Janet Pinkett’s Playbook: Fun First, Access Always and a Pathway for Every Kid
When Janet Pinkett looks at a tennis court, she doesn’t just see a sport – she sees opportunity.
A paraeducator at Patterson Park Public Charter School and head coach of USTA Mid-Atlantic Foundation’s Girls Rule the Court™ program in Baltimore, Pinkett has spent decades connecting Baltimore youth to tennis through community-based programming. In 2025, her impact was recognized on one of the sport’s biggest stages when she was honored at the US Open as the USTA Mid-Atlantic Foundation’s “Champion of Equality.”
Her philosophy is simple, but deliberate: make tennis accessible, make it meaningful and above all, make it fun.
Start With Joy, Not Pressure
For coaches working with kids, Pinkett offers direct advice: “Relax and don’t take yourself too seriously. Remember, you’re not being asked to produce the next great tennis pro. You’re being expected to help introduce the life sport of tennis.”
That mindset shapes everything she does. The first session doesn’t even involve a racquet. “I don’t introduce a racquet first,” she says. “We introduce the tool that the kids are most familiar with, and that’s their body.”
Through relays, movement drills and games, players develop coordination and confidence before ever swinging a racquet. “To kids it looks like play, but to us we know that there’s a reason behind everything we do,” Pinkett explains. “We’re scaffolding, building one skill on top of the other.”
Her guiding principle: if kids enjoy the experience, they’ll stay. “If you're having fun, they'll have fun,” she says, “and if you make it fun, they’ll keep coming back.”
Program Built on Structure and Inclusion
At USTA Mid-Atlantic Foundation’s Girls Rule the Court™, Pinkett combines that philosophy with thoughtful instruction. Sessions run in 8-week cycles, with players grouped by age and ability and rotating through stations focused on technique, agility and match play. What makes the Girls Rule the Court™ program most unique is its emphasis on Social Emotional Learning (SEL). After an hour of tennis, girls then have a lesson in empathy, teamwork, resilience and more through activities and guided conversations with their coaches.
This structure ensures that every participant, regardless of starting point, can progress. The program itself began with a single task: providing access to the sport.
When the director of the public park across from her school mentioned that USTA Mid-Atlantic Foundation’s Girls Rule the Court™ needed a midweek coach and interested players, Janet didn’t hesitate. Alongside her students and local youth, she stepped up to fill the gap. Since then, the program has grown into a consistent, community-rooted initiative that brings girls onto courts they might never have otherwise used.
Breaking Down Barriers to Entry
Pinkett is candid about what’s holding youth tennis back, especially in underserved communities. “Community-based programs rely heavily on volunteers,” she says, “and the lack of volunteers is a huge barrier.”
Funding is another challenge, but she believes the tennis community has untapped potential. She also pushes back on outdated thinking around specialization.
“There’s a myth that you have to focus on tennis exclusively,” Pinkett says. “We embrace cross-training.” Kids showing up in soccer uniforms? That’s not a problem – it’s part of their development. “If we handle it properly, tennis is likely going to be the sport that they choose.”
Access Doesn’t Require Perfection
Pinkett emphasizes that lack of facilities or resources shouldn’t stop programs from starting. “You don’t have to have a big building,” she says. “There are schools, playgrounds, concrete lots where tennis can happen.”
She points to schools as a critical entry point. “Kids can learn to play tennis in a gym class,” she says. “That’s where I learned.” By leveraging existing infrastructure – schools, parks and community spaces – programs can reach more families without significant cost barriers.
Redefining Equality in Tennis
As a Champion of Equality, Pinkett defines success broadly: “Equality in tennis means that it’s available to anyone and everyone who has the curiosity or the desire to pick up a racquet.”
That includes shifting perceptions of tennis as a sport for the elite and expanding pathways for players from all backgrounds. “The Williams sisters won’t be the anomaly,” she says. “Some of our best players can work their way up through recreation programs.”
The Bigger Lesson: Resilience
Beyond strokes and footwork, Pinkett believes tennis teaches something deeper: “The one word for me is resilience.” She describes the unique challenge of tennis, solving problems alone on the court, as a powerful life lesson: “If you can stand on a tennis court and dig yourself out of a hole, you can take that same resilience into the classroom.”
It’s about persistence, self-belief and growth. “They learn the meaning of ‘not yet’,” she explains. “I can’t do something yet, but if I keep trying I can master the skill.”
A Vision for What’s Next
Looking ahead, Pinkett sees opportunity in collaboration, particularly across Baltimore’s schools, parks and universities: “We have the kids. They have the facilities. We don’t have any excuse not to have a vibrant tennis program. We just have to come together.”
For Pinkett, the formula remains unchanged: fun first, access always and a pathway for every kid. As more communities adopt her approach, the future of tennis looks less exclusive and more expansive, a sport shaped not by who gets in, but by how many are invited to stay.
Learn more about USTA Mid-Atlantic Foundation’s Girls Rule the Court™.
