San Diego Open Q&A with Tournament Director Ryan Redondo
Ryan Redondo’s San Diego tennis roots go deep.
The Tournament Director was born and raised in a storied tennis family, with his father serving as head coach at San Diego State University and many Redondo family members playing on the professional circuit.
Redondo himself played junior tennis and was a member of the US national team, travelling the world as a junior. He earned his degree at San Diego State University, where he also worked as an assistant coach.
He currently serves as CEO/GM of the Youth Tennis San Diego/Barnes Tennis Center and as Tournament Director of the San Diego Open WTA 500.
On his transition from coach to Tournament Director
I became the Director of Tennis and Head Men's Coach at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California, and from there I got to do a lot of diverse tennis events and programs. I had a blank canvas and an amazing athletic director, named Ted Leland that really helped craft my philosophy as a coach, entrepreneur, and community member.
For example, we received a large USTA National grassroots grant when I started to implement Tennis in the City of Stockton at elementary schools. In a city that wasn't known for tennis, I started to see how community tennis was the foundation to all aspects of the sport and industry. Ted would challenge the coaches - he would always say: ‘You've got to be more than a coach.’
I believe those influential times in Stockton prepared me for my current position as CEO and General Manager of Youth Tennis San Diego/Barnes Tennis Center.
“Our ambition is to make San Diego Tennis the mecca of tennis in the US and in the world.”
On why San Diego is so special for tennis
I’m biased. My family got started in tennis and there’s a rich history of tennis champions here plus great Parks and Recreational grassroots tennis, like Balboa Tennis Club in Balboa Park. Balboa (or Morley Field as many locals know it) was a tennis hotbed in the 1970s. It had a thriving tennis culture.
When I was hired in 2020 during Covid, it was an opportunity to say, ‘Okay, what's San Diego tennis capable of?’ The Barnes Tennis Center was built in 1995 and the founders must have been big dreamers, because it was built in a way that you could host large scale junior, collegiate, and pro events.
The #betteratbarnes experience is our mission as a professional tournament. We have great leaders behind the events, such as Jack McGrory and Bill Kellogg. Both of these gentlemen share in our belief that tennis inspires our youth to dream and provides adults physical, mental, and social benefits and connects a community.
And since my hiring, we’ve had our first ITF junior event in the city of San Diego, the first ever ATP event, plus the WTA event and many junior, collegiate (the ITA Fall National Men’s and Women’s National Championships), and adult competitive and recreational national events . We run over 50 tournaments a year, including the gem of girls’ tennis in America, the USTA Billie Jean King Girls’ 18s and 16s National Championships.
“When the ATP or WTA ask you ‘What is your court surface?’ and you say Laykold, there’s instantly credibility and respect there.”
On how he measures tournament success
In January 2022 we initiated the JUMP Program, which stands for Junior Underwriting Tournament Master Plan. This program provides tennis tournaments at no cost for the kids. We measure success by serving our kids and growing the game locally – last weekend had about 300 kids playing entry-level tournaments.
As well as supporting youth tennis there are many other things we must work on. We have to constantly question and measure/scale every component of the organisation and make sure we are being responsible and abiding by our mission. For instance, are we successful financially? Are we retaining and recruiting new sponsors? Are we creating great partnerships, like with Laykold? It's all interconnected or interdependent. The tennis industry is truly a small world.
On the challenge of running back-to-back ATP and WTA events
I’m the CEO of the organization and the Tournament Director, so one of the challenges is making sure that you're ‘keeping the lights on’ and keeping staff, customers, and our participants happy.
San Diego is a tourist city, so running events in September and October is very difficult for various reasons. For example, booking hotels, rental cars, etc. are all a part of the tournament’s responsibilities so this year was especially challenging. To book hotels and to provide everything a tour-level event needs, you can’t just make a call. You must work really hard to get the best experiences for the players and for the tour.
It’s challenging to run two tournaments in one month, but the opportunities and the experiences make it all worthwhile.
On what he looks for in a court surface
We had to trust the surface for tennis at the highest level, and regular day-to-day use. We are a community facility but we also have 40-plus tournaments a year, so we must trust that the surface will be excellent and consistent all the time.
When the ATP or WTA ask you ‘What is your court surface?’ and you say Laykold, there's instantly credibility and respect there.
So, when you look at a company as a partner, especially with something as important as courts, it comes down to trust. And with Laykold, we know we can trust the surface, the materials, and the company.
His favourite memory at San Diego
It’s always the ball kids, because a lot of them are from our programs. So, when you’re on the side-lines, or talking to the parents, or after a match, and you see the glow in their eyes – it’s very rewarding. My passion is growing the love of the sport for kids and families.
And of course, Brandon Nakashima winning his first title in San Diego, at home. I know how many hours of tennis he played on center court as a kid. Plus, his long-time coach, Angel Lopez, is a board member here. This interconnection makes those experiences so great.
On his ambitions for the future
One of my first goals was to renovate and modernize the facility – we’re in the thick of that right now. Our ambition is to make San Diego Tennis the mecca of tennis in the US and in the world.
We're doing a good job of that by providing for every level and every age group. We have adult national championships, NTRP, National Championships – everything you can think of is here in San Diego. And ultimately, we’re growing our outreach program. The Kathy Chabot Willette After School Tennis program is where we really believe our impact is greatest