Success starts with showing up. Neither Carlos Alcaraz Garfia nor Iga Świątek would have become the 2022 U.S. Open champions if their parents hadn’t signed them up to their first tennis clinics. Alcaraz started playing at the age of four and Świątek at five. Andre Agassi, a nine-time Grand Slam champion, also started very young – in the crib. Almost all top players out there began training in tots clinics – making friends, hitting red balls, learning to move around the court, and developing hand-eye coordination.
Our colleagues and consultants at JTCC helped Frances Tiafoe break top 20 ATP this year. They took him in to red ball tots at age 4. Frances went through their pathway program, the same one that our club, Kings Highway Tennis, uses. Today Frances is one of the best American tennis players, making history! Tiafoe beat Rafael Nadal in the round of 16 U.S. Open and then Nick Kyrgios in the quarterfinals. This was made possible because the coaches at JTCC noticed he was curious about tennis and invited him to play with other kids in clinics. More importantly, his family supported his tennis from his early age. If they hadn’t, the Washington Post wouldn’t be writing about his success story and LeBron James wouldn’t have tweeted “CONGRATS Young King!!!”
Frances Tiafoe at the 2022 U.S. Open
I emphasize the recognition Tiafoe’s been receiving to point out one thing: when Frances was four, he didn’t go online and select a tennis club and a clinic to train at, he couldn’t have. He showed an interest in tennis but it was his parents and coaches that helped him get started. Moreover, no one knew he would land in the semi-finals of the U.S. Open at 24. They enlisted him to have fun.
Your kid is in the same position — filled with potential and waiting for you to help him or her get started in a sports program that will teach life skills, bring good health and lasting friendships. The stardom is a bonus. And you don’t need to be in Florida, California, or Spain to think your kid will have a chance to get good at tennis. Connecticut has had a fair share of successful Division I college and professional players, most notably James Blake. Blake reached No. 4 in the world. He grew up in Fairfield, Connecticut and began playing when he was five.
Kings Highway Tennis Club has been working with JTCC for six years to develop the best kind of junior tennis pathway possible. Therefore, whatever your child’s current level, we have a program for them. Our goal is to make the best use of our skills and help children enjoy tennis while getting good at it.
If you are thinking of registering your child to a tennis program, please call us at (203) 655-8769 or email our Director of Tennis, Zack Lahmar, at zack@tennisct.com. If you get in touch with us, we’ll set your child up with a free 15-minute evaluation by one of our tennis pros. If you are not thinking of tennis, you should still call us and let us convince you that your child will love this awesome sport!