Talking Tennis Southern Style

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.

Andrew Krasny is best known for his post-match interviews on court for Tennis Channel. This week he is the host and emcee of Credit One Charleston Open, a tournament he considers among the best in the world for featuring the brightest women’s stars in the game. Over his storied career, Krasny has been one of the faces you've seen at Indian Wells, the Miami Open and Cincinnati, connecting TV viewers with the world’s best tennis players.

The award-winning Cajun Classic Wheelchair Tennis Tournament, an international event with over 100 professional/recreational players and hundreds of spectators, does not happen without dedicated volunteers like Cathy Greene, of Lottie, Louisiana, She won the 2022 Marilyn Sherman Spirit Award. She always has a smile on her face and a positive attitude that lights up a room. Cathy also volunteers at the Hallowheel Tournament, working the tournament desk. Our second interview is with a leader who works the hard and achieves the most when no one is watching. She is University of South Carolina Club Tennis Vice President Crawford Latham. As winner of the 2022 Tennis On Campus Leader Award, she has made significant improvements to the team, including reorganizing all club tennis records and the club constitution. Along with the club president, she created plans to secure sponsorships. Our junior highlight is junior Lucy Lee, of Jackson, Miss. We also salute 2022 USTA Southern award winners: Adult Tournament of the Year, USTA Atlanta Combo Doubles (Atlanta, Ga., Maegan Kulich) and Jim Russell Junior Tournament of the Year, Southeastern Junior Team Championships (Auburn, Ala., Bret Peterson).

Through its long history and current program offerings, women continue to be a driving force within USTA Southern. We start with Jaime Kaplan, who rose to No. 91 in doubles on the WTA Tour and was inducted into the Southern Tennis Hall of Fame in 2020. She talks about her current role as Southern Tennis Foundation’s Director, Development & Operations, spreading the word about its giving back mission and raising funds. Maria Cercone heads up junior tennis for USTA Southern and discusses the new Playoff Series which provides opportunities for players of diverse backgrounds to earn a wild card for the $15K USTA Pro Circuit event in Huntsville, Alabama May 22-28. The Florida Tennis Hall of Famer explains how the series gives expanded opportunities to HBCU players. This episode spotlights the achievements of Raleigh, N.C.’s Gavin Goode, along with the 2022 Slew Hester Players of the Year Karen Rembert, of Raleigh, N.C. and Albert Lyle, from Jackson, Miss.

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.