Come Play brings tennis to New York neighborhoods

The WTA Foundation’s community outreach program, WTA Come Play presented by Morgan Stanley, made its way to New York this week, bringing the sport of tennis to communities citywide. The initiative, which started in 2018, utilizes tennis to positively impact communities and empower youth of all ages and abilities to lead healthy and productive lives on and off the court.

With a shared vision for expanding access to the game of tennis, WTA Foundation and Morgan Stanley were proud to join City Parks Foundation (CPF) and the Harlem Junior Tennis & Education Program (HJTEP) for the third consecutive year, hosting tennis clinics led by Coach Judy Murray and welcoming New York City youth to Morgan Stanley’s Headquarters.

Kicking off the week, girls from HJTEP were treated to a visit to Morgan Stanley’s Headquarters where they heard from leadership, participated in a financial education session and had the opportunity to network with Morgan Stanley employees. While making an impact on the court is a significant part of WTA Come Play presented by Morgan Stanley, off the court impact is of equal importance. The Morgan Stanley office visit not only provided the girls with an opportunity to learn and create connections, it also was a setting where they could feel empowered to dream of what their careers can be.

Continuing Wednesday, the first WTA Come Play clinic presented by Morgan Stanley got underway at Cunningham Park in Queens with CPF where WTA Community Ambassador Murray, alongside WTA players Camila Osorio and Bernarda Pera, interacted with local youth from community tennis programs. CPF provides free tennis instruction year-round to thousands of kids in more than 30 parks throughout the five boroughs. Their free sports programs transform parks into centers for recreation to create vibrant and healthy urban communities.

“We are excited to team up once again with WTA Foundation and Morgan Stanley on this terrific initiative as it is a prime example of how thriving parks lead to thriving communities,” said City Parks Foundation Director of Sports, Mike Silverman. “Having WTA stars and legends interact and provide instruction to kids in our community is a unique and inspirational experience they will never forget."

The week of events concluded on Thursday at Howard Bennett Playground in Harlem where HJTEP youth participated in an immersive clinic taught by Murray with assistance from WTA players Asia Muhammad and Clervie Ngounoue. HJTEP, which is run by WTA legend and President and Executive Director, Katrina Adams, has served more than 20,000 youth since 1972 using tennis as a tool for positive behavior and fitness and offering educational programs emphasizing academic excellence and emotional resiliency.

“We thank Morgan Stanley and the WTA Foundation for continuing to provide this valuable experience for our coaches and kids,” Adams said. “The opportunity for HJTEP coaches to learn the latest teaching techniques from one of the world’s top coaches is especially valuable to their professional development, while giving our kids the chance to take the court and hit with top ranked WTA Tour players is a memory for a lifetime and an inspiration for what is possible.”

Since becoming a presenting partner of the WTA Come Play initiative in early 2023, Morgan Stanley has provided vital resources and support to thousands, co-hosting 15 community activities and counting across the globe.

“We are thrilled to be back in New York with the WTA and bringing the sport of tennis and first-hand access to WTA stars to a really great group of kids right here in our backyard,” said Morgan Stanley Chief Marketing Officer, Jess Schnurr. “This partnership brings to life exactly why we believe it is so important to invest in the next generation and arm them with the lessons and skills that will help them both on and off the court.”

The New York event is a continuation of a yearlong program that will see the WTA Come Play presented by Morgan Stanley program brought to communities worldwide to engage people of all ages and abilities and provide access and opportunity through tennis. The first activations of the 2025 program took place in Melbourne and London.

To learn more about WTA Foundation or make a donation, visit wtatennis.com/wtafoundation