WWE superstar Titus O’Neil arrived in Orlando on Thursday along with 40 kids from the Boys and Girls Club of Tampa to experience the USTA National Campus.

For many of the kids, it was their first introduction to the sport. They had the opportunity to hit balls with Orlando resident and American player Frances Tiafoe. Tiafoe, who is the youngest male in the ATP Top 100, also participated in a Q&A with the group. USTA Player Development coaches then ran the kids through fun drills testing their skills for the first time.

Titus admitted that the kids were apprehensive at first about trying a new sport, but after a few minutes with the coaches, they were smiling and having fun with a racquet in hand.  

The message of the day from coaches, Tiafoe and Titus himself was that with strong character and respect, kids have the potential to become anything. Titus who himself faced many of the challenges the kids are facing, played tennis as a kid and sees the sport as the perfect teaching moment for these traits.

He concluded the event by saying, “the messages relayed in tennis are the same messages that are relayed in life,” and that this was “literally one of the coolest events I’ve ever done."