US Open Juniors Episode 3: The Parents

Summary

The final installment of ParentingAces’ three-part 2025 US Open Juniors series features interviews with parents of top junior competitors. Four parents share their philosophies: Kanchan Joshi (mother of Wimbledon Junior finalist Ronit Karki), Courtney Hance (coach/mother of doubles champion Keaton Hance, with four D1 tennis-playing children), Cindy Johnson (mother of wild card quarterfinalist Andrew “Andy” Johnson), and Brian Kennedy (father of doubles champion Jack Kennedy). Their collective wisdom covers patience, coach trust, body protection, keeping it fun, navigating college recruiting, and the evolving NCAA landscape.

Guest Background

Kanchan Joshi — Mother of Ronit Karki (Wimbledon Junior finalist from qualifying). Daughter plays tennis at Rutgers (majoring in neuroscience). Husband understands tennis well but deliberately steps back from coaching.

Courtney Hance — Mother and coach, operates South Bay Tennis and Pickleball Center in SoCal with husband Ken. Four children (ages 28, 26, 22, 17), all D1 tennis scholarship recipients. Added pickleball during COVID.

Cindy Johnson — Mother of Andrew Johnson (US Open Junior QF as a wild card, age 16) and his twin brother Jet. Also has an older daughter (19) who was an elite gymnast until Legg-Calve-Perthes disease ended her career at 10. Father was a tennis teacher; Cindy was a junior player. Long-term coach relationship with “Vasile” since age 5.

Brian Kennedy — Father of Jack Kennedy (US Open Junior doubles champion with Keaton Hance). Non-tennis parent who leaves all tennis decisions to coach Greg and USTA’s Jose Caballero.

Key Topics

1. Patience as the master virtue (Joshi): Ronit’s patience through years without results — standing at the threshold, needing one step forward — is what ultimately produced his Wimbledon qualifying-to-final run. “We’re not losing if he’s smiling on the court.”

2. Enjoying competition over results (Joshi): The mindset shift from “stressed about getting into slams” to “just enjoy watching him compete” happened at the French Open when Ronit came through qualifying. Changed the entire family dynamic.

3. Personality-driven game building (Joshi): A coach identified her daughter as an aggressive player, explaining why early results were slow (more errors). Joshi wishes she had spent more time identifying personality-tennis style fit earlier. References Frank Giampaolo’s personality testing approach.

4. Fun first, results follow (Hance): Built the club program around positive reinforcement, music, prizes, birthday-party atmosphere. Never assumed kids would play tennis. Tried soccer, musical instruments, lacrosse. The passion emerged organically. “Once you find your passion, it paves you.”

5. The parent-coach boundary (Hance): Balancing coaching and mothering was “tricky” at certain ages. Knew when to pull in outside help (USTA, Jose Caballero). Son Connor (UCLA, coached by Billy Martin) told parents to leave him alone at 15-16, then begged mom to coach him from the back of the court at his first college match.

6. College fit over D1 obsession (Hance): “There’s a million schools.” D3, NAIA, walk-on roles all have value. Six kids placed as walk-ons who contributed to team GPA and culture. College recruiting starts junior year of high school.

7. Body protection as #1 priority (Johnson): At least two consecutive rest days per week (harder now). “If a child says something is hurting, even a little twinge, stop.” Coach Vasile shares this philosophy.

8. Finding the right technical coach (Johnson): Cindy found Vasile by asking an 18-year-old with beautiful strokes who her coach was, then pursued him for months. He said no twice (“too young”) before agreeing to see 4-year-old Andy. They’ve been together 10+ years.

9. Staying connected to school (Johnson): Kept Andy in home school district for dances, homecoming, prom, high school tennis. Online courses for flexibility but with NCAA-approved counseling. Socializing beyond tennis is essential.

10. Separation of coach and parent roles (Kennedy): “We leave all the tennis to Greg. We just parent.” Coach Greg and USTA’s Jose Caballero collaborate as a team. Parents don’t put added pressure — “they put enough pressure on themselves.”

11. Puberty gender differences (Joshi): Girls gain flexibility but lose strength after puberty, requiring more gym work. Boys lose flexibility but gain strength. Late-blooming boys can surge dramatically. Fitness becomes the primary differentiator at higher levels.

12. NCAA changes (Hance): New rules allowing 10 per team, evolving recruiting landscape. Junior college as a stepping stone to D1 via transfer portal is a viable strategy.

Actionable Advice for Families

• Be patient: Results come when the child is ready, not on the parent’s timeline. Patience from the child is more important than patience from the parent.
• Trust your coach completely: If parents doubt the coach, the child senses it and learning stops. Talk to the coach privately about concerns; don’t let doubt become visible.
• Protect the body above all: Build in rest days. Take every twinge seriously. Sleep is non-negotiable.
• Find a technical coach early and commit to the relationship. Research by watching the products of that coach’s work.
• Make it fun: Positive reinforcement, variety, multi-sport participation. Fun creates longevity.
• Keep school and social life in the picture: Tennis-only kids miss crucial developmental experiences.
• Don’t obsess over D1: There are paths at every level. Find the right fit for the whole person.
• Get out on the court with your child: Even non-tennis parents can hand-feed balls and share the experience.

INTENNSE Relevance

• Parent-coach trust framework: Multiple parents independently emphasize the same principle — trust the coach, step back, communicate privately. This is a core message INTENNSE can reinforce in family consultations.
• College pathway intelligence: Courtney Hance’s perspective on D3/NAIA/walk-on options and NCAA changes is actionable guidance for INTENNSE families navigating the recruiting landscape.
• Body protection protocols: Cindy Johnson’s “protect the body” philosophy, backed by her coach’s alignment, represents a best practice INTENNSE should formalize in player development frameworks.
• Personality-based development: The Giampaolo personality test reference and Joshi’s retrospective insight about matching game style to personality type is a tangible tool INTENNSE could adopt.
• Multi-kid family dynamics: Both Joshi and Johnson navigate having multiple children with different athletic trajectories — relevant to INTENNSE families managing resources across siblings.

Notable Quotes

“We’re not losing if he’s smiling on the court, and he knows he’s playing his best tennis in any given scenario.” — Kanchan Joshi

“If the parents trust the coach, the child can sense it. If the parents trust the coach, the child will surely trust the coach and learn from him. Any doubt in parents’ mind… will stop the child in believing what the coach is trying to teach. And then the learning stops.” — Kanchan Joshi

“First and foremost, focus on the love of tennis. If they don’t love it, then don’t force them to do it. They put enough pressure on themselves. Don’t put any added pressure on them.” — Brian Kennedy