From Top 100 Pro to Event Leader: Grace Min on Transitioning into Tennis Management

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Racquet Fuel

Athlete+

62 episodes

1 week ago

Racquet Fuel provides insights into the best practices and innovations of racquets industry business leaders. Co-hosts Kim Bastable, Director of Professional Tennis Management at the University of Florida, and Simon Gale, Senior Director Racquet Sports Development at the USTA National Campus, help racquets leaders in your ability to grow the game and to improve the experiences you offer to both your staff and players by talking to industry leaders, including USTA executives, authors and innovators. If you are on a career path in racquet sports or already a racquets business leader and you want to stay up to date on ideas and innovations in racquets industry business and leadership, this podcast is for you. Presented by the Athlete+ Podcast Network at the University of Florida Institute for Coaching Excellence.

All content for Racquet Fuel is the property of Athlete+ and is served directly from their servers with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.

Tennis

Education,

Sports

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From Top 100 Pro to Event Leader: Grace Min on Transitioning into Tennis Management

Racquet Fuel

31 minutes

2 months ago

From Top 100 Pro to Event Leader: Grace Min on Transitioning into Tennis Management

What happens when a former top-100 player takes her competitive mindset and applies it to managing over 350 event days at the USTA National Campus? In this episode of Racquet Fuel, hosts Kim Bastable and Simon Gale sit down with Grace Min—a former WTA top-100 player who retired in 2024 and quickly transitioned into her role as Event Manager at the USTA National Campus. Grace shares how she’s adapted her player mindset into leadership, the surprising similarities between competing on tour and managing large-scale events, and what every director can learn about communication, adaptability, and feedback. Her story is both inspiring and practical for anyone managing programs, tournaments, or teams in racquet sports.

What You’ll Learn

Why adaptability—learned on tour—may be the most valuable skill in event management
How to balance fundamentals (scheduling, officiating) with “elevators” that make events memorable
The role of feedback loops and after-action reports in improving events year over year
The challenge of moving from giving feedback as a player to receiving it as a manager
Why effective communication is essential when leading high-performance teams
How mentorship and process-oriented thinking can help directors avoid burnout
Grace’s simple mantra for events (borrowed from her coach): Win the last point

Episode Highlights

Grace’s decision to pivot from playing to management after injury and why events, not coaching, felt like the right fit
The striking similarities between training for tournaments and planning events
Why the “pressure is a privilege” at the National Campus and how her team manages expectations
The unexpected joy Grace found in team camaraderie after years in an individual sport

Connect

Grace Min – LinkedIn
Hosts:
- Kim Bastable – LinkedIn
- Simon Gale – LinkedIn

Learn More & Get Certified

Racquet Fuel is powered by the University of Florida’s Director of Racquet Sports Certificate Program, the industry’s leading education for current and aspiring racquets leaders. Explore our self-paced online courses—Personal Brand Management, Operations & Programming, and Leadership & Finance—and join the next generation of directors shaping the future of the game.

👉 Learn More & Enroll Here