Alex Olmedo is an iconic legend in the tennis world.  Having won the NCAA singles and doubles title twice while at USC, he went on to win the Men’s Wimbledon singles title in1959 beating Rod Laver in just over 71 minutes 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 in the finals. He also won the Australian Singles title that same year.  Alex played on Jack Kramer’s barnstorming pro tour with wins over every great legend in the game, but since there wasn’t any money to be made as a touring pro in the early days, he took the job as the Director of Tennis at the Beverly Hills Hotel teaching the rich and famous stars like Katherine Hepburn and Robert Duvall.  It is generally accepted by those who have seen him compete that Alex Olmedo was one of the smoothest and most graceful players of all time, and there is no doubt that if he had stayed an amateur to compete in the majors, he would have won many more grand slam titles.

Viewing audience:

Competitve players, coaches, teaching pros, tennis historians  

Allen Fox has a reputation as being one of the smartest and most savvy coaches in tennis.   As a former Davis Cup member and a tour player with wins over virtually all of the former champions of his time, Allen has cemented his legacy as a player.  His greatest contributions to tennis have been as a sports psychologist and coach.  Drawing on his background as a physicist, psychologist, and former player, Allen’s skill sets have served him well as a highly successful coach at Pepperdine, tour coach, author, clinician, and sought after public speaker in the field of mental toughness and optimum performance under pressure.  His former players at Pepperdine such as Brad Gilbert have gone on to successful careers as tour players and leaders in the tennis industry.

Viewing audience:

Competitive players at all levels, parents, coaches, teaching pros.

Billy Martin is the only Div. I college coach to have won a national championship as a player and a coach.  As the greatest junior player in the world, Billy won the Wimbledon Jr. singles title twice and the Jr. U.S. Open.  He won the NCAA team and singles championship at UCLA under coach Glenn Bassett before turning pro at age 18 where he had wins over Stan Smith, John Newcombe, and Ken Rosewall.  As the men’s head coach at UCLA for 22 years, his teams have perennially been ranked as one of the nation’s best. Billy has joined the elite club of coaches who have won the trifecta of a singles, doubles, and a team national championship. 

 Viewing audience:
Competitive juniors and adults, college players, parents, college coaches, teaching pros, aspiring tour players.     

Billy Martin link

Bob Shafer is widely accepted in the tennis industry as one of the most connected and respected people in tennis.  In his 35 year career at Wilson Sporting Goods Bob has been at the leading edge of every change, technology, and marketing/sales grass roots program at the company.  He has personally hired, trained, and mentored the past (Jon Muir) and present (Mike Dowse) Global Director/President of Wilson Sporting Goods.  Bob also serves on the board of the USTA/SCTA and is on the national nominating committee.

Viewing audience:

Persons wishing to work in the tennis industry, coaches, tennis pros, tennis historians 

Brad Parks is the founder of the National Foundation of Wheelchair Tennis.  As a former competitive freestyle skier, Brad sustained a spinal cord injury during an aerial in competition that resulted in him becoming a paraplegic athlete.  His ensuing work in finding and inventing ways to continue athletics and sports spawned an industry that paved the way for adaptive sports methodologies, innovations, and protocols that has had a global reach including the ParaOlympics.  No one has had a bigger influence in the growth of para or quad adaptive sports than Brad Parks.  He is the living standard of what is possible and the iconic figure of wheelchair tennis. 

