“If we could make a positive difference in just one kid’s life, the Tournament will be worth all the time, effort, and resources we are putting into it.”
The Matt Stevenson Junior Tennis Tournament is again returning to New York in 2023, this time as two separate events: (1) a Level 5 Doubles/Mixed Doubles Tournament at Cary Leeds Center for Tennis & Learning in Bronx, NY, on July 8-9, 2023; and (2) a Level 6 Singles Tournament at Flushing Meadows Corona Park, New York, immediately following the U.S. Open on September 16-18 and September 23-25, 2023!
This USTA-sanctioned junior tennis tournament is a very popular event. In New York alone, it attracted 207 competitors in 2021, and 303 players in 2022! The Tournament is unique in that it provides a forum for sharing information with pre-teens and teens about mental health, depression, and suicide prevention. “We believe this is the first junior tennis tournament in the country to promote mental health as part of the event,” said Gary P. Poon, ProtoStar’s founder and president.
Because of its popularity and the impact of its mental health mission, we are holding the singles and doubles events separately this year. The Doubles/Mixed Doubles events in July were a huge success with 143 junior players registered for the Tournament.
Competitors may sign up for the upcoming Singles events by going to the USTA tournament website and clicking on the links below (entries close on September 9, 2023, at 5:59 pm Eastern time for 14u and 18u, and on September 16, 2023, at 5:59 pm Eastern time for 12u and 16u):
1. Boys, Girls 14-and-under and 18-and-under Singles on September 16-18, 2023
2. Boys, Girls 12-and-under and 16-and-under Singles on September 23-25, 2023
“This is such a meaningful tournament to promote the awareness of mental health issues faced by athletes, juniors and adults!” wrote one parent from Washington, D.C. “Mental health is important, and parents must be open to discussing it with their kids and seek help if any issues arise,” wrote another parent in NY.
The importance of mental health in tennis stood front and center last year at the French Open when Naomi Osaka withdrew citing anxiety and “long bouts of depression.” When Naomi issued her statement on her social media page, ProtoStar applauded her courage in bringing mental health issues to the forefront. ProtoStar Applauds Naomi Osaka’s Courage in Speaking Out About the Importance of Mental Health-Updated 7-20-2021. Coco Gaugh has also opened up publicly about her depression. Jannik Sinner has spoken about mental health through his “What’s Kept You Moving” initiative. In September 2021, Netflix released a documentary about Mardy Fish’ s mental health struggles, “UNTOLD Vol. 1: Breaking Point.”
The importance of raising awareness about mental health issues has gained even greater importance and urgency as a result of the pandemic and was best expressed by one of the junior players who competed in the Tournament in San Diego:
“I think mental health awareness is super important because when someone breaks a bone they can see the injury or problem very easily but when it comes to mental health it is just as bad but actually maybe in some cases it can be much worse.” (SD player)
ProtoStar will once again team up with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) to set up a table at the Tournament site to hand out information about teen depression, anxiety, and suicide prevention. To help the junior competitors understand the interrelationship between general mental health and mental performance on the tennis court, the Tournament added something new in 2022: a table devoted to Sport Psychology. By competing in the Tournament, the junior competitors will have exclusive access to proprietary materials on how athletes optimize their performance in sports, such as enhancing their mental focus, dealing with competitive pressures, and getting into “the zone.” As many tennis stars and sports personalities have made clear, athletes can perform at an optimal level only if they take care of their mentally health in the rest of their lives. Of course, the information provided is for educational purposes only and does not constitute advice, therapy, or counseling.
For a more in-depth look at the mental health mission behind the Matt Stevenson Junior Tennis Tournament, we invite you to view this brief 12-minute mini-documentary:
We hope to bring the Tournament to other cities across the United States because mental health is a national issue. Details about the Tournament, effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on adolescents’ mental health, and the U.S. Surgeon General’ s December 2021 Advisory entitled “Protecting Youth Mental Health,” are some the topics discussed below.
The Tournament in 2021
The Tournament was hugely successful in 2021. We didn’t know what to expect after having to cancel the Tournament in 2020 because of the pandemic. We were searching for the best venue for the Tournament, and the turnout was fantastic! 172 kids competed in San Diego, 207 in NY, and 200 in D.C. It was by far the largest tournament at each of the venues.
Kids came from all over to compete in the Tournament, with some driving long distances with their parents. Two families flew from San Francisco to San Diego because they liked the mission of the Tournament. One dad took his 12-year-old daughter from Hawaii to compete in San Diego. Another player in the New York Tournament was from Naples, Florida.
Each competitor received a free souvenir hat with a logo that was specially designed for the Tournament. Crystal trophies were awarded to the winners and finalists in each division. The trophies provided an extra incentive for the kids to play their best and made them feel special.
The NY Tournament was played at Flushing Meadows Corona Park, where many top pros had practiced during the 2021 U.S. Open only a week before, including the eventual champion, Daniil Medvedev. In D.C., the Tournament was held at Rock Creek Tennis Center, site of the Citi Open. Some of the matches were even played in the William H.G. Fitzgerald Tennis Stadium, with the two of the finals under the lights and trophy presentations right on Center Court!
