Mackie McDonald

Original Penguin Ambassadors To Wear Original Penguin 2025 Racquet Collection at Wimbledon

June 27, 2025 by Randy Walker Leave a Comment

Original Penguin® by Munsingwear®, a division of Perry Ellis International, the renowned lifestyle brand recognized for its timeless style and contemporary flair, is proud to announce that brand ambassadors Ajla Tomljanović, Jodie Burrage, and Mackenzie McDonald are showcasing the new 2025 Racquet Collection on the courts of Wimbledon this year. Blending classic court style with modern innovation, the collection continues the brand’s legacy of bold expression and performance-ready design.

Ajla & Jodie – Sleeveless Veronica Dress in Bright White

The sleeveless, lightweight dress is crafted from a single knit fabric with stretch and moisture-wicking for optimal comfort. Mesh back and hem panels enhance breathability during play while the recycled fabric makes this dress a more sustainable choice for your closet.

Mackie – Performance Tennis Polo with Blade Collar and Performance Tennis Short

Polo – The classic design features lightweight single knit fabrication for comfort with moisture wicking and stretch properties to help ensure comfort and freedom of motion during matches.

Shorts – These white tennis shorts include Stretch 360 to maximize range of motion and moisture-wicking keeps you dry and comfortable during epic rallies.

The Original Penguin Spring 2025 Racquet Collection is available now at select retailers, OriginalPenguin.com, and pro shops nationwide.

Original Penguin and Pete the Penguin have left their mark on a league of legends. For over 70 years, our namesake bird has been adorned and adored by the masters of leisure and sport to define itself as an American classic. Today, the Penguin icon still stands as a signal for those who know how to be an original.

# # #

About An Original Penguin® by Munsingwear®

In 1955, Minneapolis-based Munsingwear – an underwear and military supply company – ironically became the touchstone of suburban sport with the introduction of the first iconic golf shirt to America – an ORIGINAL PENGUIN.. Known for its unique, humorous and detail-oriented clothing, Original Penguin offers a full range of men’s, women’s and children’s clothing, accessories and fragrances. Original Penguin is present in North, Central and South Americas, Europe as well as India and the Philippines. There are over 1,250 points of sale, more than 99 Original Penguin stores worldwide and two dedicated e-commerce websites: www.originalpenguin.com and www.originalpenguin.co.uk.

About Perry Ellis International

Perry Ellis International, Inc. is a leading designer, distributor, and licensor of a broad line of high quality men’s and women’s apparel, accessories, and fragrances. The company’s collection of dress and casual shirts, golf sportswear, sweaters, dress pants, casual pants and shorts, jeans wear, active wear, dresses, and men’s and women’s swimwear is available through all major levels of retail distribution. The company, through its wholly owned subsidiaries, owns a portfolio of nationally and internationally recognized brands, including: Perry Ellis®, An Original Penguin by Munsingwear®, Laundry by Shelli Segal®, Rafaella®, Cubavera®, Ben Hogan®, Savane®, Grand Slam®, John Henry®, Manhattan®, Axist® and Farah®. The company enhances its roster of brands by licensing trademarks from third parties, including: Nike® for swimwear, and Callaway®, PGA TOUR®, and Jack Nicklaus® for golf apparel. Additional information on the company is available at www.pery.com

USTA Foundation Announces Mackie McDonald College Fund

March 10, 2025 by Randy Walker Leave a Comment

The USTA Foundation, the charitable arm of the United States Tennis Association Incorporated (USTA), along with professional tennis player Mackenzie (Mackie) McDonald, today announced the launch of the USTA Foundation’s Mackie McDonald College Fund (Fund), a new initiative that will provide individual player grants to high school seniors who will continue their tennis careers at the collegiate level. The Fund will directly support student-athletes who progressed through the tennis-playing pathway via the USTA Foundation’s National Junior Tennis & Learning (NJTL) network, a nationwide group of more than 250 sports-based community organizations that use tennis as a tool to prepare young people from under-served communities to be ready for their futures, wherever their lives take them.

