When Murphy Jensen got the call to be a coach for the Austin Capitals at the San Antonio International Team Tennis Championships, which will be held Friday through Sunday at the Freeman Coliseum, he didn’t hesitate to say yes.
Sure, he would be coaching Hall of Famers like Kim Clijsters and Gael Monfils as they faced off against John Isner, Victoria Azarenka and seven-time Grand Slam winner Venus Williams.
But that wasn’t the draw for him — note entirely. After suffering a cardiac arrest on the tennis court that left him unresponsive for 18 minutes almost two years ago to the day, the former Grand Slam doubles champion is more concerned with the opportunities the tournament provides to the San Antonio community.
“If I’m not giving, then I’m not living,” Jensen said. “I survived something harrowing a couple of years ago and I’m living on house money now. So, when I got the call to be a part of the San Antonio National Team Tennis Championships that’s doing so much good, it was a no-brainer.”
The tournament supports various nonprofits and foundations, including the Bush ACE Outreach Program at the Bush Tennis Center in Midland. Established in 2016, the Bush ACE Outreach Program strives to make tennis accessible to all, regardless of physical, financial or geographical barriers.
“(The tournament) is supporting and making the communities great and leveraging tennis to empower children and that is a winner for me. That’s why I think all the players are here,” Jensen said. “For me, it’s all about the Bush Ace Outreach Program, the people they serve and how they serve tennis education, and after school programs for anybody and everybody that needs it.”
The event will showcase two teams consisting of 10 ATP and WTA players, college players and top-ranked juniors from Texas.
“Every player that you’ll see, were handpicked,” Jensen said. “They have great resumes on a tennis court, but what makes this group unique is the resumes off the court and who they are as human beings.
“I was on the phone with Kim Clijsters, and she was in Luxembourg at the time and I said this is one you don’t want to miss because of the people in the organization, the city, the community, the benefactors and, most importantly, the children.”
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Throughout the weekend, the San Antonio Smash, led by Williams, Azarenka, John Isner, Bob Bryan and JJ Wolf, will compete against Jensen’s Austin Capitals, headed by Clijsters, Monfils, Peyton Stearns, Mike Bryan and Jack Sock.
“We’re going to have a lot of fun,” Jensen said. “It’s going to be extremely competitive because you don’t have their resumes as tennis players and not be competitive. So, it’s going to be a dogfight every single match, but it’s going to be so much fun to see them in a town that they typically don’t get to.”
In addition to the professionals, the tournament will feature college players from Baylor, Texas, Texas A&M, UTSA, UT-Permian Basin, Trinity and Southwestern plus top juniors from John Newcomb’s Tennis Ranch and Austin Tennis Academy.
“San Antonio has a rich tennis history, and we are excited to make this an annual event,” said Jenny Carnes, Executive Director of San Antonio Sports earlier this year. “The San Antonio International Team Tennis Championships will provide tennis fans the opportunity to see world class tennis at the only professional event in Texas to feature both top ranked men and women professionals.”