In Episode 12 of The Serving the Future Show, hosts Ryan Redondo and Steve Adamson sit down with rising professional tennis player Trevor Svajda to explore his unconventional journey from growing up in San Diego to becoming the No. 1 ranked college tennis player in the country and turning professional.

Trevor shares how his family's unique approach to tennis shaped his development. Rather than chasing junior rankings and traveling to countless tournaments, Trevor and his older brother, Zachary Svajda, focused on practice, fundamentals, and developing a genuine love for the game under their father's guidance.

One of the most surprising parts of Trevor's story is his decision to step away from serious tennis training to pursue competitive Fortnite. After several years focused on gaming, Trevor recommitted to tennis at 16, eventually reaching the Kalamazoo National Championships final and earning an opportunity to play at Southern Methodist University (SMU).

In this episode, they discuss:

• Why Trevor and Zachary followed an unconventional path through junior tennis
• How his parents balanced sacrifice, support, and allowing their sons to develop at their own pace
• Why Trevor spent several years pursuing competitive Fortnite
• What motivated him to return to tennis and pursue the sport at a higher level
• His journey from a challenging first college season to becoming the No. 1 ranked NCAA singles player
• How college tennis prepared him for the professional tour
• Why Trevor focuses on daily improvement rather than rankings and results

Trevor also shares his perspective on the changing landscape of college tennis, the challenges young players face, and why he no longer sets traditional outcome-based goals.

From competitive gaming to the top of college tennis, Trevor's journey is a reminder that there is no single path to success. Through family support, patience, hard work, and a love for the game, his story offers valuable lessons for young athletes, parents, and coaches alike.

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 11, hosts Ryan Redondo and Steve Adamson take a closer look at one of the most important decisions a parent can make in a young athlete’s journey: choosing the right coach. Drawing from their experiences as players, coaches, and parents, Ryan and Steve discuss what separates a great coach from a good instructor and why the person guiding a young athlete can have an impact that extends far beyond the tennis court.

Ryan and Steve explain that great coaching is about much more than forehands, backhands, technique, or credentials. The best coaches care about their players, understand how to develop them over time, build trust, and create an environment where athletes feel empowered to grow. They also discuss why the relationship between a player and coach can influence a young athlete for years to come.

The conversation then turns to what parents should actually look for when evaluating a coach. Ryan and Steve discuss the importance of character, communication, development, trust, coaching style, and finding the right personality fit for each individual athlete. They also explain why a highly credentialed coach isn’t necessarily the right coach for every player and why the relationship itself can matter more than a résumé.

In this episode, they explore:

✅ What parents should look for when choosing a coach
✅ Why a coach’s influence extends beyond teaching tennis
✅ Why caring and character can matter more than credentials
✅ The importance of trust between the player, coach, and parent
✅ How the right coach can help develop both the athlete and the person
✅ Why the best coach for one player may not be the best coach for another
✅ The difference between transformational and transactional coaching
✅ When bringing in a specialized or additional coach can help
✅ Why too many coaching voices can become confusing for young athletes
✅ The importance of having a long-term development plan
✅ How a coach’s personality and coaching style should fit the individual player
✅ Why the culture and environment surrounding a coach matter
✅ How involved parents should be in their child’s development
✅ Why young athletes need opportunities to struggle, fail, and solve problems on their own
✅ How parents, players, and coaches can communicate more effectively
✅ When it may be time to change coaches
✅ Why losing matches doesn’t necessarily mean a player needs a new coach
✅ Why parents should look for a mentor, not just an instructor

Ryan and Steve also discuss the role parents play in the player-coach relationship. While parents make enormous sacrifices to support young athletes, they explain why there also needs to be room for players to develop independence, experience failure, and learn how to solve problems on their own. Open communication between the parent, player, and coach can help everyone understand their role while keeping the athlete’s long-term development at the center of the process.

The conversation also tackles one of the most difficult questions for families: when is it time to change coaches? Ryan and Steve explain why a few bad results shouldn’t automatically lead to a coaching change and why development can sometimes require temporary struggles. Instead, parents should pay attention to whether the coach still believes in the player, cares about their development, communicates openly, and remains invested in helping them reach their goals.

Ultimately, Ryan and Steve return to a simple idea: choose character over credentials and look for a mentor, not just an instructor. The right coach should care, build trust, understand development, and help guide a young athlete both on and off the court.

Whether you’re a parent searching for the right coach, a young athlete navigating your development, or a coach looking to make a greater impact, this episode offers an in-depth look at the relationships, trust, communication, and environment that can shape an athlete’s journey for years to come.

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 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.

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.