Smiles and laughter filled the Los Angeles Tennis Center on Saturday as kids 13 and younger stormed the courts after UCLA men’s tennis’ victory over Utah.
Kids rushed over to sophomore Mackenzie McDonald after his straight-sets win over his Utah opponent. They asked McDonald to sign their shirts and hats, not forgetting to snap a quick picture with the nation’s No. 4 player.
This unusual fanfare and high attendance was brought on by the Bruins hosting their third annual Kids’ Day. This event was put on in conjunction with the Southern California Tennis Association.
“It’s a great experience. First off, to be able to watch a college match up close and personal is great,” said Alec Horton, director of junior competition for SCTA. “Secondly, the interaction – being able to see what young kids consider stars. If you’re 9 or 10 and you’re seeing the No. 1 player from UCLA play, and now he is going to hang out with you for a little bit and then play on the same court, that’s really motivating. That’s going to motivate you to practice really hard.”
After its shutout win, the rest of the UCLA men’s tennis team joined the juniors on stadium courts one and two to hit and play games. The Bruins stayed on the courts for almost another hour with them, taking pictures, signing autographs and talking to all their young fans.
“It is really cool to see younger kids who are really enthusiastic about tennis,” said sophomore Gage Brymer. “It was fun to come out and hit with what is the next generation of tennis players. All these kids were super energetic, and we were happy to see them come out to see us play today and to want to hit with us.”
Before UCLA’s dual match on Saturday, the young players were given the opportunity to play matches at the Los Angeles Tennis Center and tour the campus.
These young players are some of the top-100 junior tennis players in Southern California and are part of the competition training centers in Orange County and Santa Barbara.
Several current Bruins were part of similar training centers, including assistant coach Grant Chen, who helped organize the event. Chen said events like these were important to him when he was growing up playing tennis, and that it helped him love the sport more and be motivated.
“It started out with 10 to 15 kids, and then it grew to 20, 30 and now 50 or so kids. That’s pretty special,” Chen said. “I think it is important to give back. We were all in their shoes at one point, and I think it is important to be role models. … I would love to do Kids’ Day more often.”