Racket ​“Love” Hits Dixwell

Perhaps it takes a racket to build a tennis village.

In the week following last June’s Free Tennis Lesson at the Connecticut Tennis Center at Yale, where First Niagara gave free rackets to 300 local kids, registrations for New Haven Youth Tennis and Education’s tennis lessons shot up by 30 percent.

So on Wednesday the New Haven Open at Yale sought to spark a similar rise in young people’s tennis playing in the Dixwell neighborhood.

Around 200 more kids received free tennis rackets at a ​“First Niagara Block Party.” (First Niagara is a main sponsor of the tennis tournament.) The event, aimed at kids from Dixwell and Newhallville, took place at the Wexler/Grant Community School.

“Who’s ready for free tennis rackets and tennis lessons?!” tournament director Anne Worcester asked a crowd of kids ranging from 6 to 12 years old.

Their answering screams indicated that most of them were ready.

The block party drew several local figures including local Alderman Greg Morehead, Police Chief Frank Limon and mayoral candidate Clifton Graves. The highlight was undoubtedly the presence of tennis professional Christina McHale, who has been granted one of four wild card slots in the New Haven Open at Yale. McHale, 19, is currently ranked 66th in the world after upsetting Top 30 Russian player Ekaterina Makarova in the 2011 Wimbledon Championships; she has the third-highest ranking among American women’s tennis players.

Speaking to reporters at the event, McHale, a native of New Jersey, said she enjoys spending time in New Haven because it’s ​“still kind of local” for her. She said her hope for the New Haven kids at the event is that ​“a love for the game will start today” and that they will ​“keep learning.”

Worcester called that the placement of the event in Dixwell ​“strategic”; there are no tennis courts within walking distance, and ​“there simply isn’t enough going on in this neighborhood for kids.” As John Pirtel, the director of New Haven Youth Tennis and Education, put it, Dixwell ​“could use a little excitement.”

Besides tennis rackets, the kids received a flyer inviting them to register for Tennis in the Neighborhood, a free tennis camp for kids sponsored by New Haven Youth Tennis and Education, which will take place Aug. 8 to 12 in Dixwell. Besides learning tennis skills, attendees will take a Life Skills course approved by the United States Tennis Association.

For now, though, kids like 11-year-old Joshua Rodriguez of St. Francis and St. Rose of Lima School got to run relay races and get their faces painted in addition to learning tennis. Between activities, Rodriguez called it ​“kind of cool” to meet a tennis professional. he said he’s considering the free camp.

Worcester said she is hopeful about Tennis in the Neighborhood and believes that First Niagara’s rackets will make a big difference.

“If you have the equipment to play something, aren’t you going to be that much more motivated to go and play it?” Worcester asked.

Both the Block Party and the upcoming camp are part of USTA’s 10 and Under Tennis initiative, which uses a format called QuickStart. 10 and Under Tennis uses a special ball which bounces lower and flies more slowly, and its court, net and rackets are all smaller, allowing children to learn the game more smoothly and achieve more success, Worcester said.