AAPI Feature: Steve Seo, wife and son enjoy improving, competing in tennis

Kang introduced Seo to tennis 11 years ago when he was about 32. Since moving to Springfield, Seo’s love of tennis has blossomed. He began playing in USTA Missouri leagues in 2021 and joined an 8.0 mixed doubles team alongside his wife two years ago.

Seo now captains both a 40 & Over 3.5 men’s team and a 40 & Over 4.0 men’s team. He recently qualified and competed in the 2024 NTRP National Championships in mixed doubles with Hee-Sun Kim.

“I’ve learned a lot from tennis,” Seo said. “It’s a lot of mentality involved. In the past, I played tennis just to win the game and have fun. As I play more and more, I realize it’s not all about the tennis. I have to spend my time and energy to improve my skill, and it’s not easy to improve. You have to change your form—ask the coach or my wife what I can do better. That’s not an easy process.”

Seo enjoys doubles and paired with Kim to earn qualification to the NTRP championships in the 4.0 Mixed 18 & Over Doubles division. Seo and Kim went 1-2 in pool play while in Surprise, Ariz. during the April 26-28 tournament.

Seo and Kim were two of nine USTA Missouri adult players to partake in a 2024 NTRP National Championship event, which were scattered throughout the country during the month of April. You can read more about the district’s strong participation numbers in the NTRP championships by clicking here.

Seo’s nationals appearance was his second, as he was a key member of a 40 & Over 7.0 mixed team captained by Kim that made a jaw-dropping run to USTA Nationals in 2022. You can read more about that USTA Missouri squad by clicking here.

“That was a really good experience,” Seo said. “At that time, we only had six team members. We had to play three courts in sectionals, and we had to play every single time. We made it to nationals, which was really cool.”

Upon seeing how much his USTA team captains “sacrificed their time”—as Seo put it—he decided to become a captain when a league coordinator asked him if he had interest in the role.

“Because I had been playing as a member for three years, I know how difficult it is,” Seo said. “I didn’t want to just take advantage of that. I want to sacrifice myself a little bit for others. Some other captains did that for me, too, so I thought it’s my time to do that for other people.”

Seo works in pain management and anesthesiology and has worked the last four years at Citizens Memorial Hospital in Bolivar. He is grateful Kang introduced him to tennis and for the time he and his wife spend playing the sport together with their son—even though that might mean Seo is soon the lowest-ranked player in the family.

“As I play tennis, I feel like I have become a better person,” Seo said. “Sometimes you have some anger issues. Overall, you become a better person in terms of mentality. And it’s a lifetime sport.”

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