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Tennis advocate of the year: Rex Maynard

Rex Maynard has helped tennis at nearly every level in the U.S. At the national level, he’s served on numerous USTA committees. Regionally, he’s been a member and the president of the USTA Southern Board of Directors. As president years ago, he helped bring pro tennis back to Atlanta with the BB&T Atlanta Open.

But nowhere has Maynard given more of his time than in his hometown of Belton, S.C., where he grew up and still lives. He voluntarily directs tournaments and has created new events to help attract more interest in tennis. He also volunteers and runs youth clinics. The countless hours Maynard has devoted to tennis make him Tennis Industry’s 2015 Tennis Advocate of the Year.

“I don’t know how he does it all,” says Chuck Waldron, a tennis coach in the area for more than 40 years. “The thing is, you never see him make a mistake.”

Maynard’s time-management skills are most tested during the Palmetto Championships, South Carolina’s state qualifier for boys and girls looking to play in the USTA National Championships. The tournament was started in Belton in 1957, and Maynard, then 10, played in it. In 1976, he started volunteering for the event, and a couple of years later, he was co-directing it.

Next year, Maynard will run the 60th Palmetto Championships. He says it’s the people he’s met who motivate him to give back. “I enjoy the people,” he says, “and I especially appreciate the friendships.” — Jonathon Braden

Tips for Success

• Follow the Golden Rule: Treat others like you want to be treated.
• Try to be fair in everything you do.
• Enjoy life, enjoy yourself and have fun. Don’t take things too seriously.
• Work hard.

From the January 2016 issue
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