USTA Missouri Valley National Tennis Month 2025 Recap

May was National Tennis Month, and USTA Missouri Valley celebrated in style with 100-plus events, 20 grants and 17 proclamations during the action-packed month. And though National Tennis Month has concluded, there are a multitude of opportunities this summer for individuals of all ages and abilities to join the fun and play the world’s healthiest sport.

Even before National Tennis Month commenced, the celebration got underway in mid-April with the first of 17 proclamations made within USTA Missouri Valley. A trio of state proclamations in Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska declaring May as National Tennis Month were read.

An additional 14 city proclamations were received, with executive directors Rebecca Falkner Axelrod (USTA Heart of America) and David Minihan (USTA Oklahoma) leading the charge. Check out all the proclamations that were received and presented by clicking here.

Twenty National Tennis Month grants were awarded by USTA Missouri Valley in 2025 that totaled $5,000. These grants assisted organizations in promoting and running their local tennis events. Grant funds could be used toward a variety of programs—including Red Ball Tennis—to boost tennis engagement in communities. Learn more about USTA grant opportunities by clicking here.

Four check presentations took place during the month of May within USTA Missouri Valley as the section’s Tennis Venue Services granting efforts continued to aid in the construction and renovation of facilities.

Oversized checks were presented by USTA Missouri Valley CEO & Executive Director Mary Buschmann in Marshalltown (Iowa), Firth (Nebraska), East St. Louis (Illinois) and Atlantic (Iowa). The four-court Firth facility in the Norris School District and the six-court facility at East St. Louis Senior High School are both newly constructed tennis complexes. Learn more about Tennis Venue Services by clicking here.

For the second straight year, Hit To Be Fit took place nationally with strong participation occurring in USTA Missouri Valley. There were four registered Cardio Tennis events in the section as part of Hit To Be Fit Day on May 10, as participants got their heart rates up with fast-paced, fitness-oriented games and drills. Learn more about the health benefits of tennis by clicking here.

The Cardio Tennis events were four of the 100-plus fun-filled tennis activities that took place within USTA Missouri Valley during National Tennis Month. Junior tournaments, adult tournaments, wheelchair tennis events, adaptive tennis programming, state senior games, district league championships and a variety of themed community events were a sampling of the variety of options for players of all types.