For Tennis Parents by a Tennis Parent

Welcome to Season 10, Episode 11, of the ParentingAces Podcast, part of the Tennis Channel Podcast Network. This week, to further our observance of Women’s History Month, we chat with USTA Past President Katrina Adams about her life in tennis and her newest endeavor as the author of OWN THE ARENA: Getting Ahead, Making a Difference, and Succeeding as the Only One.

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Katrina Adams grew up in Chicago – the youngest of three children – with 2 older brothers. Her parents were both school teachers, so Katrina was brought up understanding the value of education. As such, after graduating high school at age 16, she accepted a tennis scholarship to Northwestern University before leaving after her sophomore year to pursue a professional tennis career, eventually becoming the first black – and youngest – president of USTA in 2015.

In this week’s episode, you’ll hear Katrina talk about her junior development process, her parents’ involvement in her tennis life, and how she has used the lessons learned along the way to become the successful player, coach, volunteer, board member, businessperson, and author she is today.

Katrina’s book is divided into 12 chapters which she calls her 12 Winning Match Points. From the book’s description on Amazon: As Adams shares a wealth of stories from her career and personal life, as well as insights from top tennis professionals, she provides invaluable information on meeting life’s tests both on the tennis court and off. Own the Arena offers fresh perspectives on having presence, being remembered, directing a conversation, and moving boldly in spaces where “you are the only one.” It also covers good sportsmanship—treating others with respect and being inclusive and open to diverse perspectives. Tennis is said to be 90 percent mental; this book shows how to take the elements of mental fortitude and use them to achieve greatness. By embracing and expressing one’s inner grace and humanity, Adams shows, you can own the arena.

For more information on Katrina, visit her website, katrinamadams.com. To purchase her new book, click here. (Note: ParentingAces may receive a small commission for purchases made through this link.)

As always, a big thank you to Morgan Stone, aka STØNE, for our intro and outro music this season. You can find more of his music at SoundCloud.com/stonemuzic. If you’re interested in House Music, please be sure to check out his social media channels on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

If you’re so inclined, please share this – and all our episodes! – with your tennis community. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or via your favorite podcast app. If you haven’t already, be sure to become a Member of ParentingAces by clicking here.