Kids gain passion for tennis at Hall of Fame

NEWPORT, R.I. (WPRI) - Kids playing tennis for the first time aren't the first people you'd expect to see on the green grass courts of the Tennis Hall of Fame.

But on Wednesday, students from the Arthur Ashe Youth Tennis and Education Center in Philadelphia were hitting balls with some of the players in the Hall of Fame Championships in Newport.

"The whole ride up, the kids were just thrilled," John McGinty, Director of Education and Camden Initiatives, said. "I was explaining to them that they'd be playing on real grass courts which they had never seen or heard of before."

"The first thing I learned was to hit a ball," Javier Aviles, a student from Camden, N.J., said. "Today I learned that you should just be fair in tennis. It's not about winning or losing. It's just about having fun."

This is just one of many programs that are part of the after school and summer programs in Camden, and the kids say that it has really made a difference in their lives.

"My first year here playing tennis, I was like 'I can't do this.' Now, I can play really good, and I try my hardest all the time," student Nicole Muns said.