Georgia Teenager Gifts Racquets for Special Pops
What to do when you have a garage filled with used tennis racquets? Linden Patterson, of Marietta, GA, had a solution to involved her passion for tennis with a spirit of generosity.
Patterson had collected a box full of racquets after playing numerous USTA junior tournaments and competing on her high school team. She connected with the USTA and began giving away racquets to special pops and other young tennis players in need.
Here is a link to the story by CBS This Morning. Reporter Jessi Mitchell interviewed Patterson on the court and in her garage surrounded with racquets set to be shared.
"I going to play tennis and, hopefully, working on my game," Patterson said. "At the same time, between matches I'm going to pick up boxes" of used racquets from other players.
Patterson has donated many racquets to special pops players. USTA Southern Specail Pops/Adaptive Committee Chair was also interviewed about the mission of the committee. Talking of special pops players, he said, "They have been around tennis courts but very few are invited to be on tennis courts."
CBS This Morning reported that the teenager has donated more than 2,000 racquets with the Love All Tennis organization she founded.
As a lead-in to the story, the anchor said American tennis particiaption rose more than 20 percent in 2020. He added that he also took up the sport last year.
Related Articles
-
Althea Gibson ScholarshipsMay 08, 2026Danielle Hood of Atlanta and Dillan LaFrance of New Orleans received $5,000 USTA Althea Gibson HBCU Scholarships. Hood is headed to Savannah State University and LaFrances will attend Morehouse College. Read More -
Blind/Low Vision WorkshopMay 08, 2026USTA Arkansas and USTA Southern hosted a Blind/Low Vision Workshop at Matrix Racquet Club where 10 participants learned about teaching Blind and Visually Impaired (BVI) tennis and how to better serve athletes within the Adapted Tennis community. Read More -
Football/tennis conversionMay 04, 2026Brandon Chubb leads retired NFL and basketball players to tennis with the City Tennis Open in Atlanta. The three-day event featured clinics, exhibitions and an auction to benefit a non-profit. Read More