Viewing audience:

Tennis pros, coaches, parents, persons interested in adaptive sports

Dennis Ralston is a true tennis legend that has set a standard of excellence at every stage of his life.  As a a teenager playing for USC under coach George Toley, Dennis won the Wimbledon doubles title with Rafael Osuna that started a storied professional career with 14 grand slam finals and 5 career slam titles.  A Davis Cup star, captain and coach, he led the American team to a win in the iconic Davis Cup tie against Romania in 1972.  As a successful tour coach, Dennis has helped Chris Evert, Roscoe Tanner, Yannick Noah and other top tour players reach a higher plateau.  As a college coach he took SMU from an unknown tennis college to a national powerhouse with many of his players transitioning on to become successful tour players.  Dennis has worked as the Director of Tennis at some of the most prestigious clubs in the country, and there are very few people in the industry that can coach and teach every age and at every level like Dennis Ralston.  Dennis’s latest challenges and subsequent resolutions and rising above them are a blueprint of how to handle adversity like a champion and evolve into an iconic, inspirational human being. 

Viewing audience:

Competitive players, parents, coaches, teaching pros

Dick Gould is the Director of Tennis at the John L. Hinds Tennis Center at Stanford University.  As the greatest tennis coach in the history of college tennis winning 17 national championships in his 38 years at Stanford as the Men's Head Tennis Coach, Dick’s former players include Roscoe Tanner, John McEnroe, Mike and Bob Bryan, 50 All Americans, and a veritable who's who of former ATP touring professionals.  With his class and unwavering adherence to excellence, Dick Gould has set the bar for the future of college tennis.

Viewing audience:
Competitive juniors and adults, college players, parents, college coaches, teaching pros, aspiring tour players.

Dick Gould link

As the legendary Stanford Women’s head coach with 10 national team championships and 22 combined national team, singles, and doubles championships, Frank Brennan is respected and often revered by his alumni players and fellow coaches.  His records and results at Stanford may never be equaled.  Frank’s outstanding programs were a fast track conduit to the WTA pro tour and successful coaching careers for many of his players during his 21 years at Stanford.

Viewing audience:
Competitive juniors and adults, college players, parents, college coaches, teaching pros, aspiring tour players.

During his tenure as President of the USTA Franklin Johnson established programs that has had a long lasting legacy for tennis in the United States.  His focus on the grass roots initiatives of community player growth in the Hispanic population and the more efficient use of the vastly underutilized tennis courts in the public parks has had a profound effect on American tennis.  Perhaps Franklin’s greatest tennis legacy as the USTA President is the creation of the country’s first sectional Tennis Service Representatives (TSR’s) for all 16 sections.  The TSR’s serve as an accessible tennis concierge for anyone wishing to get help or have a question about tennis where they live.  As a former player at UCLA under coach J.D. Morgan and with multiple gold balls to his name, Franklin’s tennis experience and business acumen has served Southern California and the United States well as he worked to promote and grow the game in the areas of junior, adult, and professional tennis.

Viewing audience:

Tennis pros, coaches, people wishing to become a professional in the industry. 

Jim Baugh was the leader and driving force behind Wilson’s rise to dominance in the 1990’s.  As the President of Wilson Sporting Goods, Jim took Wilson Tennis from a 13% global market share in 1990 to over 50% global market share in under ten years.  Under his leadership Wilson led the industry in innovative products, dealer distribution, and grass roots programming.  Among his many legendary business skills, perhaps his most enduring was the ability to recognize innovative technology that would be relevant to the times and have the passion and ability to drive it to market.  During his tenure as the head of Wilson Jim was widely recognized by the industry as one of the most important figures in tennis.

Viewing audience:

Anyone interested in making a living in the tennis industry and understanding how the tennis industry works.

Jim Loehr is the most requested and best known sports psychologist in the world.  He has worked with over 200 ATP and WTA tour pros.  If a player has won Grand Slam title or has been ranked #1 in the world, there is a good likelihood that he or she has worked with Jim Loehr.  Arthur Ashe called him, “The most important person in America in developing champion tennis players.”  Jim’s work goes beyond tennis as he has coached Olympic champions, top tour golf professionals, and multiple other athletes in different sports teaching mental toughness and peak performance.  Transcending sports, Jim’s system is used by FBI swat teams, the Navy Seals, Army Blue Angels, CEO’s and executives of Fortune 500 companies, NFL and NBA teams, and private individuals wishing to perform better under pressure.

