Jordan Selig stands at the baseline awaiting the serve from his twin brother, Justin.The sweat drips off his chin and onto his red Nike shirt. His black hair is plastered to his forehead. The scorching sun beats down on the hard court, and the gum soles of his tennis shoes drag along the court, as fatigue sets in.
Both boys started playing tennis at age three, and would never have picked up a racket had it not been for a free tennis program in their neighborhood on the upper east side.
New York Junior Tennis League (NYJTL) is a non-profit organization that introduces the youth of New York City to the game of tennis. Their sites are located in all five boroughs, providing tennis rackets, court time and lessons all for free.
â It introduced me and my brother to the game that we now play daily. It not only got us started, but it has continued to help us advance our game,â said Selig, 17.
At every NYJTL site, they provide a tennis racket for each player, along with hundreds of tennis balls. Each day is separated into two periods. In the morning, the younger children come in for lessons taught by the older players, mostly volunteers who once played at that site when they were younger. At around noon, when the lessons are over, the more experienced players have four hours of open court time, where they can do anything from practice their serves to challenging one another to matches.
Some of the more popular sites, like Wagner Middle School on Second Avnue and 76th Street, have broken up their week to accommodate the vast number of kids.
âÂÂWe had about 100 kids coming to play each day and as a coach, thatâÂÂs way too much,â said 19-year-old David Aharoni, a volunteer at the Wagner Middle School site. In order to give every kid equal court and lesson time, they assign Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays for kids ages six to 11, while Tuesdays and Thursdays are for ages 12 to 18.
Andrew Elmorshedy, a seasoned NYJTL veteran, is in his final year of the program has a different opinion on the programâÂÂs recent growth.
âÂÂThank god IâÂÂm getting out of here.â Andrew says. âÂÂAll these little kids keep taking my court time.âÂÂ
Although he knows his court time is diminishing, he admits it is great for the program.
âÂÂIts better to have the young guns on the court then us old grandpas. Plus If was their age, I would want the same thing,â he says.
Since its start in 1971, the program has expanded its reach to over 100,000 children. They have added a travel team for more experienced players, tournaments for novice players, and play host to the MayorâÂÂs Cup Tournament each year, a competition for all players, held on the same courts as the U.S. Open in Flushing Meadows Corona Park.
And the entire time, they have kept the program free for all.
Tennis can be a huge burden on peopleâÂÂs wallets if they want to get court time, and lessons are an even more expensive. The Billie Jean National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, Queens, charges $65 per hour to play on one of their courts. At the Sportime Tennis center on RandallâÂÂs Island, it costs $45 per hour to play. This is without lessons. Private lessons at these sites cost over $100 per hour. Tennis rackets can cost over $150, and a can of three tennis balls goes for around $4.
Helen Nie, 17, admits that without NYJTL, she probably wouldnâÂÂt be playing tennis.
âÂÂIf my parents knew how much tennis actually costs, I would never be close to a court. With NYJTL I can tell my parents itâÂÂs free,â she said.