Tennis courts at North Charleston High School, dedicated three years ago by professional tennis star Madison Keys, are now in disrepair, impacting the school’s newly formed girls’ tennis team. The courts, located across from the school, feature cracked pavement and lack essential amenities such as water access, bathrooms, and lights.
April Gift, manager of program development for the United States Tennis Association of South Carolina, stated that only two courts are available for practice, with two others in such poor condition they are slated to become a skate park. This lack of proper facilities means the girls’ team must be bused to the North Charleston Sports Complex for matches, despite the convenience of the school-adjacent location for students who walk.
The courts were dedicated in 2023 by Keys and her Kindness Wins Foundation. Gift explained that Keys, who received the Kindness Wins award in 2022, conducted a clinic for underserved children in the area and purchased windscreens for the courts through her foundation. However, the condition of the courts has significantly deteriorated over the past three years.
The USTA of South Carolina has grant and program funding available to assist with court resurfacing, lighting, and other improvements, provided the City of North Charleston partners with the organization. Gift noted that the USTA has reached out to the city but has not yet received a response. She emphasized that the two courts currently designated for a skate park could instead be utilized to support the tennis team and its programming.
Gift cited successful partnerships with other South Carolina communities and schools, including Mount Pleasant, which is adding six new courts at the Mount Pleasant Tennis Center and has resurfaced existing courts with assistance from the Lowcountry Tennis Association. Creekside Tennis Club also added two new courts, bringing their total to twelve. St. John’s High School is another example, where the USTA helped develop a feeder program and the school is now converting former baseball batting cages back into tennis courts, planning to add two more for a total of four.
The USTA hopes the City of North Charleston will initiate the application process to access available funding and support for the courts, which could include resurfacing, adding lights, and potentially funding a restroom facility for the athletes.