Viewing audience:

Competitive players from juniors to tour, parents, coaches, teaching pros, anyone wishing to perform better under pressure

John Austin is the Director of Tennis at the Newport Hall of Fame.  His storied career in tennis includes multiple gold balls, an NCAA national championship at UCLA, a successful tour career with wins over top ATP players including John McEnroe, a Wimbledon mixed doubles title with sister Tracy, and traveling as a tour coach with Pete Sampras.  John is recognized in the industry as a consummate tennis professional having served as the director of tennis at elite clubs such as the PGA West in Palm Springs, CA.

Viewing audience:

Competitive players at all levels, parents, juniors, coaches, teaching pros.

John Embree is the CEO of the USPTA.  With his past work history and industry experience he is uniquely qualified for the position as he leads America’s largest and oldest tennis teaching pro association into the next decade.  John started his tennis career with the USTA, has been a teaching pro, and worked his way up the ladder at Wilson Sporting Goods where he became the General Manager and Global Director of the tennis division.  After Wilson John accepted the position as the President of Prince Manufacturing.  As the USPTA goes through sometimes radical and often controversial changes, John is at the helm guiding the 15,000 or so member trade association as it evolves into the envisioned financially efficient and productive entity that best serves its’ members.

Viewing audience:

Tennis pros, coaches, future tennis pros, industry professionals.  

Lynn Rolley is the Executive Director of Tennis at La Quinta Resort and Club in Palm Desert, CA.  At the time of this interview Lynn was the Director of Tennis at the Berkeley Tennis Club at the Claremont Hotel in Berkeley, CA.  As the former Director of the USTA Womens’ competitive player development program, she oversaw, managed, and coached American players such as Jennifer Capriati, Chanda Rubin, and Lyndsay Davenport.  Lynn has also been a successful College coach for both men and women, and as one of the most respected technicians and coaches in the game, she is a frequent contributor to the Tennis Channel and Tennis Magazine.

Viewing audience:

Tennis pros, coaches, competitive players, parents

Mike Wallace was the Global Sports Marketing Director and Global Tour Director for Wilson Sporting Goods Tennis for 24 years.  As the point person responsible for signing and managing on behalf of Wilson the iconic tour players such as Pete Sampras, Roger Federer, Lindsay Davenport, Venus and Serena Williams, Mike and Bob Bryan, and hundreds of other top touring pros, elite college players, and world ranked juniors, Mike was one of the most respected figures in the field of garnering top talent into the Wilson brand by both players and agents alike.  Besides his duties as the Global Tour Director, he was also responsible for creating and implementing U.S. sports marketing programs for the company during Wilson’s explosive growth in the 1990’s.

Viewing audience:

Anyone interested in knowing how the tennis machinery works in signing professional players and contract specifics.  Persons interested in working in the industry as an agent or rep.  Juniors and parents interested in a sponsorship with a tennis company.  

Cliff and Nancy Richey are one of the greatest brother/sister duo’s in the history of tennis.  Nancy won the French and Australian Open singles championships and was ranked number two in the World.  Cliff was generally accepted as one of the fiercest competitors on the pro tour reaching a U.S. national number one ranking and a year’s end number one ranking on the WCT pro tour.  Recently Cliff has done groundbreaking work in sharing with others his battle with clinical depression.  This is the first brother/sister interview of this kind that Cliff and Nancy have given in over 40 years.

Viewing audience:

Competitive players of all ages, college coaches, teaching pros, parents, tennis historians, people with an interest in help with depression.

