also their ability to balance their competitive tennis schedules with strong academic performance. We’re confident they will continue to excel and accomplish great things on and off the court.”