John, Patrick McEnroe To Visit John McEnroe Tennis Academy (JMTA) To Celebrate 15 Players Signing National Letters Of Intent To Play Collegiate Tennis

Join John and Patrick McEnroe on Wednesday, February 7, 2024, as 15 players from the John McEnroe Tennis Academy (JMTA) sign their National Letters of Intent to Play Collegiate Tennis

This latest group of JMTA graduates (6 girls and 9 boys) will attend colleges and universities ranging from Columbia to Nebraska, and will bring the list of JMTA college bound players to over 200 since the Academy was founded.

Editor’s note: Studies have shown the relationship between playing tennis and better overall health, along with reduced risk factors for lifestyle related diseases, including heart disease and diabetes. 

Another study showed that children taking tennis lessons experienced improved …”executive function, including inhibitory control, working memory, and cognitive flexibility [which]  were evaluated at rest.

“These findings suggest that tennis play is associated with the development of three foundational aspects of executive function (i.e. inhibitory control, working memory, cognitive flexibility). Especially, frequent participation in tennis play is related to better inhibitory control and working memory, while longer experience of tennis play is associated with better cognitive flexibility.”

Before the signing ceremony, John and Patrick McEnroe will visit Johnny Mac Tennis Project Community Program classes in session. The Project provides over 1500 local students with free weekly tennis programs.

On Wednesday, February 7th, John and Patrick McEnroe will celebrate 15 players from the John McEnroe Tennis Academy (JMTA) as they sign their National Letters of Intent to play collegiate tennis. The players are all from the tri-state area and train at JMTA locations in NYC and on Long Island.

Since the Academy’s inception in 2010, nearly 200 of JMTA’s student-athletes have received college scholarships and preferred admission through their tennis programs. Many of these diverse students have received full or partial scholarships to train,  and all have developed invaluable life skills through the sport, not only excelling on-court, but in the classroom as well.

In addition to the college signing ceremony and celebration, Johnny Mac Tennis Project Community Programs, free, weekly tennis classes in which students from underserved neighborhoods surrounding Randall’s Island participate, will be in session. John and Patrick will join students, ages 6-8, from South Bronx Charter School and Central Park East II.

In attendance:  John McEnroe, Founding Director, John McEnroe Tennis Academy

Patrick McEnroe, Executive Director, John McEnroe Tennis Academy; President, Johnny Mac Tennis Project; President, International Tennis Hall of Fame

Student-athletes from the tri-state area announcing their college choices to Division I, II and III schools

More Details: Average college achievement and health indicators are far lower in the communities neighboring Randall’s Island than in greater New York City and nationwide. JMTP invests in empowering our local youth by offering free tennis classes throughout the school year.

Sessions last up to 34 weeks, serve up to 300 children each school day, and are provided on- and off-site at local public and charter schools.

Through its partnership with Sportime/JMTA, participants learn from world-class coaches, and utilize state-of-the-art facilities, equipment, and learning technologies. The JMTP community program is geared towards 5-8 year olds with the goal of fostering interest in the sport early enough to lead to unlimited future success.

Banner Image: Sportime Randall’s Island. Image Credit – Sportime/JMTA