Coach Unboxed

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. Subscribe to Coach Unboxed and leave your rating and comment! Full episodes on ⁠Spotify⁠, Apple Podcasts and ⁠YouTube⁠.  Follow Unbox Sports on social media for Coach Unboxed highlights: ⁠Instagram⁠, ⁠LinkedIn⁠, ⁠X⁠ and at ⁠unboxsports.com⁠. Production: Unbox Sports; Location: ⁠Embarc Collective⁠; Music: ⁠BongÔMusics

In this episode of Coach Unboxed, Yannick chats with Wim Fissette, one of the most accomplished active coaches on the professional tennis tour. They discuss Wim's journey from being a player in Belgium to Kim Clijsters' hitting partner and eventually a multi Grand Slam winning coach. Wim shares insights on methodologies, the evolution of coaching and the challenges behind the job. He also reflects on the day-to-day life of a coach, as well as the need for support among peers in the tennis community. About Wim Fissette: Now coaching Iga Świątek, the Belgian has been coaching on the WTA Tour for 15+ years and has won six Grand Slam championships as a coach. Wim has been previously trusted by five former #1 players: Naomi Osaka, Victoria Azarenka, Angelique Kerber, Simona Halep and Kim Clijsters, among other champions. He is also a two-time Olympic coach and captain of Team Belgium in the Billie Jean King Cup. Wim is a proud husband and father of two. Follow Wim on Instagram and Linkedin.  Subscribe to Coach Unboxed and leave your rating and comment! Full episodes on ⁠Spotify⁠, Apple Podcasts and ⁠YouTube⁠.  Follow Unbox Sports on social media for Coach Unboxed highlights: ⁠Instagram⁠, ⁠LinkedIn⁠, ⁠X⁠ and at ⁠unboxsports.com⁠. Production: Unbox Sports; Location: ⁠Embarc Collective⁠; Music: ⁠BongÔMusics; Photo: Felipe Figueiredo

Welcome to Coach Unboxed! Founding partners Yannick Yoshizawa and Flavia Araujo chat about meeting each other through tennis, how Unbox Sports was created, what they have learned alongside coaches and their aspirations for the agency and podcast. About Unbox Sports: The agency is elevating professional tour tennis coaches to help them reach their true potential both on and off the court. Unbox Sports’ future is dedicated towards creating a more sustainable workplace for coaches via brand building, content exposure, contract negotiations, commercial investment and much more. Subscribe to Coach Unboxed and leave your rating and comment! Full episodes on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and YouTube. Follow Unbox Sports on social media for Coach Unboxed highlights: Instagram, LinkedIn, X and at unboxsports.com. Production: Unbox Sports; Location: Embarc Collective; Music: BongÔMusics; Photo: Felipe Figueiredo