The Excellence Program ensures the best coaching and resources are available to those kids with the most desire, athletic potential and financial need. Local chapters are encouraged to generate outside funding for sustainability, and kids learn the importance of hard work, grit and graciousness.
As NJTLs embody the USTA Foundation mission to bring tennis and education together to change lives, Excellence Program events integrate tennis on-court activities and educational off-court activities. Our off-court has included group discussion and writing exercises on "Fitting In vs. Belonging – the Role of a Leader".
Currently, the USTA Foundation has 14 NJTL chapters across the country that have identified close to 300 promising athletes. These athletes are identified and selected due to their hard work, talent, perseverance and grit. All Excellence Team coaches are USPTA/PTR certified. These Excellence Teams are provided additional resources designed to provide coaching, equipment and tournament travel at no cost to underserved junior tennis players from under-resourced populations who would otherwise never have the chance to even play.
2020 USTA Foundation NJTL Excellence Teams
- Dallas Tennis & Education Academy (Team Nowitzki) – Addison, TX
- Harlem Junior Tennis & Education Program (Team Adams) – Harlem, NY
- InnerCity Tennis (Team Wheaton) – Minneapolis, MN
- Junior Tennis Champions Center (Team Wilander) – College Park, MD
- Legacy Youth Tennis & Education (Team Li) – Philadelphia, PA
- Marty Hennessy Inspiring Children Foundation (Team Bryan) – Las Vegas, NV
- Metropolitan Tennis & Education Group (Team DMV - Shane) – D.C., Maryland, Virginia
- New York Junior Tennis & Learning (Team Huber) – Bronx, NY
- South Atlanta Community Tennis Association (Team Oudin) – Atlanta, GA
- Greensboro Tennis Association (Team Isner) – Greensboro, NC
2020 USTA Foundation NJTL Development Teams
- Sportsmen’s Tennis & Enrichment Center – Dorchester, MA
- Tennis Memphis (Team Klaasen) – Memphis, TN
- XS Tennis (Team Stubbs) – Chicago, IL
- A’s & Aces (Team McNulty) – New Orleans, LA
The Excellence Team program includes a “playing pyramid” with mass community outreach at the bottom, a pathway of developmental programs in the middle and an elite group emerging at the top – possibly the next US Open champion!
The statistics are astounding. Of the boys and girls who join an Excellence Team: 
- 10 players have been ranked Top 10 in the Nation
- 95% have 3.0+ GPA
- 96% improve their tennis skills
- 98% continue to play tennis frequently
- 100% report they will graduate from high school
All 14 NJTL Excellence Teams are required participate in various events, provide training opportunities for both coaches and youth and adhere to national program standards.
- Coaches training – online training courses, face-to-face workshops, certified, work with a mentor
- Tennis Training – 30+ weeks of programming, tournament play, USTA Player Development Wild Card Playoff, USTAF NJTL Excellence Cup, USTAF NJTL Excellence Team Workout
- College Prep – track report cards, maintain GPA, Essay Contest, community service
- Marketing, Sponsorship, Fundraising & Communication
Currently, no additional teams are being added to the program. If you have further questions regarding the Excellence Program, please contact us via excellenceprograms@usta.com.
Other Excellence Program Opportunities
College Pathway Program
"Strengthening American Tennis from the community to college"
The College Pathway has been introduced to Excellence Teams, as we now support players ages 15-18, within the NJTL Excellence Program. The program has two annual events for this age group. The USTA All-American College Combine, presented by Adidas in collaboration with the USTA Collegiate Department, allows players to be nominated to participate in the combine that is attended by top college coaches from all divisions of college tennis. The College Pathways Training Camp provides an elite group of 16 Boys and Girls the opportunity to participate in training with USTA Player Development.
Individual Player Grants
The USTA Foundation Individual Player Identification Grant provides support to under-resourced players, ages 12-18, who are excelling academically (minimum 3.0 GPA) and in competitive tennis. To be considered for this opportunity, a player must be training and competing in tournaments year-round.
Coaching Education Grants
The USTA Foundation provides coaching education grants for elite coaches within the NJTL network to participate in the USA High-Performance Coaching Program and the USA Continuing Education Program. This program allows for NJTL coaches to receive continuing education for them to be able to provide the highest level of tennis instruction to their home programs.