Frances Tiafoe joins Dallas youth for on-court clinic to support the Frances Tiafoe Fund

Nearly two dozen Dallas-area youth got the opportunity of a lifetime on Tuesday with the help of Frances Tiafoe and the USTA Foundation.

The 2022 US Open semifinalist was a special guest for a tennis clinic hosted by the Dallas Tennis Education Academy at this week's ATP 250 Dallas Open in support of the Frances Tiafoe Fund, Tiafoe's eponymous philanthropic fund by the USTA Foundation.

The clinic was the first on-court activation for the Frances Tiafoe Fund, launched by the USTA's national philanthropic arm last summer. Tiafoe began his tennis career as a child at the Junior Tennis Champions Center in College Park, Md., one of the more than 250 National Junior Tennis and Learning (NJTL) chapters in the U.S. that provide free or low-cost tennis and education services to under-resourced kids around the country with the support of the USTA Foundation. The Frances Tiafoe Fund is one way that the next generation of American youth who participate in these programs is supported.

The DTEA is one of the largest NJTL chapters in the country, is a three-time recipient of the USTA's NJTL Chapter of the Year Award, and provides hundreds of Dallas-area kids with academic tutoring, tennis equipment and instruction, life-skills training and college preparation services each year.

“It’s great to kick off the work of this fund in Dallas,” Tiafoe said. “As someone who came up through an NJTL in my hometown of College, Park, Md., I know first-hand the impact these kinds of programs and experiences can have on kids. My goal is to help more young people reach their goals and realize that anything is possible.”

The USTA Foundation was established in 1994 as the national charitable arm of the USTA. The NJTL network was created in 1969 by tennis legend Arthur Ashe, Charlie Pasarell and Sheridan Snyder, in the hopes of using tennis to promote character, leadership and academic excellence amongst young people. More than a half-century later, that dream is a reality: The NJTL network reaches more than 150,000 youth nationwide, and Tiafoe, as well as recent junior Grand Slam champions Robin Montgomery and Clervie Ngounoue, are among its most notable alumni.