Peter Burwash is the founder and CEO of PBI International, one of the oldest and most respected tennis management companies in the world managing over 50 global prestigious clubs and world class resorts.  A former tour player, he has played and taught tennis in 134 different countries and he offers insights and unique instruction to Tennis Magazine, and virtually every tennis venue in the industry.   His best selling book “Tennis for Life” has been translated into 5 different languages.  Peter took his tennis knowledge, contacts, and a small investment from a friend over 35 years ago to fulfill his vision of a tennis management company that would bring a unique combination of world class service and world class tennis instruction to qualified resorts and clubs around the world.  PBI and it’s pros have set the industry standard for excellence and Peter is one of the most respected and requested corporate speakers in the fields of leadership, motivation, business, tennis, and health and fitness.

Viewing audience:

Teaching pros, coaches, parents, competitive players, industry professionals 

PoJen Cheng is a master in tennis innovation.  As the head of product development (with Frank Garrett and Bill Severa) for Wilson Sporting Goods, PoJen helped lead the technology that propelled Wilson to global dominance in the 1990’s.  With his knowledge of carbon graphite material goods, structural manufacturing processes, and innovative design, PoJen helped Wilson bring to market the most unique and performance driven rackets in the tennis industry.  He currently works for TechniFibre as a consultant in new product development.

Viewing audience:

Tennis pros, industry professionals, coaches, competitive players wishing to personalize and custom design their rackets for better performance.

Robert Lansdorp is the legendary coach of iconic champions such as Tracy Austin, Pete Sampras, Lindsay Davenport, Maria Sharapova and dozens of other world-class winners.  Love him or not there is no denying his results in producing players who can execute on the world's greatest tennis stages.  Often controversial, perhaps the greatest testament to his coaching comes from his players who almost to a person give him credit for their success.  Robert does not compromise and for his players the demanding adherence to his fundamental principals of execution during his lessons makes playing for a Grand Slam title a much less daunting task.

Viewing audience:

Competitive players, parents, teaching pros, coaches

Stacy Margolin Potter was the best junior in America winning over 100 tournaments before attending USC. As a freshman All American she won the NCAA singles and returned for her sophomore year to help USC win the NCAA team championships before turning pro and joining the WTA tour. Stacy had a successful eight year career on the WTA tour with a top 20 world ranking. She now works as a certified integrative nutrition health coach and has a masters in clinical psychology. Currently Stacy is mentoring players transitioning from college to the pro tour and works with professionals in other walks of life. For eight years Stacy worked at the Rader institute specializing in helping clients with eating disorders.

Viewing audience:

Competitive juniors and adults, parents, teaching pros, coaches, anyone with an interest in optimum health and performance.

Learn more about Stacy Margolin.

Vic braden has been called the Father of American tennis instruction.  As a pioneer of modern tennis, Vic's influence has permeated almost every aspect of the game for the past 60 years.  Partnering with Jack Kramer Vic co-founded and promoted the first men's barnstorming pro tour.

His Tennis College at Coto De Caza set the standard for the adult recreational destination academys.  Vic's research in sport science made him one of the most colorful and knowledgeable television commentators in the game.  No one could show people how to improve and have fun in tennis better than Vic Braden and everyone who now teaches tennis in America has either directly or indirectly benefitted from Vic’s lifetime of work and owes him a heartfelt thank you.

Viewing audience:

Tennis pros, coaches, parents, competitive players, tennis historians

Wayne Bryan is considered by many to be the best tennis clinician in the game.  Combining his talents of music, tennis, and word crafting energy, he has mesmerized audiences in virtually every tennis venue and event throughout the world.  With his background as a teaching pro, Wayne and his wife Kathy (a former WTA touring pro) coached their twin boys Mike and Bob to become the greatest doubles team in the history of tennis.  As one of the most respected teachers of the game, Wayne garners respect and admiration from fellow teaching pros, tour pros, and college coaches.  Perhaps his greatest contribution to the game is his blueprint of how he and Kathy raised Mike and Bob to be winners in every aspect of life as chronicled in his book, “Raising Your Child to Be a Champion in Athletics, Arts, and Academics.”

Viewing audience:

Parents, juniors, competitive players, teaching pros, coaches, industry professionals