2025 National Tennis Month: Celebrating our favorite sport for 31 days

In the Midwest Section, National Tennis Month featured a glow-in-the-dark event ahead of a 5K GLOW run and another event called "Relax and Rally," which paired racquet sports with mini massages and stretch sessions; both events received provider growth funding. 

The sports community at large embraced May as National Tennis Month. "When you're in Indiana and you're thinking about May, of course you're thinking about the Indy 500 and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway," said Jack Harvey, driver No. 24 for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing. "However, May is also National Tennis Month! So as a team who are pro tennis, I just wanted to tell you all... to get out, enjoy the weather and try and go and play as much as you can."

Rajeev Ram, a six-time Grand Slam champion and two-time Olympian also gave a celebrity shoutout because a National Tennis Month event was organized in his hometown of Carmel, Ind. where USTA Midwest commissioned a portrait of Ram to be made by Dylan Sadiq AKA The College Cuber. More than 200 kids and their families attended the free event, where they learned to play Red Ball Tennis and solved 560 Rubik's Cubes to build the Rajeev Ram artwork. At the end of the event, participants took home brand-new tennis racquets at zero cost. 

Most states celebrated one day in particular. May 10 was National Hit To Be Fit Day—a chance for players to experience a high-energy, calorie-burning workout through Cardio Tennis Triples. Douglass Park in Chicago, Ill. had nearly 80 people register for its Hit To Be Fit sessions alone. In fact, Chicago public parks served as the home base for 20 National Tennis Month events, which ranged from low-cost Cardio Tennis classes to free Red Ball Tennis and kids' days.

USTA Chicago's three-year partnership with the Chicago Park District is one of the main reasons the market was selected for billboard and bus stop advertisements to help USTA Midwest spread the word about tennis and its many health benefits. You may have also seen tennis ads at Midwest airports if you recently traveled through Cincinnati, Cleveland, Detroit or Grand Rapids.

"We can all learn to value what each one of us brings to life, and that's what the game of tennis is about," said Nancy Martin, a USTA Western Michigan committee member.

Later in the month, a representative for Woodland Terrace of New Palestine (an assisted living facility in Central Indiana) said about their National Tennis Month event, “Fun and laughter was had by all.” The event was called "Swingin' with the Oldies" and introduced residents and their nurses to the game of tennis. They also enjoyed a parade of classic cars and free snow cones from Kona Ice!

Of course, none of these events would have been possible without our passionate providers and community partners who care about the game of tennis and the people who play it. Thank you for all of your hard work in making National Tennis Month a smashing success! 

If you attended a National Tennis Month event in the Midwest and have a special story to share, reach out to us! Send an email to molly@midwest.usta.com.

There's more fun to be had. Find additional tennis opportunities here. We hope you keep playing and enjoy everything tennis has to offer.

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