Anika and Isha Srinivasan are twin sisters and tennis players at Waubonsie Valley. They also work with Time to Tennis, trying to expand the sports. We get their story in this Off the Field, presented by Molly Maid of the Aurora Naperville Area.
ISHA: To become a tennis player it’s really hard because it just takes a lot of resources so we just wanted to make that more available and create more of a community space around tennis so it would be open to more people. ANIKA: We just wanted to make it more inclusive to people of different backgrounds.
Anika and Isha Srinivasan are twin sisters and freshman tennis players at Waubonsie Valley. The duo also volunteer at Time to Tennis… a national non-profit new to the Chicagoland area
ISHA: All the money and the proceeds are more like fundraising to go towards bigger events that can help get more people from the community get access to tennis. ANIKA: Yeah, we usually use it for more equipment or more lessons.
Time to Tennis actually started in Seattle, Washington and has since expanded to Chicago, Austin, Texas and San Ramon, California
But unlike the other chapters, the Midwestern weather is putting a halt on operations.
ANIKA: Recently we ended our tennis lessons because it has gotten colder so we can’t have tennis season and we don’t have access to indoor courts yet. So we’re just focusing on increasing our reach to more kids and more parents.
With the goal being to expand the accessibility of the sport, costs are low for aspiring young players. Time to Tennis offers private and semi-private lessons, while also holding bigger neighborhood events.
The Srinivasan sisters provide those lessons, drawing from their time at Waubonsie.
ISHA: At Waubonsie it’s really helpful because they help you grow as a tennis player from the ground up. And they teach you the basics for anyone who wants to hone in on those skills.
For more information, visit TimetoTennis.org
