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The USTA Foundation has 13 NJTL chapters across the country that have identified close to 200 promising athletes that are selected due to hard work, perseverance and grit. The Excellence Teams are provided additional resources designed to provide coaching, equipment and tournament travel at no cost to the players who are underprivileged and would not otherwise have the opportunity to participate in a tennis program.

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Excellence Teams support the most talented young people from National Junior Tennis League (NJTL) chapters so that their full tennis, academic, and societal potential can be realized. A collaboration between the USTA Foundation, USTA Player Development, and USTA Diversity & Inclusion, ten teams work year-round and meet to compete twice per year, with the goal of helping promising NJTL students earn college degrees paid for with college tennis scholarships.

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The qualities of grit and grace are fostered through on-court training, academic standards,  and community service in a way that transcends from one area of a child's life to another,  and over time, so that the youth are truly building skills for a lifetime. Coaches' education is central to the program so that a systems approach will continue to impact youth year over year.  In its initial stages, USTA Player Development established a goal to identify young, talented and motivated tennis players from under-resourced communities to feed into its tournament player pipeline. USTA Diversity & Inclusion wants to help provide high-quality tennis opportunities for children of diverse backgrounds.  In addition, the USTA Foundation, through the NJTL network, wants to serve up dreams on-court, through education, and throughout life. South Atlanta Community Tennis Association has established a chapter out of South Fulton Tennis Center in 2015 and has already had several of its young players travel and compete nationally.