Promoting The Power of Mental Health®
The main message to the players ranging from ages 11 to 18 is the importance of staying mentally healthy. In addition to taking part in a physically healthy activity, the young players are introduced to the concept of The Power of Mental Health®. We think the phrase The Power of Mental Health appeals to the junior players because it reminds them of “power tennis” and reinforces the message that being mentally healthy gives them power – both on and off the tennis court.
ProtoStar teamed up with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) to set up a table at each Tournament site to hand out information about teen depression, anxiety, and suicide prevention.
At the NY Tournament, kids wrote “messages of hope” on Post-it® stickers, which AFSP would distribute to others who might be struggling. A few kids at the tournament even asked if they could take some of the messages home with them.
Staying mentally healthy also means having to deal with bouts of depression and anxiety. Depression is very real. According to a national survey conducted in 2017 by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), approximately 3.2 million adolescents between the ages of 12 and 17 in the United States (or about 13.3% of the adolescent population) had at least one major depressive episode.[1] Depression may be caused by several factors, including childhood trauma, alcohol or drug abuse, social media, and bullying.
We cannot talk about mental health without confronting issues relating to suicide prevention. Tragically, suicide among teenagers has been on the rise at an alarming rate. Even before the pandemic, the suicide rate among children and adolescents between ages 10 to 19, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), had risen by a staggering 56% from 2007 to 2016.[2] There have been a number of high-profile suicides involving teenagers, including two who had initially survived the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida. The lead article in the May 20, 2019 issue of USA Today reported that “the nation’s medical system falls far short of meeting the demand for teen mental health services because cases of suicide and psychiatric disorders are skyrocketing, underscoring a public health crisis that is already costing Americans billions to combat.”[3]
Making Mental Health Part of the Conversation
Unfortunately, these difficult topics are generally not talked about in sports. In her March 9, 2021 interview with the PBS NewsHour, Lisa Horowitz, a Staff Scientist/Clinical Psychologist at NIMH, noted, “We teach [kids] to read and to write and to do math and to do science. But when do we teach them what to do when you can’t bear a disappointment or you feel so alone and isolated that you can’t stand it anymore?”
The Matt Stevenson Junior Tennis Tournament seeks to break that pattern by reaching out to kids through a sport they love. Addressing the parents, coaches, and junior players at the Tournament’s inaugural ceremony in 2019, Poon said: “We talk about physical injuries in sports. Sprained ankle? Bandage it up. Broken bone? Put it in a cast. But if a player is feeling depressed, he or she might hear a comment like: ‘Pick yourself up. Just take a few laps around the track!’ We’re here to tell you that it is okay to talk about your feelings if you are depressed and that it is more than okay to seek help if you need it. And if you think you want to hurt yourself, by all means please find help immediately or call 911.” (An easier to remember hotline for suicide prevention, 988, is being rolled out across the country. Other suicide prevention resources are listed at the end of this article.)
Information about depression, anxiety, and suicide prevention is presented at the tournament by professional organizations in a low-key manner. The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) set up a table at the tournament site to provide helpful materials in a youth-friendly, inspiring, and uplifting way. There was information on how to reach out to a friend, what signs to look for, and what to do if the friend is depressed or contemplating suicide. At the D.C. venue, the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) supplied mental health information that was geared towards parents and coaches, such as “The Teen Brain: 7 Things to Know,” “Clinical Research Trials and You,” post-traumatic stress disorder, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia.
These are indeed sensitive topics to talk about, but we must talk about them. Talking can save lives. That’s the whole point of this Tournament: to make these issues part of the conversation – whether on the tennis court, in the locker room, or simply around the kitchen table. “Some people may think it’s harmful to ask someone in crisis about whether they are contemplating suicide, that asking might somehow put the idea into their head,” added Horowitz. “That is a common misconception. In fact, the best way to steer a teenager away from suicidal thoughts is to ask directly, ‘Are you thinking of killing yourself?’ Then listen – really listen – to the answer and respond appropriately.”
“It’s a wonderful idea to reach kids through tennis,” said Noah Rubin, founder of Behind The Racquet, an initiative that gives touring pros a safe space to share stories about themselves, including mental health issues. “The more we talk about these issues, the more we can destigmatize mental illness. They may find that even some of their tennis idols also struggle with the effects of everyday life.”
“The 11- to 18-year-olds are in precisely the age group we wanted to reach through this Tournament,” added Poon. “As shown by the statistics, young people in that age bracket are most impressionable and vulnerable. We hope that by making mental health part of the conversation, kids will feel less alone and will more likely seek help when they need it.”
We hope to bring the mission of this Tournament to other cities as well because mental health, depression, and suicide prevention are national issues.
First Inaugural Tournament in 2019
The Matt Stevenson Junior Tennis Tournament was first launched in 2019 in San Diego. The reaction among the adults was overwhelmingly positive. “It’s wonderful what you are doing with this tournament,” said the parent of a 13-year-old competitor. Another parent was particularly moved by the message of the Tournament. He revealed that he had recently lost his eldest son to suicide.
The post-Tournament survey results were equally positive. Over 81% of the respondents were either satisfied or very satisfied with the overall event experience. 75% indicated that they would probably or highly likely return to play in this event next year. Of particular note were the comments from the parents.
My son was very excited to not only play at the event but to be part of spreading awareness about a very serious topic. Would love to see more events have a teaching element outside of the game. :O) At the end of the day it’s not just about the points, it’s about the life lessons this amazing sport has to share.
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