The United States Tennis Association (USTA) is honoring and paying tribute to tennis moms throughout the month of May in celebration of Mother’s Day on May 13. Debbie Mahdessian of Santa Monica, has been selected to be recognized with a feature on USTA’s website, NetGeneration.com/TennisMoms. The USTA wants to give thanks to mothers who support their children reaching their goals at every level of the game.
Mahdessian is the mom of five boys: Sam, 23; Henry, 19; Theo, 17, Oliver, 15; Simon, 11. Four of the five boys picked up tennis at a young age and have played ever since, spanning the junior circuit, Junior Team Tennis, high school tennis, and the eldest, Sam, was a four-year collegiate player.
In 2017, Mahdessian was honored by the USTA Southern California Section with a Service Award for her work as a Junior Team Tennis administrator. She also founded the Santa Monica Tennis Collective, with a mission to build an inclusive tennis community that reflects the diversity of ability, background, as well as the socio-economics of the Santa Monica community.
“Tennis has evolved from being a sport my kids participate in to being a vocation for myself and two of my boys,” said Mahdessian. “Tennis is not only a great sport physically, but what it teaches kids mentally serves them well in all the other aspects of their life.”
The USTA supports the journey of a tennis player and mothers play a critical role in a player’s development. The love and encouragement from a mother is unlike no other and the USTA is paying homage to great moms in May by sharing real-life stories.
These efforts are part of Net Generation, the new youth initiative of the USTA, which aims to inspire the next generation of tennis players by embracing all aspects of youth play for kids. Net Generation will make it easier for kids and their parents to learn about tennis and get into the game in schools, parks and tennis clubs across the country.
The USTA is the national governing body for the sport of tennis in the U.S. A not-for-profit organization with more than 715,000 members, it invests 100% of its proceeds in growing the game. It owns and operates the US Open, one of the highest-attended annual sporting events in the world, and launched the US Open Series, linking seven summer WTA and ATP World Tour tournaments to the US Open. In addition, it owns approximately 90 Pro Circuit events throughout the U.S. and selects the teams for the Davis Cup, Fed Cup, Olympic and Paralympic Games. The USTA’s philanthropic entity, the USTA Foundation, provides grants and scholarships in addition to supporting tennis and education programs nationwide to benefit under-resourced youth through the National Junior Tennis & Learning (NJTL) network. For more information about the USTA, go to USTA.com or follow the official accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat.
Submitted by Trina Singian, USTA, Corporate Communications
