By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Tuesday, March 25, 2025
Picture credit score: Leylah Annie & Household Basis/First Serve Miami
Leylah Fernandez’s pure dedication to the trigger makes her a fan favourite.
Now, Fernandez is giving again to South Florida tennis followers—and empowering them to get within the sport.
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Leylah Fernandez and her household’s nonprofit, the Leylah Annie & Household Basis, have joined forces with First Serve Miami to launch a brand new group tennis initiative geared toward underserved youth.
Introduced in the course of the Miami Open celebrations, this system will kick off this summer time at Buccaneer Park in Miami Gardens and supply free tennis instruction, mentorship, and tutorial enrichment for youngsters ages 5 to 18.
“This partnership actually means quite a bit to me, because it brings collectively two issues I’m extremely enthusiastic about – giving again to the group and sharing the love of tennis,” mentioned Fernandez, who lives in Miami. “Collectively, we’ll assist empower native youth by giving them the instruments to develop each on and off the court docket.”
The 2021 US Open finalist Fernandez has educated in South Florida for years and has carried out clinics within the space previously.
The initiative will mix the “Leylah Annie & Household Basis’s mission to uplift communities by way of sport with First Serve Miami’s longstanding dedication to offering tennis, life expertise, and academic alternatives to Miami-area youth,” in keeping with a media launch saying this system. The after-school program will “give attention to character growth, management, teamwork, and tutorial success—alongside athletic coaching,” First Serve Miami mentioned in an announcement.
“First Serve Miami is thrilled to hitch forces with the Leylah Annie & Household Basis to create lasting affect for Miami’s youth,” mentioned Angie Rivera, Government Director of First Serve Miami. “Our shared imaginative and prescient will assist present these younger folks with the instruments they want to achieve all areas of life.”
The partnership was formally introduced at First Serve Miami’s fundraising luncheon at Laborious Rock Stadium. This yr’s theme, “Serving Up Tennis by way of Applications, Parks and Partnerships,” highlights the tennis group’s rising efforts to broaden entry and fairness within the sport.
For extra info, please go to www.leylahanniefoundation.org and firstservemiami.org.
