July marks a big month at the USTA National Campus, with a number of family oriented events and a prestigious junior tournament coming to the courts of Lake Nona.
First, starting the week of July 16, the USTA Boys’ 12s National Clay Court Championships return to the USTA National Campus for the second consecutive year. This Level 1 junior event is one of the most prestigious junior tournaments that will be played at the USTA National Campus this year.
The field consists of the top 12-and-under junior boys in the country who will be competing for a coveted USTA Gold Ball.
The week-long tournament will be played on the campus’ clay courts and will conclude with the singles and doubles championships on July 22.
A week later, the USTA National Campus will host a very special event that is coming to Lake Nona for the first time, as the American Tennis Association will stage its 101st ATA National Championships, from July 28-Aug. 4. The annual week-long event will feature more than 2,500 participants and visitors.
As the oldest African-American sports organization in the country, the ATA was founded in Washington, D.C., in 1916, with a mission to promote black tennis in America. The ATA founders established the first ATA National Championships a year later. Held in Baltimore, the inaugural Championships included just three events, including men’s and women’s singles and men’s doubles. Today, the tournament has grown to include 50 competitive categories, with thousands of competitors ranging from 10 to 80 years of age.
Known as an annual cultural and tennis family reunion, the ATA National Championships will now be hosted at the USTA National Campus every three to four years through the ATA and USTA’s partnership. This year’s National Championships will include a variety of opportunities for players and fans to engage in a wide range of activities led by USTA Player Development throughout the Campus, including tennis exhibitions, Net Generation clinics, seminars and parent trainings, to name just a few. The event welcomes youth and families, including NJTL, Junior Team Tennis and tournament players. ATA membership will be waived for first-time youth participants.
Also of note in July at the USTA National Campus is the launch of the new Summer Nights program.
For five weeks, starting on July 9, special discounted family packages will be offered on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings. Court rentals will be half-price all day on those days, and pizza, as well as beer and wine specials, will be available after 3 p.m.
Family Night will be featured on Tuesdays, when a family can pay $25 for an hour and 15 minutes of pro-led tennis activities, music and games.
The Summer Series Team Tennis Challenge will be held on Wednesdays, offering a series of creative team tennis challenges for 10-and-under players in the Nemours Family Zone. USTA National Campus coaches will organize competition for the players to test their skills in a fun team format. Play will take place between 6-7:15 p.m. and cost $10 per child.
And, finally, Rock n’ Roll Doubles will take place on Thursdays, when all levels of players are invited to play in round-robin social doubles, directed and supervised by our campus pro staff. The cost is $10 per person.
For more information on USTA National Campus programming, please visit www.ustanationalcampus.com.
