Mitra Bayati and Ray Jost are the first to sign on as USTA League Ambassadors!

Mitra and Ray will be contacting lapsed tennis players, players looking for teams, and forming USTA League teams around the Tri-County area!  If you'd like to be on a USTA League team, but don't have your own team and don't know where to start, contact Mitra or Ray and they'll place you on a team!

CLICK HERE if you are looking for a team to play on

Click here to apply to become a USTA MS League Ambassador.

Meet Mitra Bayati: Growing the Game.

For Mitra Bayati, tennis started with a simple decision: show up and give it a try.

Mitra began playing tennis her sophomore year of high school after showing up for tryouts—and she’s loved the game ever since. Later, she joined USTA League at Tennis Center South, the same place where she first learned to play. With tennis also running in her family, the sport has continued to be a meaningful part of her life.

Over the years, tennis has given Mitra much more than a game to play. It has helped her build lasting friendships, find community, embrace competition and develop as a leader. And tennis became even more special when her daughter began playing.

“Being able to share the sport with her and watching her grow as a tennis player brings me pure joy.”

Now, as a USTA Mississippi League Ambassador, Mitra is excited to help others discover what tennis can offer.

“I want to continue growing the game and introducing tennis to people and communities that may not realize there’s a place for them in the sport,” she says.

For Mitra, one of the most rewarding parts of tennis is watching someone go from nervous about picking up a racquet to enjoying the game, joining a team, building confidence and finding their place in the tennis community.

Her passion for the sport and the people who make it special is exactly what she hopes to bring to her new role.

“Being selected as a Captain Ambassador for USTA Mississippi is truly an honor and feels like such a natural fit for me.”

Come Play. You never know where it might take you!

Meet Ray Jost: Come Play.

Sometimes, the game you loved as a kid finds its way back into your life.

For Ray Jost, that game was tennis.

Ray first picked up a racquet at just 8 years old and played until he was 15. Then life took him in a different direction, and he stepped away from the sport for 17 years.

At 32, Ray came back to tennis—and this time, he was all in.

Now 37, Ray plays full time and says he’s enjoying every minute of it. Just two years after returning to the game, he discovered USTA League and joined in 2023.

Since then, tennis has become about much more than getting on the court.

“Tennis has played a huge role in my life, not just physically but relationally.”

Through tennis, Ray has built friendships and connected with people who share his love for the game and his passion for promoting it. For him, the people he’s met along the way are one of the best parts of coming back to tennis.

That spirit of connection and community is something Ray now hopes to bring to his role as a USTA Mississippi League Ambassador.

Serving others has always been important to Ray. Through his church, local nonprofits and the chamber of commerce, he has found purpose in giving back and helping his community.

“From a young age, I learned that giving back to the community is one of the most rewarding things a person can do.”

Now, he’s bringing that same spirit of service to USTA League tennis—helping players connect, get involved and find their place in the game.

Ray’s tennis journey is a reminder that it’s never too late to come back to a sport you love, meet new people and become part of something bigger.

Come Play. You might just find your way back to the game—and a whole new community waiting for you.