Grant Chen Interview: Former Asst. Head Coach UCLA Men's Tennis now SMU Head Coach, Asian Heritage, Roger Federer knows his name! Do you?

Tennis PAL Chronicles

For the final three seasons at UCLA, Chen has served as Associate Head Coach, and, prior to that, he served as Assistant Coach for three years. During Chen's six seasons on Martin's coaching staff, the Bruins registered a 149-28 record (.842) and reached the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Championships five times. This past season, UCLA posted its third semifinal-round appearance of the stretch and totaled 30 wins for the first time in Martin's tenure. The Bruins also collected four Pac-12 regular-season titles and three tournament trophies during Chen's time on staff.

Chen got his start with the Bruins as a student manager in 2001, as he played a pivotal role in the organization and growth of Martin's annual on-campus summer camp while fulfilling necessary off-court duties. The Bruins captured the NCAA title in 2005, Chen's penultimate year in the role. Chen's jack-of-all-trades skillset resulted in his hiring as Director of Operations upon his graduation from UCLA in 2006. He handled logistics, travel, equipment and management of all home events, including ITA Kick-Off Weekend, NCAA Regionals and the Southern California Intercollegiate Championships.

A fixture in the tennis community both at home and abroad, Chen currently serves on the board of directors for ITA and USTA Southern California. A busy summer 2017 saw Chen guide Team Southern California to the title at the USTA Boys National Team Championships in Champaign, Ill., before leading Team USA and the mixed doubles duo of Bruins Jada Hart and Logan Staggs to a bronze medal at the 29th Summer Universiade in Taipei. Chen briefly ventured into a role with Pure Sports Management in 2007, but maintained his ties to UCLA as head coach of its club tennis team.

Tennis PAL Chronicles is a tennis podcast to feed your passion for the game! We are tennis fans that interview tennis professionals and discuss tips, news, and reviews for your tennis obsession. Our global Fan Favorite reports are created by passionate fans who share news about their favorite players. Host Phillip Kim is the Tennis Pro at the historic Langham Huntington in Pasadena as well as the Director of Tennis for the City of Azusa and an avid player and coach. Visit tennispal.com to download the tennis app everyone is talking about and access the show notes! Send an email to [e-mail] for more information. Download from iTunes here Thanks for recommending and listening!