SHENZHEN, China - More than 30 local boys and girls turned up for the Shenzhen Open’s annual Champions Kids Day, a tradition that this year featured Maria Sharapova, Zhang Shuai, Kristyna Pliskova and Sharapova’s coach Sven Groeneveld.
The youngsters, aged six to twelve, were treated to a special tennis clinic on the Centre Court of the Shenzhen Longgang Sports Centre, which consisted of two half-hour sessions.
Zhang and Pliskova kicked things off by practicing some forehand and backhand drills and providing some useful tips to the kids.
In the second session, Sharapova and Groeneveld focused on helping them improve their volleys before taking part in a fun game to see which of the two could catch more returns from the kids in a barrel.
“It’s so nice when you have an annual tradition where you can inspire youngsters, both those that get picked via lucky draw and through guests of our sponsors,” said Tournament Director Nick Freyer.
“The coaches and players contribute so much to give so much happiness to these kids during these sessions and you never know how much you can affect a child’s future in a positive way through these activities.”
WTA Charities is the WTA's global philanthropic organization dedicated to making a positive impact across the globe. Our mission is to be a social responsibility vehicle built on the WTA's values to empower and provide for a better future. We're dedicated to combining, strengthening and enhancing the community and charitable efforts of the WTA through its members (players, alumnae and tournaments), along with our partners.
