Professional Tennis Player Leads Camp for Milbank Youth

The Milbank Area Community Tennis Association (MACTA), with support from the Grant County Combined Appeal, hosted professional tennis player Harsh Mankad on Friday, June 18.  Mankad founded and developed the Twin Cities-based program Tenicity, which has produced a number of Division I athletes during its 10 years of coaching.   

Mankad played tennis for the University of Minnesota and became an NCAA Division I National Singles Tennis Champion.  Upon completing his collegiate career, he played professionally and was India’s No. 1 ranked singles player. He competed at the highest levels, including the Grand Slam events of Wimbledon, the U.S. Open and the Davis Cup. Mankad also earned an MBA from the University of Minnesota.

Milbank scheduled a full-day tennis camp, which started with a session to teach students in kindergarten through sixth grade the building blocks of tennis. They focused on the fundamentals, such as how to hold a racket and forehand and backhand play.  

Mankad then helped the boys and girls varsity players (grades 7-12) to improve their ground stokes, serves, and net play. He also worked with them to devise singles and doubles strategy.  

According to Abbey Trapp, head tennis coach for MHS, “We had such a great turnout that Milbank will again be host to Harsh on Friday, July 23.” The camp on July 23 will be reserved for girls and boys varsity players (grades 7-12).
Want to attend? Contact coach Abbey Trapp or coach Steve Stemsrud.