Majorie Muller creates community through tennis

From then on, Muller would grab her mom’s wooden racquet and go hit against the wall or find someone to hit with any chance she got. Eventually, her dad built a tennis court behind the barn where she would hit sometimes for six hours at a time.

Muller returned to the U.S. years later to attend Tyler Junior College, where she was coached by John Peterson. During her time there, the team won two national titles and Muller was named All-American in singles and doubles. After that, she played at Texas A&M University for two years under Bob Kleinecke.

Coaching was the next step for Muller after her college career and a few appearances in professional tournaments. She coached at Texas Tech University and Texas A&M for a few years before moving to Missouri for a change of pace. She immediately became a volunteer coach at the country club to stay involved with tennis.

She elected to change career paths and went back to school to become a nurse.

“I was probably the oldest in the class, graduated, worked for a little while as a nurse, teaching a little tennis here and there still,” Muller said.

About three months ago Muller got a call from the Country Club of Missouri asking if she had interest in the director of racquet sports position, which was an easy yes for her. Muller specifically talked about junior programs and the potential to grow them in the Columbia area as part of her decision to step back into the tennis world.

“Actually, before I took the job, I was walking my dog and I saw a piece of trash kinda blowing,” Muller said. “And I was like, ‘Oh, my god, who’s gonna pick that up?’ And then I realized you should pick it up. If you don’t pick it up, then the trash is just gonna blow. And then I was like, ‘Well, Majorie, why don’t you start the junior program again here in Colombia?’ I was hoping somebody would do it, but then I was realizing nobody’s gonna step up and do it. So I was like, ‘OK, I should just do it.’”

In this role, Muller is taking steps to make sure there are more opportunities for juniors to play tennis—including reaching out to the University of Missouri to discuss the possibility of youth days where kids can play with the team. This summer, she is hosting a Level 7 junior doubles tournament at the country club on June 8. The tourney will support St. Jude’s, and Muller plans to start smaller and grow it every year. Players can register for the tournament here.

Muller is also putting a focus on providing more opportunities for those who want to start their tennis journey as well as creating opportunities for established players in the area.

Outside of work, Muller is active in the tennis community supporting her daughter, who has also fallen in love with the sport. Most weekends she takes her daughter to play in USTA junior tournaments.

“I kind of see her development and I get to meet other people, which is really fun for me,” Muller said. “I see other parents doing the same thing and just giving their kids that opportunity.”