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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.

In a remarkable achievement, Manny Diaz, the veteran men's tennis coach at the University of Georgia, will be inducted into the prestigious Southern Tennis Hall of Fame, this January. Diaz reflects on his illustrious career, during which he achieved a remarkable SEC-record of 767 wins for the University of Georgia men's tennis team. He takes pride in his associations with renowned former American tennis star John Isner along with current NCAA champion, Ethan Quinn. Get ready to stock up on perfect tennis gifts for your favorite player! Tennis Warehouse’s Michelle Heidbrink previews her favorite tennis merchandise, clothing, shoes, racquets, etc. As a USTA Southern partner, Tennis Warehouse offers discounts to the 166,000+ USTA Southern members. Highlighted are juniors Houston Jacques, of Huntsville, Alabama, and Athletic Club Alabama, and 2022 USTA Mississippi Hall of Famers Nick Barone and Louis Nash.

Tennis is the sport of a lifetime and a former Atlanta Falcon wide receiver Brian Finneran is now excited about playing and watching tennis. He was wowed by the speed and athleticism of pro tennis players at the Atlanta Open. Brian can be heard on air on 680 The Fan, an Atlanta sports radio station. Andrew Walker worked four years at USTA Kentucky while rising in the ranks of tennis officiating. Now he is the Chief Umpire of the US Open. With October being LGBT History Month, Andrew recounted that when he was hired by the USTA Officiating Department, he felt secure enough to come out. In our spotlights are USTA Gold Ball champions Carrington Brown and Raegan Mulberry of Georgia and Kentucky Tennis Hall of Famers Tom McGraw and Katy Tinius.

Omar Alcaino has been at the helm of seven straight USTA Mississippi Junior Team Tennis champion teams including winning a Southern 10 & Under Intermediate title this year. Embracing his Chilean heritage, he reflects on his journey, which led him to excel as a Sun Belt singles champion at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and thrive as a dedicated tennis coach. Brenda Carter achieved the impressive distinction of being ranked No. 1 in her age division eight times when she was inducted into the Southern Tennis Hall of Fame in 2015. Her remarkable success continues as Carter currently serves as the playing captain for the United States in the 75s ITF Masters World Championships in Spain. Notably, she holds the No. 10 world ranking within her age group. Highlighted are  Remedios “Edward” Naval of Charleston, South Carolina, and USTA Louisiana Hall of Famers Lauren Cotter Wilson, Harold "Rocky" Andry and Ruthie Shoptaught Kean and family.

Talking Tennis Soutern Style promotes Hispanic Heritage Month. With almost twenty years of experience as a tennis teacher, Belén Gómez-Jordana founded the non-profit and NJTL United Tennis. In order to counter stereotypes, Gómez-Jordana created the Tennis for All program. She delivers group and individual classes at a very low cost. Gómez-Jordana volunteers on the USTA North Carolina Diversity and Inclusion Committee and is a former journalist at Telemundo Noticias Charlotte. Ponch Ochoa was an All-American at North Carolina State and cites his family background for launching his tennis career. He is the son of French Open 1958 women’s doubles and 1959 mixed doubles champion Yolanda "Yola" Ramírez Ochoa. Ponch remembers her ability, tenacity and grit as a tennis coach. His father, Alfonso Ochoa, was also a top-level pro who played on the ATP Tour. We celebrate North Carolinian juniors Siddhant Dua & Smyan Vijay and the newest inductees into the Alabama Tennis Hall of Fame: Leslie Hewett Bashinsky and Dudley Reynolds.

Leigh Torrence says tennis was his first love and dreamed of being another Arthur Ashe. He was a top-level junior out of Atlanta. Still, he’s most famous for his NFL career, playing for six teams including the New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons, and coaching for the Saints and New York Jets. “I think tennis is demanding of you mentally … and great preparation for football.” He recently took the USTA Coach Level 1 Workshop to begin teaching tennis. World-renowned sports performance researcher Dr. Mark Kovacs, from Marietta, Georgia, was an All-American and NCAA doubles champion at Auburn University and earned his doctoral degree from the University of Alabama. He focuses on improving tennis service motions, along with working with NBA basketball players. Kovacs was the youngest recipient of the International Tennis Hall of Fame Educational Merit Award. Highlighted are junior Caiden Karetas, of Gulfport Mississippi, and North Carolina Tennis Hall of Famers Rebel Good, Jeff Joyce, Sam Paul and Clifford Skakle.