McDonald, who has reached a career-high world No. 37 in the ATP singles rankings and No. 49 in ATP doubles rankings, and famously defeated Rafael Nadal in the second round of the 2023 Australian Open, had a stellar Division I collegiate career before turning professional. A native of Piedmont, Calif., McDonald competed for the UCLA Bruins from 2014-16, earning All-America honors all three years. He finished his final season ranked No. 1 in singles and doubles in the ITA collegiate rankings and swept the NCAA singles and doubles titles in 2016, making him the first man in 15 years–and just the fifth since 1974–to accomplish the feat.

Through the USTA Foundation, McDonald is now using his experiences and platform to inspire the next generation of college-bound students to realize what’s possible and hopes this Fund will help young people understand the importance of education, and foster their personal growth in sports and beyond.

“Going to UCLA turned out to be one of the best decisions I made in my life, and for my life, and I’m happy to be playing a part in helping young people chase their college dreams, on and off the court,” McDonald said. “Working towards ensuring that all young people, no matter where they come from, are able to unlock all the benefits that higher education has to offer is a responsibility that means so much to me, and I can’t wait to see how this Fund supports not just young people and their education, but their families and communities.”

“The Foundation’s Mackie McDonald College Fund is not about supporting college scholarships; it’s about preparing young people for the challenges they will face on and off the court at one of the most critical points in their lives,” said Ginny Ehrlich, USTA Foundation CEO. “Mackie is committed to cultivating the next generation of leaders who are prepared to achieve their dreams in whatever field they choose. Mackie’s success is a testament to the invaluable lessons that come through balancing academics with athletics, and we are thrilled to have him walk alongside us in our mission to empower these talented students with the tools they need to succeed as they grow into well-rounded adults and positively contribute to their communities.”

Individual player grants are just one of the many ways the USTA Foundation supports its NJTL network, which was co-founded in 1969 by cultural icon Arthur Ashe, along with Charlie Pasarell and Sheridan Snyder. Today, the USTA Foundation helps provide over 168,000 young people nationwide access to opportunities that reach far beyond the game of tennis, including social and emotional learning programs, academic support, scholarships, and career and college readiness services. McDonald is the second professional tennis player to support the USTA Foundation through an eponymous fund; the USTA Foundation’s Frances Tiafoe Fund was launched in 2023.

To learn more about the Mackie McDonald College Fund and the USTA Foundation, please visit ustafoundation.com and follow @USTAFoundation on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Three First Round Men’s Singles Picks For Roland Garros

May 26, 2023 by tennisbloggers Leave a Comment

Mackie McDonald vs. Sebi Korda.

Mackie McDonald, the last player who played Rafael Nadal when he beat the hobbled legend at the Australian Open earlier this year, will face another hobbled player of much less accomplishments in fellow American Sebi Korda. Neither players has fared well on the clay this year, McDonald losing in the first round in all five clay events this Spring and Korda, coming back from a wrist injury, is 0-2 in his comeback since reaching the quarterfinals of the Australian Open and begging off with his wrist. Wrists are nothing to fool at and Korda is well-off his prime form that many think can at least equal the accomplishments of his father Petr, a former runner-up at Roland Garros in 1992. McDonald is probably in better form at the moment so we will take him to pull the win over Korda, who we hope can get back into top playing shape soon.

John Isner vs. Nuno Borges

Nuno Borges of Portugal has a UTR of 15.36 and John Isner is at 15.37. That means this is about as close to a toss-up as you can have. However, Isner is trending downward at age 38 and Borges, age 26, is just getting used to cracking the top 100 in the world for the first time late last year and at No. 76 in the ATP rankings, is near his career high. Isner has not played on the European clay this year, last playing in Houston in April. His wife just had their fourth child so take Isner in the diaper changing contest, but lean towards Borges in the clay court match in Paris. Isner will be looking to get in top match shape on the grass courts following Roland Garros.

Yibing Wu vs. Roberto Bautista Agut

Yibing Wu was the first player from China to win an ATP singles event when he won in Dallas earlier this year. He is trending upwards and moving up the rankings fast to his current No. 59. (He had ONE ATP point 14 months ago – that’s how fast he has been rising.) He has had some success on the red clay this Spring, but Roberto Bautista Agut, while a Spanish dirt-baller, has really struggled on the European clay, going 4-3 on the dirt and he is only 11-13 this year. He’s 35 years old and trending downward so this looks like a first-round upset on paper of the No. 19 seed.