Southern Tennis Foundation’s Mission and College Scholarships

We chatted with John Cox, whose volunteer work covers many areas of tennis, including numerous posts in USTA Southern. Still, he has a soft spot for the students of Bayou Academy in Cleveland, Miss., where he began coaching the tennis team in 2017. His goal is to make tennis “cool” and get players on court and practicing. Winning two state titles and being awarded the 2023 USTA Southern No-Cut Coach Starfish and USTA Mississippi Coach of the Year awards is just an extra bonus.

We talk with the 2023 USTA Southern Local League Coordinator of the Year Anna Martin. She is a veteran of more than 23 years of promoting and organizing USTA League, providing a rich history of tennis in Wilmington, N.C. She now supports nearly 200 adult recreational teams. Martin highlights the importance of playing against players with similar skill levels for the Greater Wilmington (N.C) Tennis Association. She also serves as a teacher and director at a local church school.

Interviewed are two podcasters: Chris Godby & Chad Young of the awarding-winning “Game Set Match Kentucky!”

After more than four years of uploading a two-interview podcast every other Thursday, the new “Talking Tennis Southern Style” plans on showcasing a single interview every Tuesday or Wednesday.

Chris Godby & Chad Young produce “Game Set Match Kentucky!” Their podcast won the 2023 USTA Southern Marc Kaplan Media Excellence Award for their show which concentrates on tennis in Central Kentucky Tennis Series CTA. The duo talked about content and the technical aspects of hosting the podcast from a home studio.

George “Ged” Schwing was honored with the Slew Hester Male Player of the Year for top adult player. Schwing has been a member of Team Louisiana for the Callen Cup and served as a captain the last few years, along with competing on the winning Southern team at the 2022 Keith Donoff Cup.

Ozaki-Hastings Junior Sportsmanship Award winner Ryan Cozad was recognized at the USTA National Clay Courts Championships, as he received their Sportsmanship Award. He loves competing in team events, especially the Ozaki Cup for Team Georgia, and in the Battle of Sections for Team Southern.

With the number of tennis players growing in the last five years, more tennis courts are needed. While some courts are being converted to pickleball courts, the USTA Southern Advocacy Task Force is enabling grassroots advocates to make the case for adding, and not reducing, the number of tennis courts. Former Board Member Paul Pittman chairs the task force and explains the advocacy tools provided by USTA Southern. 

In our first episode of Black History Month, we interview Calvin Kemp of Lafayette, La. Kemp was honored with the 2023 Southern Tennis Professional of the Year and received another award, the Member Organization of the Year, for Acadiana Serves. The award citation mentioned, “As an ATP Certified GPTCA International Coach, PTR Certified Coach, and Tennis Performance Trainer, Calvin brings a wealth of expertise.”

It’s a new year and time for our Grand Slam correspondent to preview American and Southern players. USTA General Manager, Player Development Martin Blackman calls in from Down Under with high hopes for players with Georgia roots: Coco Gauff, Taylor Townsend, Ben Shelton & Christopher Eubanks. Yolanda “Yola” Ramírez Ochoa won mixed doubles and finished as a singles finalist twice at Roland Garros. The former No. 6 in the world from Mexico chats about her illustrious career with her son, Ponch, a top-flight player himself.   

Finishing our fourth season, “Talking Tennis Southern Style” wraps up 2023 with compelling excerpts of eight of our favorite interviews. We are proud to highlight insightful conversations with these guests:

• Michelle Curry of the Althea Gibson CTA
• Tennis memorabilia collector and USTA Kentucky Past President Mike Eden
• USTA Chairman of the Board and President Dr. Brian Hainline
• USTA Georgia’s Darren Potkey
• Jermaine Jenkins, practice partner of Serena and Venus Williams
• NJTL leader Belen Gomez-Jordana
• No. 1 Wheelchair Tennis player Zane Goodwin & mom Lara Polk
• Southern Hall of Famer Keith Richardson

Jane Preyer made her mark as an All-American at the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill before succeeding in the WTA Tour. She reached No. 43 and defeated some top players including Evonne Goolagong. Later she took to coaching and led the Duke University women to four ACC championships. Keith Richardson is now inducted into his fifth hall of fame. His career began with achievement at Appalachian State and was named a “Legend” in 2012. With victories over Kevin Curren and Eliott Teltscher, he rose to No. 63 in singles and No. 146 in doubles. Richardson also was honored as a teaching pro by the US Professional Tennis Association (USPTA). We also preview our year-end highlight episode, scheduled for release on Thursday, Dec. 14.

Marshall Happer headed the Men’s Tennis Council from 1981-89, making him the only unofficial commissioner of men’s professional tennis. He draws upon his extensive tennis background – including USTA Executive Director, USTA Southern President & CEO and Southern Tennis Hall of Fame inductee – in writing “Pioneers of the Game.” The 871-page history documents the 40-year trek of men’s professional tennis from the Open Era through the advent of the ATP Tour. Happer recounts his relationships with Jack Kramer, Phillippe Chatrier, Arthur Ashe, Lamar Hunt, Donald Dell, Tony Trabert, among others.

Wheelchair tennis is booming and Zane Goodwin is riding the crest to the top of the game. The 16-year-old Birmingham, Ala., resident is the top junior wheelchair tennis player in the country and winner of the Cincinnati Wheelchair Open. Zane talks about his dedication to the sport while his mom, Lara Polk, describes how she loves traveling to tournaments nationwide. 

USTA Southern recently hosted a blind and visually impaired workshop that was conducted by the Georgia Academy for the Blind. Superintendent Dr. Cindy Gibson welcomed the opportunity to help sighted players experience the sport from the perspective of the blind and visually impaired. Using audible balls, shorter racquets and tactile lines, 25 tennis professionals were tutored with specific strategies.

Highlighted is junior Jaylon Salters, of Ladson, S.C. We preview a special episode with Marshall Happer, author of “Pioneers of the Game” and former USTA Southern President.