In Episode 10, hosts Ryan Redondo and Steve Adamson welcome Billie Jean King, one of the most influential figures in the history of tennis and sports. A 39-time Grand Slam champion and trailblazer for women’s sports, she joins the show during the Billie Jean King Girls Nationals at Barnes Tennis Center to reflect on her journey, the lessons tennis has taught her, and the advice she hopes the next generation will carry forward.

Billie Jean King reflects on watching today’s junior players compete and remembering what it was like to be their age. Despite eventually becoming one of the greatest players in tennis history, she shares that she never won a junior national title and understands firsthand the pressure young athletes experience. She explains why pressure can be a privilege and why staying focused on the process is so important when competing in big moments.

The conversation then turns to her beginnings on the public courts of Long Beach, where free access to tennis helped change the course of her life. Billie Jean King recalls earning the money for her first racket, the coaches and community members who supported her development, and the role her parents played in teaching her responsibility, determination, and belief in herself.

In this episode, they explore:

✅ What the Billie Jean King Girls Nationals means to her
✅ Why pressure is a privilege and how young athletes can handle big moments
✅ The importance of staying in the process and learning to “go slow to go fast”
✅ Why watching the ball all the way to the contact point matters
✅ How her parents helped develop her competitive mindset and belief in herself
✅ Growing up in an era when girls were discouraged from participating in sports
✅ The impact of her first coach, Clyde Walker, and free public tennis in Long Beach
✅ Why young athletes should only play if they truly love the game
✅ How training in Australia helped her become the No. 1 player in the world
✅ Why relationships are everything in sports and life
✅ Why tennis should be promoted as both a team and individual sport
✅ Earning the money to buy her first tennis racket
✅ Why understanding the history of tennis can help shape the future of the sport
✅ The three life lessons Billie Jean King believes everyone should carry with them
✅ Why tennis teaches responsibility, problem-solving, concentration, and resilience
✅ Her message to young people: believe in yourself and define yourself

Billie Jean King also shares three principles developed through years of observing people: relationships are everything, keep learning and keep learning how to learn, and be a problem solver and an innovator. She explains how these lessons extend far beyond the tennis court and can help people throughout every stage of life.

Ryan, Steve, and Billie Jean King also discuss the importance of making tennis accessible, the value of team environments for young players, learning from the history of the sport, and the responsibility athletes develop through competition. She reflects on the people and opportunities that helped shape her career and why creating those same opportunities for future generations remains so important.

The episode closes with a powerful message from Billie Jean King to young people: go for it, believe in yourself, and don’t let others define you. You define yourself.

Whether you’re a player, parent, coach, sports fan, or someone pursuing a goal of your own, this episode offers a rare conversation about competition, opportunity, relationships, responsibility, and the lessons that helped Billie Jean King change tennis and sports forever.

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Hosted by Ryan Redondo and Steve Adamson and recorded at the Barnes Tennis Center, home of Youth Tennis San Diego.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review the podcast. Your support helps us reach more players, parents, coaches, and fans across the racquet sports community.

In Episode 9, hosts Ryan Redondo and Steve Adamson welcome James McKie, Director of College and Pro Player Development at UTR, to discuss player development, college tennis, the role of UTR, and why ratings and rankings should never become more important than the process of becoming a better player. James McKie brings a unique perspective shaped by his journey from Scotland to Division I college tennis, 12 years of college coaching, and his current role helping connect collegiate and professional player development at UTR.

James McKie reflects on beginning tennis at four years old in Scotland, including being coached by Judy Murray, before eventually coming to the United States to play at Drake University. He shares how his experiences as a player shaped his approach to development, including one lesson he wishes he had understood earlier: the importance of truly believing in yourself and developing the confidence to compete against anyone.

The conversation then turns to James McKie's coaching career at Fresno State, Tulane, and Tennessee and the environments that help players develop. James McKie explains why athletes need to become comfortable being uncomfortable, why coaches shouldn't make everything easy for their players, and why competing, relationships, character, and enjoying the game are critical parts of long-term development.

