WTA Foundation and Special Olympics bring unified tennis to Washington

On a warm Tuesday morning in Washington, DC, the courts at the Mubadala Citi DC Open were filled with cheers long before the day's first professional match began.

Before the gates opened to the public, Special Olympics athletes took to the court alongside WTA players for a morning of unified tennis, where rallies, games, and plenty of laughter replaced the usual divide between professional athletes and aspiring players.

The clinic marked the latest chapter in the WTA Foundation's longstanding partnership with Special Olympics, which has been working since 2018 to expand access to tennis for athletes with intellectual disabilities. What began as a shared commitment to inclusion has grown into the Special Olympics Series, a global initiative launched in 2023 that now reaches more than 2,000 individuals each year through clinics, mentorship, and tournament experiences.

In Washington, approximately 20 athletes participated alongside WTA players Erin Routliffe, Elisabetta Cocciaretto, Aldila Sutjiadi, and WTA Foundation ambassador and former tour player Christina McHale. Together they rotated through games, creating an environment where encouragement carried as much weight as competition.

For McHale, who has participated in Special Olympics events over the years, the impact extends well beyond a single morning on court.

"I've seen how it's personally changed people's lives," McHale said. "Tennis is such an amazing sport. Being able to play together, unified, it's so much fun. Tennis teaches you so many life lessons as well. I think it's just a great initiative."

Watching athletes of different ages and abilities compete side by side was a reminder of what makes the program unique.

"The athletes were having so much fun today. It was putting a smile on my face seeing how much fun they were having," Mchale said. "Seeing people of all different ages, abilities, just out here all together in a unified format. We were playing, keeping score, playing Around the World triples. The coaches, Brad Gilbert and Luke Jesen and all the other coaches as well, put on a great event. I'm just so honored to be a part of it."

While the professional tour moved through another week of competition, the morning's impact carried beyond a single match. It came from athletes encouraging one another, celebrating each point together, and demonstrating how tennis can create opportunities for community belonging as well as achievement.

As the WTA Foundation continues to expand the Special Olympics Series around the world, each stop reinforces the same idea: when the court is open to everyone, tennis becomes more than a sport. It becomes a place where confidence grows, and every athlete has the chance to be seen.