PPA Profiles: Joani Akpan

March 15, 2015

Joani Akpan has been a dedicated member of the Prospect Park Tennis Center community for over 15 years and is a strong advocate of youth tennis. She has loved the game since the age of ten.

A native of Seattle, Washington, she moved to New York in 1990 and currently lives in Old Mill Basin in South Brooklyn.  Approximately fifteen years ago she became more involved in the sport and started playing at the Prospect Park Tennis Center. A player and teacher, Joani is the Metro coordinator for Junior Team Tennis, a USTA league for youth ages 8-18. She also is the Director of Youth Tennis Leagues, another youth program that uses drills and match play to introduce strategy and game basics.

“Both of my children are in college now, so it’s great to work with the 300-plus kids in the Junior Team Tennis and Youth Tennis Leagues,” Joani said. 

For Joani, tennis is a family affair. Her husband Obong Akpan has been a longtime player at the Center, and their two children volunteered throughout high school for Special Aces, the Alliance’s skills and confidence-boosting program for developmentally disabled children. Joani enjoys the Center’s Har-Tru courts, as well as the comfortable, convenient and friendly atmosphere. When she’s not on the court, she loves to ride her bike and walk her dog around Prospect Park.