NORWOOD, Ohio —
The Cincinnati Tennis Foundation is constructing a $10 million tennis and education center in Norwood to create a year-round space for young people to grow in sports and life.
The First Serve Tennis and Education Center will feature five indoor courts, classrooms, and community spaces.
“It’s going to be five indoor courts, with a big old community hub of classrooms and hangout spaces and, areas that families can enjoy,” Matt Dektas, CEO and founder of the Cincinnati Tennis Foundation, said.
Over the past six years, the foundation has served about 5,000 kids across 35 schools through summer programs, tennis lessons and mentorship initiatives.
“We’re also at local parks. We do programs at Washington Park, Ziegler Park, Sawyer Point, along with a bunch of Norwood area schools that we’re in right now,” Dektas said.
The new facility will bring all of these efforts under one roof. Talisha McNealy, a Cincinnati Tennis Foundation board member and parent of two students in the program, shared how the foundation has impacted her daughters.
“They’ve had a chance to travel out of state to development camps, tournaments, hit and train with professional tennis players, volunteer with wheelchair and adaptive tennis and they’ve just done so much,” McNealy said.
She described the foundation as an answered prayer for her daughters, who wanted to improve their tennis skills during colder months.
“And even after hours on the court, they’ll still ask to this day, can we stay longer? Can we hit some more? And that says a lot to me as a parent, because they love tennis. And I know that CTF has played a big part in helping to cultivate that love,” McNealy said.
The First Serve Tennis and Education Center will serve as a permanent home for kids like McNealy’s daughters. All of the foundation’s programs are income-based, with nearly 90% of students on scholarships.