2025 year in review: Strengthening the game’s grassroots

As 2025 wraps up, USTA.com reflects upon some of the most impactful moments of the year in the grassroots game in America. From enhanced facility investments that create more community-focused playing opportunities to advancements in adaptive and wheelchair tennis, the USTA’s achievements in strengthening tennis’ grassroots in communities across the country, all with an eye toward achieving the goal of creating 35 million players by 2035.

USTA Coaching is a game-changer

Fostering passionate tennis players requires excellent coaching, which is why the USTA launched USTA Coaching in August. USTA Coaching aims to elevate and support the coaching community nationwide, offering certification, flexible training through a robust online learning hub, community-building opportunities and a wide range of exclusive benefits that support coaches at every level—from parents looking to introduce tennis to their children to full-time professionals.

Championing wheelchair and adaptive athletes 

In March, the USTA announced the creation of the USTA wheelchair tennis national development team, with the goal of growing wheelchair tennis across the country through coach and athlete development by an experienced and highly trained team of developers. The program offers hands-on professional development for wheelchair tennis coaches and facilitators.

The USTA continued to show its investment in wheelchair tennis with over $100,000 in grants awarded to 55 programs nationwide. We also celebrated the 20th anniversary of wheelchair tennis at the US Open. All of these efforts contributed to the USTA being awarded the ITF Brad Parks Award by the International Tennis Federation (ITF), the sport’s highest honor, awarded annually to those who have made a significant international contribution to wheelchair tennis.

Adaptive tennis also saw significant growth and success this year, especially at the 2025 US Open, where adaptive tennis took over Courts 14 and 15 at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center during Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day. Para-standing tennis also returned to the Open for the second-ever Para-Standing Tennis Invitational, which welcomed individuals with physical disabilities who play without using a wheelchair. The USTA was also thrilled to introduce a debut singles invitational at the 2025 USTA National Adaptive Tennis Championships, hosted at the USTA National Campus in October.

$10 million in grants help support community courts nationwide

The USTA strengthened its dedication to facility investments, committing $10 million in grants to help build, refurbish and extend playable hours on courts across the United States—a four-fold increase. Celebrating its 20th anniversary, Tennis Venue Services awarded $15 million to over 295 projects, impacting over 2,500 courts and a total cost of projects over $93M. 

2025 also marked the conclusion of the US Open Legacy Initiative, which hit its $3 million funding goal this summer. In total, the Legacy Initiative impacted more than 100 facilities, funding improvements for more than 700 tennis courts across the country. The USTA, along with the City of Rock Island, USTA Missouri Valley and Madison Keys’ Kindness Wins Foundation, also unveiled refurbished tennis courts in Keys’ hometown of Rock Island, Ill., in November. 

USTA Foundation launches “Community Impact Hubs” initiative

The USTA Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the USTA, announced the creation of its innovative Community Impact Hubs initiative, which will leverage the power of tennis to impact youth and grow the game in under-resourced communities, offering young people and families unparalleled opportunities to play, learn, and thrive—right where they live.

Ten community-based organizations that are a part of the USTA Foundation’s National Junior Tennis & Learning (NJTL) network will expand upon their work to offer tennis and education programs to embed tennis as a catalyst for holistic community change. This initiative is projected to reach over 630,000 young people and families, implement new youth tennis programming in over 570 schools, refurbish at least 160 tennis courts, and recruit over 2,000 new coaches in Hub communities nationwide by the end of 2027.

The Foundation also unveiled the Williams Family Excellence Program, in partnership with Venus and Serena Williams, during the 2025 US Open. This transformative initiative will support young people from under-resourced communities with the academic support, career pathways and mentorship opportunities to prepare them to live their best lives both on and off the court.