As part of our series of articles for this year’s National Recreation & Park Association theme “Where You Belong”, we had an inspiring conversation with Lisa Azoory-Keller and her husband Jon. Originally from Canada, they moved to Highland Park in 2014, and are building their own tennis dynasty with their three children, all of whom are competitive tennis players.

The Keller kids started playing tennis during the pandemic, at park district courts near their house. When the Deer Creek Racquet Club reopened, Kira, now 13, Maya who is 12, and 8-year-old Nate started taking lessons from two of the resident pros: Richard Watson is the Assistant Head Tennis Professional and Hristo Pandulev is a Full-Time Tennis Professional.

“Deer Creek is a second home to us now, and the pros are like family, “said Lisa. You can hear it in her voice when she talks about the staff: “Everyone there from the front desk to the pros prioritizes making sure the players have a great experience every time they’re on the court.” Being welcoming and caring is part of what makes Deer Creek extraordinary, and it’s one of the many places at the park district where you truly feel you belong.

Kira and Maya are at the same class level. “Kira works with Hristo, who has taken her tennis to the next level, and he is the perfect coach for her game,” said Lisa. Maya is coached by Richard, “another out-of-this world pro— she takes every bit of instruction like a sponge, and puts it into her game.” Nate is already in the Junior Excellence Program. “He loves that because he gets to play at a more competitive level with the older kids.”

Because Kira and Maya play against each other often (like two well-known tennis sisters), they sometimes get angry “which is good, because in competitive tennis you have to learn to be tough.” Of course, in matches there is only one winner, and that can be tough, too. Maya was recently the G12 Singles Finalist in the 2024 USTA Chicago District Championships held at the Oak Brook Tennis Center. “The very first people I texted after that match were the pros at Deer Creek,” Lisa said.

Hearing stories like that makes all of us at the park district feel really good about how what we do every day helps people make lifelong connections.

Lisa continued, “These pros are the best of the best.  Other clubs prioritize profit and competition whereas Deer Creek prioritizes instilling a love for tennis, which results in the children having a healthy and positive attitude towards sports.  The pros are always engaged, and truly care about the kids.” Our kids are always smiling when they’re at Deer Creek, and we know these years are going to be some of their best memories. They can’t wait to start summer camp!”

Any final thoughts? “We love Deer Creek. We’ll never leave.”

Wow. We love hearing that, too. (Last one out, please turn off the lights.)

You can read more about Deer Creek Racquet Club, tennis, pickleball, and camps on our website. Ready to get started? Great. The ball’s in your court. 

See you around the parks!