“Love” may mean “zero” in tennis, but for Caroline Lemieux, it marked the beginning of everything. At 3 ½ years old, she experienced communication delays that hindered her social interactions. Her athletic mother, Katie, introduced Caroline to a variety of sports, including soccer, T-ball, and basketball. But Katie’s efforts were in vain until they discovered a forgotten tennis racket —an aunt’s gift tucked away in a closet. And that simple object led to dramatic changes for young Caroline.

In March 2021, Katie took Caroline to a “Tennispalooza” event hosted by Above the Net, a nonprofit 501 (c)(3) sports-based youth development organization. Caroline joined 40 to 50 children of all ages and skill levels to learn the game. Under the guidance of directors and founders Brenda Gant, Caniece Haywood, and Monica Johnson, the children participated in games that applied basic tennis rudiments, including ball balancing, eye-hand coordination, racquet holding, and ball hitting. When the shy, seven-year-old Caroline asked her mother when she could play tennis again, Katie knew she’d found her daughter’s igniting spark.

By age eight, Caroline was playing tennis competitively. Her confidence and communication skills improved, and she excelled, finishing in the top eight of Community Christian School’s state tennis tournament last year. She also earned a USTA scholarship to attend a training camp at Clemson University in 2024 and 2025. The higher level of training has enabled Caroline to compete against older girls ranked in the top 100 in their particular states. She has completed a personal goal of winning her first Level 7 U-14 tournament. Caroline attended the US Open in New York City in August 2025, where she hoped to meet her model idol, professional tennis player “Coco” Gauff.

Caroline, now a sixth grader, enjoys science, robotics, cross country, and painting. She has won several math awards and was voted “Best Female Band Player” for playing saxophone in her school’s band.

Indeed, a tennis racquet proved to be the catalyst for overcoming verbal challenges and for gaining confidence and courage to grow. The guidance, support, care, encouragement, and acceptance of directors and players of the Above the Net program helped to transform the once shy and limited vocabulary child into a focused, determined and resilient young lady. Caroline Lemieux has proven she has a bright, promising future in tennis. To learn more or get involved, visit www.abovethenettennis.org , email at info@abovethenettennis.org, or follow on TikTok@ATN, Instagram @abovethenet_official, and Facebook @AboveTheNet.

By Arolue Flemmen Prater