In this episode of Coach Unboxed, Yannick chats with Kamau Murray, who is a major part of the trailblazing legacy of South Chicago tennis. They discuss Kamau’s early days choosing tennis over basketball, learning about college tennis and moving to NYC for a career in business.
Kamau talks about juggling different full-time jobs before focusing on the tour when he met Sloane Stephens. He also reflects on the importance of building trust with players and letting them lead, and emphasizes his passion for creating opportunities for minorities in tennis through his academy, XS Tennis, in the community he loves.
About Kamau Murray: Kamau is only the third African American to coach a pro to a Grand Slam title, in which he won with Sloane Stephens. A former Florida A&M student-athlete and MBA graduate, he led Sloane to the top 3 with 5 WTA titles and Monica Puig to the top 30. Kamau founded XS Tennis to guide underserved Chicago youth down a pathway to attaining a college tennis scholarship ($4.1M achieved), training more nationally ranked minority players than any other organization in the country.
Follow Kamau on Linkedin and Instagram.
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Production: Unbox Sports; Location: Embarc Collective; Music: BongÔMusics