Megan Kovacs Thrilled to Rejoin USTA St. Louis

“She is friendly, funny and a super hard worker,” Vassar said. “She’s smart, detail-oriented and task- oriented. Megan is upbeat and very approachable. … We are delighted to have Megan joining and are confident she will do wonderful work as executive director.”

Kovacs previously worked as USTA St. Louis adult league coordinator from 2016 to 2019 until family obligations required her to step away from the role. She moved to California for a stretch and took on a remote full-time corporate position in the clinical research organization industry. Kovacs returned to St. Louis and remained in that sector until she discovered the ED position was open.

“It’s one of those things, some might call it fate. I didn’t have designs on the job back in 2019” Kovacs said. “Mary was here doing a great job, and the position wasn’t coming open any time in the near future. 

“It seems like a natural evolution to start in the district cutting your teeth on a more specific role before overseeing all the different programming and responsibilities. Having that experience already and having been involved in a lot of district activities, stepping into this role didn’t seem out of my wheelhouse.”

Kovacs said she greatly missed regularly interacting with the St. Louis tennis community during her time in California and throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. An avid player who unearthed the sport later in life, Kovacs has competed in tennis the past 20 years. She began partaking in a USTA day league in 2013, and things snowballed from there.

“The game just pulls you in,” Kovacs said. “One day you pick up a racquet and hit with a friend, maybe take a lesson or two, find some games to play and it snowballs from there. Before you know it, you are hooked. Some days are good, some not so good. It can be frustrating sometimes and after leaving the court you think ‘I should really quit. Why do I play this game?’ And then you’re not even to your car and someone calls out, ‘Hey, can you play Thursday?’ And you holler back, ‘Yeah!’ It’s a very addicting game.”

Kovacs listed a multitude of reasons she loves the game of tennis and has been repeatedly drawn to it, chief among them the social component of meeting teammates and opponents. She enjoys the shared experience of competing while having fun on the court.

“It’s also a sport you can pick up at any age,” Kovacs said. “You see 2-year-olds holding a racquet. And then you’ve got my mother who is 86 years old. She still plays four to five days a week, and she is good. It keeps you young. It’s a sport for a lifetime.

“There are always people willing to play who are at your proper level, so you’re not getting walloped by somebody every time which can take the fun out of it. There is always a place for you in tennis, regardless of your age or skill.”

Kovacs said she relished her tenure as USTA St. Louis adult league coordinator and is happy to engage with the local tennis populace once again in the ED role. She will be responsible for such entities as adults, juniors, tournaments and community, and she’s excited to take on the challenge. The grants program in particular is an area she’s looking forward to supporting.

“I love the grants program and the fact we can bring tennis to more people through it,” she said. “There can be a bit of a cost barrier sometimes to play the sport, but it actually is more accessible than people might think. 

“You can pick up a used racquet at a yard sale, or through one of the many community tennis associations in our district and go hit the ball at a local public park to get started. If you want to play, there are many avenues to get involved. We never want to see cost be the reason people don’t play. Working on continuing to grow awareness that tennis is available to everyone in all walks and stages of life is something I look forward to fostering.”

Kovacs talked about USTA St. Louis already having a strong foundation in place developed by her predecessors, and she’s looking forward to building upon that. She said as the sport of tennis continues its evolution, she and the district will likewise need to remain fluid while not losing sight of the organization’s strengths.

“You see those doomsday articles out there that tennis is a dying sport. Well, I don’t see that,” Kovacs said. “There’s no reason not to be able to keep it going and growing. Nothing stays the same. Ensuring we are not rigid and set in our ways, and that we are open to new ideas while not destroying what we have that’s working, is key to the future of tennis.”

And as for why now was the right time for Kovacs to rejoin USTA St. Louis?

“I think the universe was trying to tell me something,” she said. “So I listened.”