Judy Murray take to the courts with Bronx youth in Pelham Bay Park

The clinic, part of the Women’s Tennis Association’s community outreach program, brought about 60 children together for an afternoon of tennis instruction as the U.S. Open gets underway in New York.

The event was part of WTA Come Play presented by Morgan Stanley, a program designed to introduce more young people to tennis and make the sport more accessible in communities across New York City. The WTA partnered with the City Parks Foundation for the Pelham Bay event.

Murray, a longtime tennis coach and the mother of professional players Andy and Jamie Murray, led the workshop alongside professional players Caty McNally and Gaby Dabrowski, giving children an opportunity to learn from athletes competing at the highest level of the sport. Both McNally and Dabrowski are competing in the U.S. Open in Queens.

“We’re proud to bring WTA Come Play presented by Morgan Stanley back to New York for the fourth year in a row and to take the court with such an inspiring group of young athletes,” said Jess Schnurr, chief marketing officer at Morgan Stanley. 

“Through our partnership with the WTA, we’re creating opportunities for kids to get active, build confidence and learn new skills alongside incredible coaches, players and Morgan Stanley volunteers. It’s a great example of how tennis can bring people together and make a positive impact in the communities where we live and work.”

But for Murray, the event was about more than giving children a chance to play alongside professional athletes. It was about showing them that tennis does not have to be an expensive or difficult sport to get started in.

“For a long time, tennis has that kind of tag of being difficult to access, difficult to do, and expensive,” Murray said in an interview with the Bronx Times. “Talent is everywhere, but opportunity is not.”

Raymond Chin, director of tennis at the City Parks Foundation, said his programming reaches more than 40 sites throughout New York City, teaching children between 6 and 17 years old.

The goal, he said, is not necessarily to turn every child into a competitive tennis player, but to give them an introduction to the sport and encourage them to keep playing.

“What our program we do for kids is give kids a taste of tennis,” Chin said. “Is it a private lesson? No. But if the sun sets [early], we’ll give them a little more of a private lesson, and then get them going.”

The clinic comes as New York officials and tennis organizations look to make the sport more accessible, particularly as the U.S. Open brings increased attention —and costs— to tennis in the city.

The city recently announced 1,000 U.S. Open tickets would be made available to New Yorkers for $100 each, an effort to make attending the tournament more affordable as ticket prices continue to rise.

But still, the cost of attending the tournament can still be out of reach for many of the children he works with.

“Kids like this, they can’t really afford the $400 ticket prices that’s going on right now,” Chin said. “Even with Fan Week, you have to scan a QR code. It’s free. I mean, everybody would just join that? But just because they signed up for it doesn’t mean that they’re going.”

For the children who took the court in Pelham Bay, the clinic offered a chance to see professional tennis up close — while giving them a reason to keep coming back to their neighborhood courts.

“It’s never just about a tennis court with a net and a racket and a ball,” Murray said.

Murray said her approach to introducing children to tennis is intentionally playful. Her workshops use beanbags, balloons, juggling squares, colorful hula hoops and other equipment to help children develop the coordination and physical skills needed to play.

She also encourages parents to participate, giving them ideas for activities they can do with their children at home, in a driveway or at a local park, to keep children engaged after the professional players leave.

“The important thing for us is the workshop with the adults because the adults will make things happen for the kids after the clinic for the kids has come and gone,” she said.

Come Play is a WTA Foundation initiative funded by Morgan Stanley. At Thursday’s event, the WTA Foundation presented a $20,000 check to the City Parks Foundation to help continue expanding access to tennis across New York City.