How Tennis Creates Well-being

This Pride Month we are celebrating with the entire LGBTQ+ community in the Mid-Atlantic and beyond. We salute those whose talents and commitment help grow tennis at every level while making our sport a better and more inclusive environment. 

To Michael Academia, a graduate student at William & Mary, tennis is medicine.

Michael first learned how to play tennis as a child in Hawaii after watching his uncle compete on the courts. Now you can find him playing at least two times a week in leagues and tournaments around the Williamsburg, Va. area. He uses his time on the court to relieve stress from the pressures of graduate school and to find community with other LGBTQ+ players.

USTA Mid-Atlantic had a chance to chat with Michael and learn more about how tennis creates well-being in his life and how the sport has helped create his community.   

Join our Pride Month celebration by following us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter and by subscribing to USTA Mid-Atlantic’s YouTube Channel. 

USTA Mid-Atlantic is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization committed to promoting tennis and its physical, social, and emotional health benefits. Learn about our impact in the Section and how USTA Mid-Atlantic creates community, character, and well-being.