Talking Tennis Southern Style Ron Cioffi, USTA Southern, Senior Manager, Communications

 
In this episode, we sit down with Patricia Jensen, mother of four former professional tennis players, including 1993 French Open men’s doubles champions Luke and Murphy Jensen. Patricia shares her unique insights and experiences from transporting four children playing junior tournaments, where she put over 100K miles on her car one summer, to watching them play on the professional tour. Once dubbed the “matriarch of Atlanta’s No. 1 tennis family” by USTA Southern, she continues to volunteer in the tennis world by organizing the ball persons for the Atlanta Open and Georgia Tech. Listen in on her stories as a mother and being the number one fan of all of her tennis playing kids.

Current Tournament Director Peter Lebedevs and former TD Eddie Gonzalez explain how the Atlanta Open became the premier event in the local summer sports scene. Known for many years as the BB&T Atlanta Open and the Truist Atlanta Open, the city’s ATP tournament put down anchor in 2012 at the iconic Atlantic Station with its breathtaking cityscape. GF Sports & Entertainment brought in top-level support, raising the event to be coveted by both fans and players. Listen in on the conversation about great competition, including former Georgia Bulldog John Isner winning six championships.

As the Georgia capital says farewell to its most important pro tennis tournament – the Atlanta Open – we chat with the first two tournament directors. Bill Oakes, USTA Southern’s Director, Marketing & Sales in 2010, helped bring the tournament to metro Atlanta. Bob Bryant ushered in its move to Atlantic Station. Both reminisce about the joys and challenges of hosting an ATP tournament in the best tennis city in the country. Next week, we will interview the two tournament directors who have overseen the “mini US Open” for over a decade.

In this episode, we welcome two special guests: John Isner, the six-time Atlanta Open champion, and Martin Blackman, the USTA General Manager of Player Development. John discusses his upcoming exhibition match with Andy Roddick against the Bryan brothers, shares his experiences as a player in the Atlanta Open, and gives his insights on the future of tennis in Atlanta. Martin provides an in-depth analysis of Americans at Wimbledon, highlighting the top American players, including Southerners Coco Gauff, Emma Navarro, Tommy Paul, Ben Shelton, Christopher Eubanks and Alycia Parks.

Amy Brandon has the Lake Norman, N.C., tennis community hitting red balls on short tennis courts. As a pioneer for adults in metro Charlotte, she started the ServeAces Mini-Tennis Brewery League, which has grown to more than 500 players from 64 players since 2016. The Lake Norman Tennis Association Executive Director’s efforts align with the expanding USTA Adult Red Ball Tennis program. She says the goal is to bring tennis to adults in a non-threatening, easy-to-play environment with scoring and rules designed for 36' courts. List to how she’s transforming the tennis world, one beer at a time.

Five years ago, at the age of 10, Lex Stolle was diagnosed with high-risk acute lymphoblastic leukemia. He began a years-long series of chemotherapy treatments at Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center of Children’s in Atlanta. Now, his recovery includes tennis, a love he shares with his father. His talents in communication and inspiring hope in other cancer victims have led him to host a radio show on WSB on first Sunday of every month, 1-2 p.m., with assistance from the Children’s Health Care of Atlanta. He wants to have a career as a motivational speaker … and when you hear this podcast, you’ll see, he is definitely on his way!