VENUS  INSPIRES ATL KIDS

Fresh off her BB&T Atlanta Open exhibition match win over Madison Keys, seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams went on court and hit balls with kids from South Atlanta NJTL on July 22. South Atlanta NJTL Executive Director Sam Kennedy was proud to have Venus on the South Fulton (GA) Tennis Center and said it was a day that the kids will remember for the rest of their lives.  The NJTL is a USTA Southern Blueprint Capacity Building Program and one of the USTA Foundation Excellence Teams.
 

South Fulton city officials also presented her with a proclamation of “Venus Day in the City of South Fulton,” which included a medal.

At least 100 youth wore their Venus-designed Net Generation t-shirts and were excited to stand next to and hit with the legend.
 

Venus spent about an hour at the center, interacting with the kids. She also was interviewed by three local television stations.
 

“I love to be out here with the kids.  It keeps me motivated.  Hopefully we’ll see some future stars come out of this, but more than that, success stories,” stated Venus.  “Organizations like this give kids an opportunity to be exposed to sport … work hard, feel good about themselves, and achieve something.”
 

Venus is an ambassador for Net Generation, the new youth tennis brand of the USTA. She has donated her time, making television commercials promoting Net Generation.
 

The tennis center is in the middle of a $600,000 renovation project. It has applied for USTA funding to improve its 20 hard courts and 4 clay courts. The facility will be eligible for up to $30,000 from USTA Southern’s Build It Forward assistance program.