February is Black History Month, and the USTA/Midwest Section is honoring the past by celebrating our future by highlighting current local junior players, volunteers and coaches throughout the month. Each week a member of the USTA/Midwest Section will be profiled and highlighted during this month long celebration.
Please visit
usta.com for more coverage about the African American legends of the past and champions of today.
| SYDNI RATLIFF (Gahanna, Ohio) - February 2, 2015 |
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Although she’s just a sixth-grader, Sydni Ratliff has already been playing tennis for nine years. She found herself “in the game” at the age of 3 when she participated in her first Pee-Wee tennis lesson. She’s played tennis ever since and says she “loves the game even more each year!”
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| CHRISTOPHER FERGUSON (Benton Harbor, Michigan) - February 9, 2015 |
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Thanks to the “First Serve Program” offered through the Boys & Girls Club of Benton Harbor, Mich., sixth-grader Christopher Ferguson now loves to play tennis. Ferguson first took part in the program two years ago but has since continued to play the game as much as he can.
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| COURTNEY DORSEY (Harvey, Illinois) - February 17, 2015 |
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Courtney Dorsey says that “tennis runs in my veins”, as she describes how the game has been a part of her family’s life for years, and how her family has always been her biggest supporter and inspiration throughout her tennis career.
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| ANTHONY JACKSON & LIA JACKSON MOESER (Glendale, Wisconsin) - February 25, 2015 |
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With a goal of playing college tennis and on the professional tennis circuit, Anthony Jackson and older sister Lia Jackson Moeser shared a bond that developed at a young age. Anthony says “tennis was a family affair,” and Lia feels the same way, describing how tennis was always a “family activity”, even becoming part of their family summer vacations.
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