Billie Jean King’s legacy lives on in New York City’s public parks

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NEW YORK—A proud product of the public parks system, Billie Jean King got her first free tennis lessons at 11 years old on the public courts of Long Beach, Calif. The rest is history, of course, but even now there are still more chapters to be written.

Thirty-nine Grand Slams and a Hall of Fame career later, King is still dedicated to making sure that kids in New York City have the same opportunities she did.

In 1998 she partnered with the USTA and the CityParks Foundation (CFP) to co-found a tennis program with its Director of Sports, Mike Silverman, working to ensure that young New Yorkers across all five boroughs can have access to free tennis lessons and access to equipment—right in their local parks.

“New York City has more tennis courts than any city in the country, over 700 courts. Our job is to keep those courts active, especially for kids in underserved neighborhoods,” Silverman tells Tennis.com. “We make it easy for kids to learn tennis; free racquets, free balls, free instruction. But we don't stop there. We have supporting programs to keep them playing. We run tournaments, to keep them playing and actually competing.

“Of course as they get more experience, tennis becomes more and more expensive—especially in a seasonal city like New York, where an indoor court can cost anywhere from $100 to $250 an hour. Our goal is to make tennis freely available to any kid in New York City who wants to play.

“[CFP] also provides free golf, track and field, soccer and fitness programs around the city for kids, but tennis is still our biggest sport.”

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, CFP programs reached over 5000 kids in over 40 parks around all five boroughs—figures they are on track to exceed after Tuesday evening’s annual CityParks Tennis Benefit at the Billie Jean King USTA National Tennis Center.

The organization’s work has given kids like 16-year-old Ethan Isaza, from Queens, the opportunity to pick up a tennis racquet and check out a sport he probably wouldn’t have tried. Raised by a single mother and his older brother, Isaza was five years old when he first attended a CFP beginners’ event in Forest Park. When his mother encouraged him to return to the sport three years ago, it was also through CFP.

“If it wasn't for this program, I may not have ever been introduced to or ever even held a tennis racquet, as I was playing other sports including soccer track, basketball, and even baseball,” he said.

Now Isaza plays tennis daily, gets up at four in the morning to meditate and do yoga before school, and hits the tennis courts after class to work on his strokes. A fan of Rafael Nadal, he dreams of playing on the pro tour—and carrying on King’s legacy along the way.

“One of my role models is actually Billie Jean King,” Isaza tells Tennis.com. “She's almost like the spitting image of what I want to be. She was a world class athlete, winning something like 20 Wimbledon titles. And through that, she was able to advocate for something that she really believed in.

“I want the same thing from tennis. I want to use tennis to help others who are less fortunate than myself.”

Isaza was presented with the 2022 Billie Jean King Junior Achievement Award—from the legend herself—during the benefit. And if his passion and dedication for the sport are anything to go by, it probably won't be the last award he’ll receive from a tennis great.

Two-time US Open champion Monica Seles and BNP Paribas USA CEO Jean-Yves Fillion were also honored for their work with the organization.