NEW TAMPA Tennis rackets were as popular as shopping carts outside the Walmart at Bruce B. Downs Boulevard and Regents Park Drive June 2.
The USTA has teamed up with the discount retailer to take SmashZone, an interactive fan experience held annually during the U.S. Open tennis championship in New York City, on a 16-city tour throughout the state.
The U.S. Tennis Association brought the SmashZone mobile tour to the supercenter at 19910 Bruce B. Downs Blvd. for the first local stop.
Its purpose was to introduce tennis to a new generation of potential players and serve as an encouragement to children to lead healthy lifestyles through sports and fitness.
"It's definitely a factor to help bring more kids to the game," USTA communications coordinator Trina Singian said of the mobile tour visit.
The SmashZone mobile unit is equipped with a portable tennis court, interactive games, prizes and information about local tennis programs. It is a complement to the USTA's ongoing youth initiative known as 10 and Under Tennis.
An event such as SmashZone is designed to get tennis rackets in the hands of youth of all ages and abilities.
The USTA, the national governing body for the sport of tennis, aims to reignite interest in an international sport once dominated by Americans, including many professional players who lived in New Tampa and trained at the famed Saddlebrook Resort in Wesley Chapel.
No American tennis player is currently ranked in the Top 10 men's or women's world rankings.
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