Talking Tennis Southern Style

L.E.A.D. is an Atlanta-based nonprofit whose mission is to use baseball and tennis to teach Black youth how to overcome three curveballs that threaten their success: crime, poverty and racism. Kelli Stewart, wife of co-founder and former minor league baseball player C.J. Stewart, explains how the organization expanded into supporting tennis. Her daughter, Mackenzi, is a former Southern University and Georgia State player, explained how she decided to pick up a racquet and now leads its girls’ tennis programs. Listen to them describe their dedication to community service and focus on athletics, academics, civic engagement and commerce.

Coach Gregory Green has been a part of eighteen championships as a player and coach, earning him the name “The King of Rings.” In addition to coaching excellence in football with four SIAC Conference rings, he has brought glory to Tuskegee tennis with four SIAC Conference Tennis Championships, five-time SIAC Highest Team GPA for Men and Women and four SIAC Conference Tennis Coach of the Year awards, in addition to many athletic accolades at Savannah State. Listen to Gregory describe how his program grows the academic and cultural opportunities for Tuskegee’s athletes and strengthens the HBCU programs in the South.

In the second of a two-part series with John Embree, he recounts his pivotal role at Wilson, where he managed contracts for tennis legends including Pete Sampras, Chrissy Evert, Jim Courier, and others, and introduced the successful Wilson U.S. Open tennis ball. He discusses his leadership in developing innovative rackets like the Hammer and Pro Staff. After 17 years at Wilson, John transitioned to the USPTA as CEO, leveraging his for-profit experience to strengthen the organization. He shares his concerns about the aging tennis professional population and emphasizes the importance of adaptability for those entering the industry. Listen in as he reflects on the impact he’s made and the work still to be done in the tennis world.

In the first of a two-part series, John Embree reminisces about working as the first head of the USTA League and the NTRP system governing all USTA League players 44 years later. He explained that the goal of having one system for all adult players was considered unreachable when it was first proposed. He added, “One of the attractions about the USTA League program is that we have sectional and national championships.” In our second podcast with John, he outlines his 11 years as the United States Professional Tennis Association CEO until his retirement this year.

When she headed up USTA Tennessee as President, Sara Barnett showed off her organizational skills. Now, Sara put together Open Tennis Fest events in her hometown of Jackson. She said they players like high-intensity competition and play of a special brand of the game of triples. Talk about new formats, Charles Allen is breaking all sorts of tennis rules and conventions with INTENNSE. Instead of sets and matches, this new fan-friendly format has bolts and surges. With 10 seconds and only one serve, the play is fast and furious with fans cheering at any time. Georgia Tech and UGA current and alumni players face off this Saturday in Atlanta. Admission is free after Redfoo bought all tickets in support of Team Luke Hope For Minds. Listen in on how these two pioneers are bringing a new spin to the growth of tennis.

Cameron Douthit excelled on the Georgia tennis courts and in the classroom. Ranked as high as No. 5 in his state’s junior ranking, Cameron won back-to-back individual state championships. Plus, he took nearly two dozen advanced placement courses at the Stratford Academy in Macon, Ga. He applauded his high school coach, Southern Tennis Hall of Famer and Southern Tennis Foundation Director, Development & Operations Jaime Kaplan. He also used his community hours to collect and donate tennis can metal tops to the Ronald McDonald House. Listen to the Mercer freshman who is looking to better life on and off the court, as he is on the path to a career as a pediatrician.

John Hankinson’s travel with his University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill’s Tennis On Campus team has already accumulated more miles than his years playing junior tournaments. He has played in numerous Southern TOC Championships and two National TOC Championships and heads up a massive contingent of players at Chapel Hill, where over 190 students have tried out for the team. He’s led the Tar Heel TOC Club team to support a grassroots fundraising tennis program, he’s competed at the USTA Adaptive Tennis Championships with one of his classmates and organized alumni matches on campus. Through these endless efforts, he was recognized as the USTA Southern Tennis on Campus Leader of the Year. Listen to this future tennis leader in the South and the mark he’s already made in the South.

“Talking Tennis Southern Style” host Sam Crenshaw reconnected with a long-time friend and fellow TV journalist when he interviewed Karen Graham, a mainstay on Atlanta’s Fox 5. A three-time Emmy award winner, Karen co-founded Sign1News, which serves the Deaf community with captioned news and sports on its Sign1News.com website. She talks about learning signing at an early age and how she incorporates that skill in expanding her company’s many-faceted communication assets. A dedicated tennis player in the hotbed of recreational tennis, Karen can be seen on courts in and around the Georgia capital. One of Sign1News' anchors, DiMarco Pittman, attended a USTA coaching workshop and aims to be a Deaf tennis coach.

In our second episode this month, that concentrates on college coaching, we spotlight Jamie Hunt, the third coach in UGA men’s tennis history, who starts in his new post this year. Jamie, who was a member of the 2007-08 Georgia champion teams, talks about the legacy of Dan Magill and his tutelage under Manny Diaz, both Southern Tennis Hall of Fame inductees. Saying he could write a book with all of the notes he’s taken in his seven years as associate head coach, he extolls Diaz and how the former coach prepared him for the head coach job.

In this episode, we sit down with Mark Beckham, who shares his inspiring journey from college tennis player to head coach of the women’s team at his alma mater, the University of Louisville. Born and raised in Louisville, Mark reflects on the unique experience of coaching where he once played and the pride he feels representing his hometown. Coach Beckham discusses the evolution of college tennis, the complexities of blending transfer students with freshmen and the challenges of recruiting in today’s competitive landscape. Mark also shares his deep connection to Louisville sports, growing up a fan of the Cardinals and how legends like Arthur Ashe inspired his tennis career.