Venus Williams and Frances Tiafoe headline the annual tennis event focused on growing the sport through youth outreach and community engagement.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — As the second annual Charlotte Invitational prepares to serve up world-class tennis at the Spectrum Center, organizers say their vision extends far beyond Thursday night’s matches.
The event returns with headline matchups including seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams facing Madison Keys, the 2025 Australian Open champion, and American star Frances Tiafoe taking on Taylor Fritz. But officials with the Charlotte Sports Foundation say the event is designed to spark lasting interest in tennis throughout the community.
“To give back to the community, to grow it with the elementary students and the kids that participated in the event yesterday, is a critical part of the whole effort that we try to make in growing and giving back to tennis in Charlotte,” said Will Pitts of the Charlotte Sports Foundation.
The foundation has partnered with youth organizations and held clinics to give young players opportunities to learn from world-class athletes. For the tennis stars participating, the Charlotte event represents a chance to inspire the next generation.
“I’m always a proponent of when you do something positive for yourself, you always help others,” Williams said. “You never know whose watching or whose motivated by that.”
Williams emphasized the entertainment value of bringing professional tennis to Charlotte, noting that the interaction between players and fans enhances the experience.
“I think we have a lot of pressure on us to do well tonight, so you guys buckle up,” Williams said. “But I think we’ll get to really soak it all in and enjoy the crowd. For me, it’s still important, and we’re athletes and our careers are important, but we’re entertainers and we want the crowd to interact with us and enjoy the night.”
Keys said playing in cities without regular tennis tournaments holds special significance for players and fans alike.
“It’s even more special for all of us to come to cities that don’t normally have tennis tournaments and for especially kids and fans,” Keys said.
For Tiafoe, returning to Charlotte was an easy decision after experiencing the city’s enthusiasm for tennis during last year’s inaugural event.
“I just love how much people love tennis, you know,” Tiafoe said. “The appreciation they had for tennis, for me and Carlos, last year was amazing. All the people that came out, you know, Steve Smith, Andy Dalton and Andy Roddick, and everybody was great. I thought the energy was incredible. Southern hospitality is a real thing.”
Tiafoe, who is making his first extended visit to the Carolinas, said community engagement events are particularly important to him as a way to pay forward the opportunities he received growing up.
“Paying it forward is a real thing. You know, I’m a product of that, right?” Tiafoe said. “We got the responsibility, especially, you know, being of color, to help kind of push that, you know, forward and and have ultimately, more people play a game that looked like us.”
He emphasized that tennis can provide pathways to college and other opportunities for young people in underserved communities.
“Whether it’s, you know, the college route, we’re just going to HBCUs, whatever it is to give them, you know, through tennis, giving them an avenue to do something special that they wouldn’t have then thought in a neighborhood, in a zip code, what they could have done,” Tiafoe said. “So that’s what it’s about.”
When asked about Charlotte’s potential as a tennis destination, Tiafoe said the city has the infrastructure and fan support to host a larger tournament.
“You got the atmospheres to do it, people who actually behind it, and they love tennis here, generally,” he said. “Tennis deserves to be here, and the way that, the way they appreciate it, and you see the night, you know, so it’s nice to see, you know, another city show love to the Americans.”
Tiafoe hinted at surprises planned for fans during Thursday’s matches, though he confirmed he won’t be wearing the Hornets jersey he sported at last year’s event.
The Charlotte Invitational begins at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Spectrum Center.
Contact Myles Harris at mharris5@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, X and Instagram.