USTA Member Appreciation day at the Family Circle Cup featured more than just discounted tickets. The day started off with free food and drinks while Murphy Jensen and Abigail Spears taking questions and signing autographs. As the lunch was winding down, a wheelchair tennis exhibition was starting up. The event featured run/roll doubles with Murphy Jensen partnered with wheelchair tennis player Sarah Casteel and Diane Fishburne partnered with wheelchair tennis player Alessandro Cianfoni. Diane and Allesandro managed to pull of the victory despite some great shots by Sarah and Murphy's 'creative' play. Once the doubles concluded spectators were invited to try wheelchair tennis for themselves. The wheelchair exhibition wound down with South Carolina tennis legend Roy Barth taking on Allesandro in singles play. The match demonstrated the ease in which a wheelchair player can integrate into standard tennis play with only a slight modification to the rules (wheelchair players get two bounces).
The next event on tap for member appreciation day was a QuickStart Tennis clinic for kids. The Family Circle Tennis Center has installed four permanent 30 foot courts so that players 10 and under can play tennis using courts and equipment that fit their skills and size. USTA Southern Section Tennis Service Representative Steve Zalinski, USTA SC Executive Director John Sheffield and USTA Southern Section President Rex Maynard were just a few of the dignitaries on hand to help kids, and parents, see how much fun QuickStart Tennis can be for players of any, and all, skill levels.
