At CourtMerch, we’re thrilled to bring you an interview with Carolyn and Erin, the duo behind the award-winning Second Serve podcast. These USTA 4.0 players share their incredible journey into the world of tennis, from Erin picking up a racquet for the first time at 40 to Carolyn navigating her way through adult rec tennis after transitioning from basketball. They’ve taken their love for the sport and turned it into an engaging and relatable podcast for adult rec players.
In this interview, Carolyn and Erin open up about the funny, inspiring, and sometimes downright surprising moments that come with tennis. (Fun Fact 💡: CourtMerch co-founders Carolynn and Amy were featured on two episodes of Second Serve! Check out Episode 224 and Episode 225).
What are your tennis backgrounds?
Carolyn: I mainly played basketball growing up and tried to continue that as an adult but kept getting hurt, so I realized I could no longer play a contact sport. My husband was playing tennis and encouraged me to play. I took a few lessons with a pro who told me to go practice with a group of 2.5 ladies. After the practice, I received a text from the captain saying there was no room for me on her team, so I got cut from a 2.5 adult rec team without realizing I was trying out. We did an episode on getting cut from rec teams!
Erin: I didn’t grow up playing tennis and never touched a tennis racquet until I was 40. I wanted to find a team sport, but, at my age, I felt like I was limited to tennis or golf. Thankfully, I picked tennis because sometimes it’s the only cardio workout I have time for!
Tell us about your podcast. Where did you get the idea for it? Where are you now and what are your plans for it?
Carolyn: I practiced corporate law for 10 years and thought I would start a podcast about legal matters but then realized that wouldn’t be as fun as discussing adult rec tennis. Most of the podcasts are about professional tennis or are hosted by experts who grew up playing the sport at a very high level. You can’t make up the funny stories that happen and the amazing people you meet playing tennis. Erin, one of those amazing people I met, thought it was a great idea and is an incredible graphic designer/marketing guru. She's a natural podcast host and has captained approximately 100 teams so always has a funny story.
Erin: The podcast was all Carolyn's idea. I got involved for a few reasons. First, as a graphic designer, I didn't like the logo Carolyn had originally created for Second Serve so I asked if I could re-design it for her. I also started the social media and newsletter accounts for Second Serve because I knew the podcast needed a social presence to market the weekly episodes.
Also, talking to people comes naturally to me. I think I became a "regular" after about five episodes. Carolyn and I think very differently and have opposite skill sets. Our partnership works really well because of that. We were working so well as a team that we decided to become business partners in the podcast.
We love your rules card. What inspired it?
Carolyn: We have been on the court a number of times and didn’t know the rule for a certain situation and it can be frustrating. The USTA's Friend at Court handbook is helpful but not many people read it, and there is a lot of gray area or it depends on the judgment of the other player. We have done a number of episodes on rules for situations that happened on the court to us and there is a rule we should have used. Erin made an easy to read rules card that hopefully will help others and decrease a few arguments (fingers crossed)!
Erin: We have given them out to people we've played and put them in goodie bags at State Championships so we've grown our listenership with it. We talk a LOT about rules on the podcast [including in Episode 221: Tennis Rules for Rec Players] so we thought having a rules card would be a great thing for tennis players to keep in their bags and also is a great way to build branding for the podcast.
You're both 4.0 USTA players. What's your secret to winning matches?
Erin: My biggest strength is not consistency which you need to win matches. I think over time, I have become a lot more mentally fit and gotten better at strategy. I think that's what keeps me at the 4.0 level. I'm pretty sure I'll never make it to 4.5, but I really like playing tough and competitive matches at 4.0 where I'm about "middle of the road" for my rating.
Carolyn: Is there a secret? If so, please tell me! I think finding the right doubles partners for you is important, or at least someone you can laugh with on the court and won’t tell you to hold your line.
What's been your coolest tennis experience?
Erin: This is an easy one! Carolyn and I were invited to sit in the USTA President's Box at the US Open in 2022. We had already planned our trip to New York and I was watching all the matches on tv and when I saw Serena win in the second round, I knew we were going to see her play the night we would be in Arthur Ashe Stadium! We also got to interview Mike McNulty, the USTA President at that time, before dinner and tennis that evening. We were exhausted after being at the US Open all day and night but knew we would never have that kind of experience again so we stayed until about 1:30am soaking up all the fun. It was a magical experience!
Carolyn: Definitely what Erin said! The other cool thing is that we sometimes receive notes from listeners that make our day. One listener said she played in college and was lonely but listening to us made her less lonely because we reminded her of how her mother and her would discuss tennis. Another listener joined Tennis for Life (a group for breast cancer survivors) after listening to our episode about it. We also get to meet the most amazing people doing cool things through tennis like the incredible CourtMerch ladies!
You have interviewed so many great tennis players! Tell us about a memorable piece of advice one of your podcast guests offered on your show.
Erin: We have gotten so much out of interviewing tennis players. I don't know that I could come up with a single piece of memorable advice but I know that everyone has a great tennis story whether they think so or not. I know by recording so many episodes I don't take tennis as seriously as I did when I first started. It's wildly important in my life but I have realized after talking to so many players that the most important thing is to have fun.
Carolyn: I feel like I have learned so much from our incredible guests. Mark Dillon, who used to be the President of USTA NC, mentioned tennis is really about the people and how great people you meet through the sport are. At the time I didn’t think much of it but a few months later I was diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer. I could not have gotten through it without Erin and my incredible tennis tribe.
You both have CourtMerch Out Here Having a Ball Courtney tees. What do you think of this shirt?
Erin: As a designer, I LOVE that you have a mascot named Courtney! It makes me smile every time I say it.
Carolyn: Fun on a shirt! And I know I won’t get in a fight on the tennis court with it on.