BY SARAH MERRITT RYAN
A few years ago, during the pandemic, tennis became one of the few sports considered safe to play outdoors. At the time, I had just put my 18-month-old son into half-day daycare, and I was looking for a way to connect with others and try something new. That’s when I saw an email from the Apex Community Center about Try Tennis, a beginner-friendly program that offered an irresistible deal: for $40, you get a tennis racket, six hours of instruction, and a T-shirt. I was in.
What I didn’t expect was to discover, in my 40s, a newfound love for tennis—and a drive to keep improving. Alongside five other women who also started as complete beginners, I worked my way through Try Tennis, then Try Play, and finally Try Match. Together, we took a leap and formed our own USTA team. Four years later, after countless weekly practices, our team—nicknamed The Rackettes—claimed the 2.5 18+ USTA State Championship.
While injuries kept me from competing this season, watching my teammates win was just as rewarding. We’ve become more than just a team—we’re a close-knit group of friends who have supported each other on and off the court.
Co-captains Katherine Fehervari and Paula Lainé have been dedicated, effective leaders for several seasons. Fehervari reflected, “We all thrived with tennis because it was a rewarding diversion from our busy family lives, inspired by the camaraderie and support of one another as we picked up a sport later in life. If you had told me four years ago that the six of us would be competing for the Southern Regional Championship in tennis, I would have laughed at the suggestion. I am so proud of the success of this Apex team and their dedication to tennis and each other.”
The 2025 spring Rackettes roster included: Katherine Fehervari, Paula Lainé, Michelle Alarcon, Claudia Bourbeau, Kelly Coman, Jennifer Gilbert, Malinda Hain, Yuna Kim, Katie Lilly, Christine Qubeck, and Julie Pedraza.
What is Try Tennis?
Laura Weygandt, Executive Director of the Western Wake Tennis Association (WWTA), oversees the program. She explains, “The mission of USTA North Carolina and the Western Wake Tennis Association is to promote the spirit and growth of tennis around the state and in the WWTA area. As a nonprofit, USTA-NC highly subsidizes this program. Most times we break even or make a small amount of revenue, but the purpose is to introduce people to the sport at a low cost so it’s easy to ‘try tennis.’”
The program has been a launchpad for countless players. “We are proud of all our Try Tennis graduates,” Weygandt says. “In the case of Paula, Kat, Sarah, and the others on their team, they are the poster children for a program like this. What an experience and adventure they have been on—for simply being offered a low-cost option to try tennis and taking a chance!”
Sign Up for Try Tennis
Learn more and register: westernwaketennis.com/adult-tennis/beginners/
Other Local Options for Tennis Lessons:
RDU Tennis, Big NC Tennis, Tennisbloc, Tennis Pro Now, My Tennis Lessons, Play Your Court, Wyzant, and Athletes Untapped all offer lessons from local tennis professionals.
