DAN MILLER , Queens Gazette
Thousands of kids gathered with their families at the Billie Jean King Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park on Saturday, August 23 to participate in the 24th Arthur Ashe Kids Day, named for the African American tennis star who was the first tennis player to win the U.S. Open as well as the Grand Slam of Tennis and who dedicated his life social justice and kids, who he considered the future. A statue of Ashe in mid-swing is a centerpiece at the Tennis Center, site of the US Open, which began on Monday, August 25. Ashe was co-founder of the National Junior Tennis League, which benefits from some of the proceeds from Arthur Ashe Kids Day.
The gates to the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center opened at 9:30 a.m. for a day of fun for kids and their families. Visitors were able to participate in a number of different fun events, including face painting, tennis clinics and demonstrations, concerts and new product introductions by many sports product vendors. A number of touring tennis stars, including Lindsay Davenport, Serena Williams, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, James Blake and Ana Ivanovic signed autographs and posed for photos for the fans.
The jumbo screen in Arthur Ashe Stadium showed a short film about "Quick Start Tennis", a new program to make tennis less intimidating for kids that has hit the courts at the New York Junior Tennis League. Smaller courts and racquets and low compression balls are part of the New York Junior Tennis League program that teaches tennis to kids through after school and summer sessions.
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