Wimbledon inspires Knoxville’s next generation of tennis players

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) - Week one of Wimbledon is underway overseas. Meanwhile, hundreds of kids are swinging the racquets here in Knoxville.

Some even mimic moves they see played out across the Big Pond.

While tennis pros like Coco Gauff try to advance at the all-England club, dozens of youngsters are playing for the fun of the game here in town. Something their instructors love to see.

And despite the lack of Americans advancing at Wimbledon, this next generation of players is still very much inspired by the athletes they watch on tv.

Young players like Dino Ponzio, have been watching closely.

“It was just crazy to see these shots on TV go, ‘Bah! Bah! Bah!’ You know? Tennis is a really great sport, it’s social yet competitive at the same time. And honestly, it’s really easy to pick up a racquet and play. Anyone can learn how to play,” said Pinzio.

Their instructors said it’s rewarding to see young tennis players enjoying the game as much as they are.

Tennis Pro Dylan Scott said, ”You can see like most of the kids they have like a favorite player and they kind of have a couple of shots that they’ve maybe seen their favorite player hit. It’s a good way to get inspired by the game by seeing it on TV.”

Tennis Pro Tito Lladro added, “We feel very happy to teach this game to little kids and take interest to get better and asking for questions, who is your favorite player, who do you want to look like. I think it’s fun for us and kind of rewarding because we feel grateful to teach these little kids.”

They said it’s great to see the kids getting after it, working hard to improve their skills.