US Open Kickoff: Tennis Stars and Kids Play
September 1, 2015
By Gabriela Murphy-Goldberg
By Gabriela Murphy-Goldberg
From the moment you walked into the US Open complex, you knew it was going to be a great experience. Excited children running about, and parents watching their children play tennis while trying to block the beating sun out. Balloon animals, hair braiding, and small circus acts were not few and far between. There was also a face painting station with a range of designs from a fairy princess to a tennis ball of yellow and green. On top of these activities, there were storytelling and juggling stations too!
The grounds were not just filled with fun activities for the children to do, there were also numerous tennis courts for the kids of all ages to play tennis against high level players. One of which was Bernard Tomic, a top player and Australian native. All types of tennis drills were being utilized to improve the game of every player, of every level. High level tennis players who planned on competing in the US Open, were also seen hitting on the practice courts. Tennis players seen up close during practice were Milos Raonic, Kei Nishikori, Francesca Schiavone and the Bryan brothers.
The real fun started when you went into Arthur Ashe Stadium. Popular music acts, Arthur Ashe dance team numbers choreographed by fitness guru Shaun T, and tennis with the stars! The event was hosted by Shaun T and Disney Radio's Brooke Taylor; while musical acts included American Authors, Natalie La Rose, Alex Angelo, Jacob Whitesides, Kalin & Myles, and Bea Miller. Woven into the musicality of the event were mini competitions between the star players and local young players competing for their charity of choice. Star players who came out and played during these competitions were world number one player Novak Djokovic, world number two player Roger Federer, two time US Open Champion Rafael Nadal, defending US Open champion Marin Cilic, world number one and three time defending US champion Serena Williams, and future Grand Slam champion (as tipped by Serena Williams) Madison Keys.
All in all, it was a great family event for people of all ages with high probability of meeting a celebrity or two! The US Open is from August 31- September 13, 2015 at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens, New York. For schedules and tickets visit http://www.usopen.org
The grounds were not just filled with fun activities for the children to do, there were also numerous tennis courts for the kids of all ages to play tennis against high level players. One of which was Bernard Tomic, a top player and Australian native. All types of tennis drills were being utilized to improve the game of every player, of every level. High level tennis players who planned on competing in the US Open, were also seen hitting on the practice courts. Tennis players seen up close during practice were Milos Raonic, Kei Nishikori, Francesca Schiavone and the Bryan brothers.
The real fun started when you went into Arthur Ashe Stadium. Popular music acts, Arthur Ashe dance team numbers choreographed by fitness guru Shaun T, and tennis with the stars! The event was hosted by Shaun T and Disney Radio's Brooke Taylor; while musical acts included American Authors, Natalie La Rose, Alex Angelo, Jacob Whitesides, Kalin & Myles, and Bea Miller. Woven into the musicality of the event were mini competitions between the star players and local young players competing for their charity of choice. Star players who came out and played during these competitions were world number one player Novak Djokovic, world number two player Roger Federer, two time US Open Champion Rafael Nadal, defending US Open champion Marin Cilic, world number one and three time defending US champion Serena Williams, and future Grand Slam champion (as tipped by Serena Williams) Madison Keys.
All in all, it was a great family event for people of all ages with high probability of meeting a celebrity or two! The US Open is from August 31- September 13, 2015 at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens, New York. For schedules and tickets visit http://www.usopen.org