By Karen Ronney

For fifteen-year-old Keinaan and his mother, tennis is not just a recreational sport – it’s a lifeline. Thanks to the South Bay Serves tennis program sponsored by the Teens Rise Foundation, he made his high school team as a freshman. This summer, he played in his first-ever USTA Junior Team Tennis (JTT) league in the 18U division.

“I never thought tennis would be something for me,” Keinaan said. “Now I can’t imagine my life without it.”

Keinaan faced many obstacles to learn the sport. He attended free Saturday tennis classes at community courts in Chula Vista, but matches were a greater challenge as some were 40 miles away. With no reliable transportation, Keinaan navigated the bus and trolley system, arranged carpools, and coordinated rides with other families. Keinaan never missed a single competition.

Having recently immigrated from Latin America, Keinaan and his mother were searching for a sense of community. They found it in the South Bay Serves tennis program. By eliminating barriers to entry, the program is proving that access, mentorship and a team can completely re-route a teen’s life.

Built From the Ground Up

South Bay Serves didn’t start with the idea of building a competitive youth tennis program. It was created with the idea of starting a grassroots tennis pathway for under-served kids. It began three years ago with a community grant from the Southern California Tennis Association (SCTA) Foundation, which supported free Saturday tennis classes. The strategy was straightforward: rent courts on Saturday mornings at Mount Miguel High School and offer free, two-hour, drop-in lessons to youth aged 8 to 18. No experience required. No expensive gear necessary.

“South Bay Serves and Teens Rise are doing an incredible job of bringing tennis to communities who are in need of programs and opportunities,” said Linda Milan, the Executive Director of the SCTA Foundation. “Our missions of changing lives through sport perfectly align, and we are thrilled to be a part of their program. We love that they also embrace education and give under-resourced kids a chance to experience more in life on and off the tennis court.”

The initial response to South Bay Serves was overwhelming. Students who had never held a racquet began showing up week after week. They didn’t just learn how to hit a ball, they got competitive, and soon, they wanted more.

To meet this student-driven demand, the SCTA Foundation doubled down on its investment for the next funding cycle, covering league match expenses, court rentals, and coaching staff. Within just one year, South Bay Serves evolved from a casual weekend clinic into a fully operational USTA Junior Team Tennis program.

During the recent summer season, 16 of the program’s 24 training athletes competed across four distinct teams (U10, U12, and two U18 squads).

“Junior Team Tennis has done something for our students that no classroom can replicate; it has given them a reason to compete, to belong, and to believe in themselves as athletes,” says Gaby Millán, Executive Director of Teens Rise Foundation. “JTT didn’t just teach them tennis. It taught them that they belong in the sport.”

Overcoming the Play Gap

The reality for youth living in South San Diego neighborhoods like Chula Vista, San Ysidro, and Sweetwater is that organized sports like tennis are often an unaffordable luxury. South San Diego statistics indicate that 25% of children under age 18 are living in poverty. Only 10% of adults earn a college degree and there is an over-whelming number of single parent households, according to the Teens Rise Foundation.

While many local high schools field tennis teams, elementary and middle schools rarely offer sport, leaving a massive gap in early development. South Bay Serves fills this void. The hunger for tennis is palpable—and once the kids get hooked, their parents fall in love with the game, too.

A Holistic Approach to Youth Development

Teens Rise Foundation understands that athletic success requires a stable foundation off the court. South Bay Serves is just one part of a three-pronged ecosystem:

  • South Bay Serves: Tennis instruction, teamwork, and local competition to 700  players each year at elementary, middle and high schools.
  • South Bay Salud: Health and wellness programming, including yoga, mindfulness, and resilience training.
  • South Bay Scholars: Academic empowerment offering college campus tours, career panels, hands-on STEM field trips, and youth art exhibits displayed across San Diego.

Trust, Culture, and the Coaching Pipeline

A program like this only succeeds if the community trusts the leaders on the court. South Bay Serves is highly intentional about hiring from within. The coaching staff—led by RSPA Pro Charles Griffin, alongside Coaches Timothy Ton, Alex Monzon, David Santos, and Miguel Liera—are locals, not outsiders.

“Those kids are self-motivated, grateful, committed and they always want to play,” Coach Charles Griffin said. “They always show up on Saturdays and are looking for opportunities to play five to seven days a week. Sometimes they get together and  practice.”

Because the majority of the students are Hispanic, most of the coaches are bilingual, eliminating communication barriers for both athletes and their parents. Furthermore, coaches instill accountability by tasking the youth with taking care of their equipment and respecting school resources.

Now, a homegrown coaching pipeline is emerging. Older JTT players who advanced through the program are returning to volunteer as mentors for the younger children.

The Next Goal

Currently, South Bay Serves operates after-school programs one to two days a week across 14 elementary and middle schools within the Sweetwater, Chula Vista, and San Ysidro school districts. But they are just getting started.

Looking ahead, South Bay Serves strives to expand to full fall and spring USTA JTT teams with at least six players per team. The ultimate goal, however, is full Physical Education (PE) Integration. By bringing tennis directly into the mandatory school curriculum, this will eliminate transportation and financial barriers entirely, making tennis an organic part of the local school culture.

“Teens Rise Foundation is not just building USTA JTT teams,” said Millán, who received 2024 Latinx Leadership Award. “It is building the next generation of South Bay players and tennis coaches.”

To learn more about the Teens Rise Foundation or the South Bay Serves tennis program, please contact please contact Kim Riveros at kim@teensrise.org. To support the SCTA Foundation’s mission of empower life-changing programs like Teens Rise, consider making a financial gift at sctafoundation.org/donate/.

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 About the Southern California Tennis Association Foundation: We are a 501c3 nonprofit organization and is the charitable arm of USTA Southern California.  The Foundation’s mission is to “Change lives and build communities through tennis.” Since 2020, the SCTA Foundation has had a community impact of giving over $1million in tennis grants and tennis scholarships to deserving youth, adults, tennis organizations, tennis facilities and tennis programs to make tennis an equal opportunity sport, accessible to all, regardless of age, ability, ethnicity, or economic background. Visit us on social media on Instagram and Facebook. To learn more about the SCTA Foundation go to: www.sctafoundation.org.  To donate go to: sctafoundation.org/donate/.