In this episode, they explore:

✅ Growing up playing tennis in Scotland and being coached by Judy Murray
✅ Playing Division I college tennis at Drake University
✅ Why James McKie wishes he had believed in himself more as a player
✅ How confidence, competitiveness, and environment shape player development
✅ Coaching at Fresno State, Tulane, and Tennessee
✅ Why players need to become comfortable being uncomfortable
✅ The importance of making tennis challenging while keeping the game fun
✅ Why parents need to trust the coaches and environments they choose for their children
✅ How UTR is being used throughout junior, collegiate, and professional tennis
✅ How the changing landscape of college tennis is affecting junior players and recruiting
✅ Why young players should use increased competition for college roster spots as motivation
✅ How the UTR Pro Tennis Tour can help aspiring professionals develop through meaningful match play
✅ Why players and parents shouldn't obsess over their UTR rating
✅ Why character can sometimes tell coaches more about a player than rankings or ratings

James McKie also offers a particularly important message for players and parents: stop checking the number all the time. While UTR can provide an accurate benchmark of a player's level, James McKie argues that development should remain focused on environment, coaching, competition, enjoyment, and consistently showing up to improve.

The episode closes with a powerful example from James McKie's recruiting career about taking a chance on a player because of his character rather than simply his rating. That player entered Tennessee as a 12.1 UTR and eventually developed into a 14.5-level player ranked around No. 200 in the world.

Whether you're a junior tennis player, parent, coach, college athlete, or aspiring professional, this episode offers an inside look at what ratings can tell you, what they can't, and why the person and player you become matters more than the number next to your name.

Connect with The Serving the Future Show

Follow us for clips, behind-the-scenes content, guest highlights, and conversations about tennis, pickleball, padel, athlete development, and the future of racquet sports.

Instagram: @servingthefutureshow
X: @TSTF_Show
TikTok: @servingthefutureshow
Facebook: Serving the Future Show
YouTube: @ServingtheFutureShow

Hosted by Ryan Redondo and Steve Adamson and recorded at the Barnes Tennis Center, home of Youth Tennis San Diego.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review the podcast. Your support helps us reach more players, parents, coaches, and fans across the racquet sports community.

In Episode 8, hosts Ryan Redondo and Steve Adamson welcome the show’s first professional pickleball guest, Jay Devilliers, a professional pickleball player, former APP Tour No. 1, and Major League Pickleball athlete. Jay shares his journey from growing up in France and pursuing a career in professional tennis to becoming one of the top players in professional pickleball.

Jay reflects on growing up as the youngest of seven children in an intensely competitive family, choosing tennis over soccer at age 14, and leaving France to train at a tennis academy in Spain. He discusses how different training environments shaped him as an athlete, the injuries that changed his tennis career, and his eventual move to the United States to play Division I college tennis at Wichita State.

The conversation then turns to the unexpected opportunity that introduced Jay to pickleball. After college, Jay accepted a job as a pickleball director despite having never played the sport. As pickleball began to grow, he discovered an opportunity to revive his dream of becoming a professional athlete and took a chance on pursuing the sport full-time.

In this episode, they explore:

✅ Growing up in France as the youngest of seven children in an extremely competitive family
✅ Choosing between high-level soccer and tennis at just 14 years old
✅ Leaving home to train at a tennis academy in Spain and developing a "warrior" mentality
✅ How injuries changed his path toward becoming a professional tennis player
✅ The decision to come to the United States and play Division I college tennis at Wichita State
✅ How college tennis improved his doubles game and helped prepare him for pickleball
✅ Taking a job as a pickleball director before he had ever played the sport
✅ Why Jay decided to gamble on professional pickleball while the sport was still developing
✅ How his tennis background, preparation, and competitive mindset gave him an edge in professional pickleball
✅ Why Jay is willing to do whatever it takes to compete and win
✅ The importance of parents understanding what their children truly want from sports
✅ Why every young athlete has their own path to development and success

Ryan, Steve, and Jay also discuss the differences between tennis development in France, Spain, and the United States, what it takes to create a professional mindset, and how the competitive landscape of pickleball has evolved. Jay shares his perspective as both a professional athlete and a parent, emphasizing the importance of supporting young athletes without trying to live your own dreams through them.

Whether you're a tennis or pickleball player, parent, coach, or sports fan, this episode offers a fascinating look at competition, development, adaptability, and what can happen when one athletic dream leads to an entirely new opportunity.

Connect with The Serving the Future Show

Follow us for clips, behind-the-scenes content, guest highlights, and conversations about tennis, pickleball, padel, athlete development, and the future of racquet sports.

Instagram: @servingthefutureshow
X: @TSTF_Show
TikTok: @servingthefutureshow
Facebook: Serving the Future Show
YouTube: @ServingtheFutureShow

Hosted by Ryan Redondo and Steve Adamson and recorded at the Barnes Tennis Center, home of Youth Tennis San Diego.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review the podcast. Your support helps us reach more players, parents, coaches, and fans across the racquet sports community.