Mel Purcell is simply the best player in the history of Kentucky tennis.  This podcast details his rise from Murray Kentucky to Wimbledon.   Along the way he talks about his legendary father Bennie Purcell and winning the NCAA DOUBLES for the University of Tennessee.

At multiple times, Purcell was a member of the ATP top twenty.  He details his matches and relationships with the world’s best players including McEnroe, Connors, and Lendl.  This is a must listen for those who care about the history of tennis in Kentucky

Jack Ditty is one of eastern Kentucky’s all time tennis legends.  He is a tireless promoter of USTA events and women’s $60,000 events.  He has been the tournament director for the $60,000 events, most recently the Braidy Industries Women’s Tennis Classic, a USTA Pro Circuit event.

The podcast includes the story of his daughter Julie’s rise to an NCAA final and top 100 rankings on the WTA tour in singles and doubles.   Ditty describes running local journey clinics to watching his daughter play Venus and Serena at Wimbledon.   This podcast is a virtual history tennis in Kentucky.

On this second of a two-part series podcast, John English details the history of the Louisville Tennis Classic which featured players like Laver, Ashe, Rosewall, and all the greats. English describes how his brother Sam envisioned the event and with his help and a core group made it happen.  It included building a new facility near the Louisville Zoo, battling the weather, and gaining the support of politicians in the state including a young Mitch McConnell (who was not yet a senator).

He also discusses the reasons Louisville left its prestigious position on the world tour.  It’s a great story of how Louisville became the center in the world of tennis for one week a year every summer.

In today’s Legends of Kentucky tennis conversation, Dennis Emery talks with John English.  This is the first conversation in a two-part series.

John English - a great player on the Louisville scene and is even more well known for all the wonderful work he did in supporting and growing tennis.  He was a club owner, co-director of the USTA National Clay Courts, numerous exhibitions, as well as the First National Bank Tennis Classic

John discusses all this and more on this part one podcast. Truly one of the molders of Kentucky Tennis as we know it today.

In today’s Legends of Kentucky tennis conversation, Dennis Emery talks with Susan Sloane.

Susan is simply the best player the state of Kentucky has ever produced.  She was a child prodigy who went from winning the National championships in the Girls 12 to being ranked top 20 in the world on the WTA Tour for three consecutive years. 

Susan talks about playing all four Grand Slams and her matches with Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, Jennifer Capriati, Gabriella Sabatini , and Mary Jo Fernandez    Along the way she talks about the three high school championships she won as a sixth, seventh, and eighth grader.  

In today’s Legends of Kentucky tennis conversation, Dennis Emery talks with Charles Beckman.

Beckman went from a multiple Joe Creason Jr. Tournament winner to a two-time state high school champion as a junior.

Beckman moved on to have a great career at Texas which saw him make all American three times and reach the NCAA doubles final.

As a pro Beckman reach top 50 in the world and successfully competed at all four grand slams something he talks about in this podcast. He finishes by sharing his thoughts on coaching his daughter Carrie, a three-time state high school champion and has committed to play tennis at the University of Notre Dame.

In today’s Legends of Kentucky tennis conversation, Dennis Emery talks with Matthew Emery who was ranked as high as number one in the United States at times when he was 16, 17, and 18 years old. He ranked as high as number 15 in the ITF world rankings in singles and 18 in doubles. His junior career was highlighted by winning the US National Clay Court championships in Louisville Kentucky and upsetting the number 1 seed Thomas Berdych in the first round of the Wimbledon junior championships in 2001.

His on-court career was cut short during his sophomore year in college at the University of Kentucky with an eye injury.  Matt is currently the Director of Tennis at Kennesaw State University.  He discusses his introduction into sports and tennis through dealing with his injury to his life in tennis now.

Susan Nolan McNeill, originally from Louisville Kentucky, was a leading junior player in the state and in the Southern section throughout her junior years. She became one of the first scholarship players at the University of Kentucky where she played in the top two spots.  Susan went on to play throughout her life at a high-level in USTA Southern events. In this podcast, she discusses the Louisville female tennis scene in the 1970s.  She also discusses coaches who influenced her game and what they meant to her career and why she has had such a lifetime passion for the game.

In today’s Legends of Kentucky tennis conversation, Dennis Emery talks with Eric Quigley - one of the best players in the state on every level. Eric became an urban legend in Louisville when he won four consecutive state high school tennis championships and never lost a match in high school. He continued to have a highly successful college career at the University of Kentucky where he not only reached the 2012 NCAA singles final losing to Steve Johnson of Southern California but concluded his career as the all-time winningest player in college tennis history with 171 wins in singles.

He had a very successful professional career reaching 290 in the world in singles and 180 in the world in doubles. His professional career was highlighted by the 2016 appearance in the US Open doubles championships in New York. He speaks about all this and more in this podcast.

In today’s Legends of Kentucky tennis conversation, Dennis Emery talks with Julie Ditty Qualls.

Julie is recognized as the second-best singles player and the best doubles player the state has ever produced on the national scene. Her professional career included top 100 rankings on the WTA tour in both singles and doubles. A winner at every level, she led Vanderbilt to the NCAA team final, won multiple gold balls at the junior level, and is the all-time tournament championship winner on the USTA pro circuit tour with over 30 championships. Julie discusses what it meant to her career to grow up in Ashland Kentucky, the influence of her family in her career, and her continued passion for the sport.