Black Tennis Pros

First Lady Michelle Obama started playing tennis after she finished Harvard Law School but had always wanted to attend the US Open.

She was finally able to make it for the very first time Friday.

She started the morning in SmashZone, the premier fan interactive attraction at the US Open. She played some 10 and Under Tennis with a group of kids from the Harlem Junior Tennis and Education Program, along with tennis stars Serena Williams, Billie Jean King, John McEnroe, James Blake, Katrina Adams, Mal Washington and USTA Chairman of the Board and President Jon Vegosen, promoting tennis as a great way for children to stay active and healthy, which is a central part of her Let’s Move! Initiative, which works to combat childhood obesity.

The USTA and the First Lady teamed up earlier this year to encourage young people across the country to get active, try tennis and lead healthy lifestyles. Components of the collaboration included a public service announcement, which has aired nationwide featuring the First Lady along with tennis legends Stefanie Graf and Andre Agassi, as well as the construction and renovation of thousands of tennis courts across the country and the commitment to encourage 200,000 children to participate in the Presidential Active Lifestyle Award.

“I have been trying to get to the US Open my entire life. This is the first time I have been here. I couldn’t get here last year, so, yes, I am excited to be here,” the First Lady said. “I am so incredibly excited to finally be at my first US Open, but I am equally excited and proud to be standing in partnership with the USTA and all they have done for hundreds of thousands of kids across this country. You are an example of what we can do when we put our minds to it.”