USTA Press Release, September 2, 2021
The USTA Foundation, the charitable arm of the United States Tennis Association Incorporated (USTA), announced it raised more than $2 million during its 2021 gala – a record-breaking night – after surpassing the $1.4 million raised in 2018. The gala was hosted during last night’s US Open opening night at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center and co-chaired by sports broadcaster Bill Macatee and Tatiana Cancro of Jersey Mike’s.
The gala, co-hosted by actor Alec Baldwin and ESPN anchor Hannah Storm, was attended by celebrities and long-time supporters of the USTA Foundation including Daymond John, Mike Tyson, Anna Wintour, Vera Wang, Gayle King, Lindsey Vonn, Billie Jean King and Tiki Barber.
“The generosity of our donors and corporate partners will have a tangible impact on our mission to bring education and tennis together to change lives,” said USTA Foundation Board President Kathleen Wu. “With this commitment and support, so many kids’ lives will benefit.”
The USTA Foundation honored its former Board President Tom Chen with the Serving Up Dreams Award for his ongoing leadership, support and dedication to the principles and ideals of the USTA Foundation. The Original 9 was presented with the Foundation’s Trailblazer Award, as 2020 marked the 50th anniversary since this group of nine women tennis players signed $1 contracts to launch women’s professional tennis as we know it today. The Original 9, who were protesting against the inequality in prize money awarded in the men’s and women’s game, included King, Rosie Casals, Nancy Richey, Kerry Melville, Peaches Bartkowicz, Kristy Pigeon, Judy Dalton, Valerie Ziegenfuss and Julie Heldman. King and Casals accepted the award on behalf of the Original 9.
The USTA Foundation Gala’s sponsors included ESPN, Jersey Mike’s, Chase, Rolex, and Deloitte. Funds raised will continue the Foundation’s mission to fund tennis and education programming for hundreds of community-based, grassroots programs across the country benefiting thousands of youth.
In one of the evening’s highlights, Storm and Baldwin led a spirited live auction that added more than $500,000 to the night’s total with packages that featured experiences at the US Open, French Open and Wimbledon. The Wimbledon package was donated by King, who is also a member of the USTA Foundation Celebrity and Players Advisory Council.
For more information on the USTA Foundation, please visit https://www.ustafoundation.com/.
