"Tennis has been stigmatized within African-American community" - Former University of Kentucky star Alafia Ayeni on launch of his own brand 'Team 3x'

Former University of Kentucky star Alafia Ayeni recently revealed the reasons behind the launch of his own brand, 'Team 3X'.

Ayeni had a successful college tennis career, playing four seasons at the University of Cornell before making a significant move to the University of Kentucky. He put together an 18-9 record in dual-season singles matches at Kentucky, which led to him receiving the ITF All-American honors this year.

The American's hard work paid off as he was granted the opportunity to participate in up to eight qualifying spots at various ATP Challenger Tour events in the upcoming year, thanks to the ATP/ITA Accelerator Programme.

Alafia Ayeni, who is competing in this week's ATP Challenger Tour event in Astana, Kazakhstan, sat down for an interview with the ATP Tour and revealed why he started his own brand, 'Team 3X' in 2022.

According to the 23-year-old, tennis is a little stigmatized within minority communities, particularly the African-American community, because people don't see the sport as a viable option for making a living. He mentioned that his company is working to overcome this cultural stigma.

"I think that the sport has been a little bit stigmatized within the minority community, especially the African-American community. Growing up, playing tennis, even in high school, you tell people you play tennis and they're kind of really surprised," Ayeni said.

"They don't view it as a viable option to get to college or to make a living. Whereas they view basketball, football, or track as very viable options. I think that's a cultural stigma. That's something that my company is working to overturn," he added.

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"The University of Kentucky has helped me out a lot" - Alafia Ayeni

Alafia Ayeni pictured with his doubles partner.

Alafia Ayeni also acknowledged the University of Kentucky's help in the growth of 'Team 3X', stating that having an entire university behind him played a huge role.

"The University of Kentucky has helped me out a lot. Having an entire university at your back will really help you gain reach, you can connect with the right people, and it really helps your brand grow," Ayeni explained.

Even though the American is not using an accelerator spot at this week's President's Cup in Astana, fans can still catch him on the ATP Challenger tour.

"This accelerator program is going to help a lot with a lot of the internationals in terms of competing and taller status and raising the level of college tennis for years to come," Alafia Ayeni said.