PHILADELPHIA - The United States Tennis Association (USTA) has announced its two recipients of the 2024 USTA National Junior Scholar Athlete Award, and one of them is incoming University of Pennsylvania men's tennis recruit Shaurya Bharadwaj.
 
Bharadwaj is a recent graduate of Providence Day School in Charlotte, N.C. A two-time captain of his high school varsity tennis team, he is one of the top-ranked 18-and-under players in the country. His decorated high school tennis career included all-state and all-conference honors, as well as being named the Charlotte Observer's Player of the Year. Off the court, Bharadwaj maintained a weighted cumulative GPA over 4.0 and has excelled in a number of AP courses. He is a member of numerous clubs and organizations including the National Honor Society. He has spent time volunteering as a tennis coach for an adaptive tennis program as well as multiple organizations that serve underprivileged children.
 
The other recipient named by the USTA is Valerie Glozman (Bellevue, Wash.), the No.1-ranked 18-and-under player in the country who is committed to play college tennis at Stanford University in the fall.
 
"Shaurya's and Valerie's achievements on the court, in the classroom and in the community truly make them exemplary leaders among their peers," said Craig Morris, Chief Executive, Community Tennis, USTA. "They are both very deserving of this honor and have bright futures ahead of them."
 
This is the 12th year the USTA has awarded its National Junior Scholar Athlete award. To qualify, students must have an unweighted GPA of 3.75 on a 4.0 scale and be ranked in the Top 100 of the USTA Boys' or Girls' 18s national standings. A written essay, as well as leadership and sportsmanship, were also considered. Glozman and Bharadwaj were presented with their awards at the USTA National Championships taking place in San Diego and Kalamazoo, Mich., respectively, this week.
 
The USTA is the national governing body for the sport of tennis in the U.S. and the leader in promoting and developing the growth of tennis at every level -- from local communities to the highest level of the professional game. A not-for-profit organization, it invests 100 percent of its proceeds in growing the game. It owns and operates the US Open, one of the highest-attended annual sporting events in the world, along with approximately 100 Pro Circuit events throughout the U.S., and selects the teams for Davis Cup, Billie Jean King Cup, and the Olympic and Paralympic Games. The USTA's philanthropic entity, the USTA Foundation, provides grants and scholarships in addition to supporting tennis and education programs nationwide to benefit under-resourced youth through the National Junior Tennis & Learning (NJTL) network. For more information about the USTA, go to USTA.com or follow the official accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter (X) and TikTok.