Jim Flesch honored with the 2024 Eve Kraft Community Service Award
Eight advocates for the sport of tennis at the grassroots and local levels were honored with national awards at last week's 2024 USTA Annual Meeting and Conference in Orlando, Fla.
WATCH: Jim Flesch honored with Eve Kraft Community Service Award
Jim Flesch has been a pillar of tennis in his community for more than half a century, and his efforts as a teaching pro that have brought the sport to countless people have earned him the Eve Kraft Community Service Award.
The USTA awards the Eve Kraft Community Service Award to individuals who best exemplify Kraft’s selfless mission to bring the sport of tennis to everyone who wants to play. Kraft was a tennis pioneer whose ability to touch people’s lives exceeded the boundaries of the tennis court. As a teacher, coach, author, USTA staff member and volunteer, Kraft was a lifelong champion of recreational tennis in the U.S., until her death in 1999. She introduced thousands of young people to tennis, particularly in disadvantaged communities.
Flesch embodies the spirit of Eve Kraft as a true grassroots champion of tennis. His work in the USTA Middle States section began in 2004 when he moved to Delaware and taught at the Delaware Tennis Center in the historic Bellevue State Park. Since then, Flesch has built a reputation as a tireless advocate for tennis, spending countless hours volunteering to grow the local tennis-playing community.
Flesch has served on the Delaware District Council and in various capacities on the USTA Middle States Board of Directors. His innovative ideas, such as free tennis Fridays, Tennis in the Streets, and Play in May, have introduced the sport to thousands of people. He ensures tennis is accessible to all by developing programs catering to every skill level and even initiated a racquet and shoe exchange to provide equipment for players facing financial hardships.
Photo by CameraworksUSA/USTA.
“Jim is a true grassroots tennis champion and perfectly exemplifies Eve Kraft’s mission,” Craig Morris, the USTA's chief executive for community tennis, said. “Both as a teaching pro and an innovative organizer of tennis programs, Jim is directly responsible for growing the sport of tennis in his community and beyond.”
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