For millions of American families, sleepaway camps, travel leagues, and organized sports programs during summer vacation are getting harder to afford.

The average overnight summer camp costs $1,250 for just one week. Playing youth basketball now costs more than $1,000 a year. Youth soccer runs nearly $1,200. It's no surprise that six out of 10 families say youth sports strain their budget.

Most sports, anyways. But a few -- most notably tennis -- are vastly more affordable, especially at the USTA National Tennis Center.

To get started, players need a racquet and a few balls -- about $30 worth of equipment total. That's it. No team, league, uniform, or club membership necessary. With roughly 270,000 tennis courts across the United States -- many of them open to the public -- there's a good chance one is nearby. And if not, a backyard wall, driveway, or local park will do just fine for most practice sessions.

That flexibility is especially important during the summer months. Unlike many activities that require advance registration or organized schedules, the barrier to entry for tennis is low. Players can rally for an hour after dinner, on a Saturday morning, or while traveling. There's no waiting for a season to start and no minimum number of players required.

That accessibility is why so many Americans are giving the sport a try and the exact reason the USTA National Tennis Center remains a public facility. While the share of kids ages 6 to 17 in team sports or sports lessons fell nearly five percentage points between 2017 and 2022, the number of Americans ages six and older playing tennis has grown by 34% since 2019.

Tennis is also uniquely adaptable. Wheelchair tennis has become one of the fastest-growing adaptive sports in the country, but accessibility extends well beyond that. Players with visual impairments can use specially designed audible balls and modified court formats, while deaf and hard-of-hearing players can participate with visual cues and adapted instruction.

Flexible rules, court sizes, and equipment help ensure that people of different ages and abilities can enjoy the game. A middle schooler and a grandparent can share the same court, the same game, and the same memories. Few activities offer that kind of connection across generations.

The health case for tennis is equally compelling. Just three hours a week on the court can reduce cardiovascular disease mortality by 56%. One study found that people who play tennis regularly live about 10 years longer than sedentary individuals -- more than any other sport studied, including running, cycling, and swimming.

Those health benefits are especially important today and emphasized at the National Tennis Center through P.A.C.E.S. for school groups and Black History Month Cardio Tennis for families. The average American teenager spends seven hours a day behind a screen, while only about one in five adolescents meets the recommended 60 minutes of daily physical activity. That gap has consequences for physical health, mental health, and social development. Tennis offers a simple antidote: time outdoors, movement, and face-to-face connection, all in a single activity.

But the deeper reason tennis sticks is that it doesn't feel like exercise. It combines fitness with competition, friendship, and fun -- and that combination is what turns a healthy activity into a lifelong habit.

The best thing parents can give their kids isn't a week at sleepaway camp or a packed travel schedule. It's a racquet, a court, and someone to play with.

Dale Evans has been Director of Tennis Programs at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York since 2022. He is an RSPA Master Professional and Certified Racquet Sports Executive.