Love of the game: Official Megan Palmer keeps tennis fun, fair in St. Louis

Megan Palmer, who grew up playing recreational and high school tennis in a small town in Iowa, has a refreshing idea about the sport.

In our uber-competitive culture, she said: “Everybody wants to win. But sometimes you play your best, and you don’t win. And that’s OK.”

In her role as a certified official with USTA St. Louis, Palmer enjoys working with tennis players — especially kids — to help them enjoy simply participating.

“For me, it’s really about the love of the game,” she said. “I want to make sure everybody knows how it’s played by the rules.”

Small-Town Start

Palmer grew up in Fairfield, Iowa, about an hour south of Iowa City. She picked up the sport as a youngster and played varsity tennis in high school. She attended Drake University in Des Moines, where she didn’t play collegiately but did play in some club matches.

When she moved to Stillwater, Okla., she started playing a little bit more.

“I wanted to get more involved in tennis again,” she said. “I did play a little tennis in the community. But it was mostly just something I could get involved with that was not work-related, which was nice.”

Before long, Palmer wanted to get even more involved, and being certified as an official was her next step. She was certified in Oklahoma in 2023 and stayed there for one more year. She moved to St. Louis two years ago, where she has immersed herself in the USTA St. Louis community.

The highlight is being there for the kids. While Palmer works with all ages, she gets extra joy in helping juniors who are just learning to play the sport.

“It’s fun seeing the kids and seeing how they develop through the years, because you get to see them go from when they’re small to when they’re big,” she said. “It’s exciting to see their progression.”

Guiding Fair Play

Palmer sees her officiating role as a 10,000-foot perspective. While she has chaired some matches — and would like to do more — she’s more likely to roam around multiple courts during tournaments making sure the rules are being followed.

It’s not just a matter of fair play. She gave an example of tiebreakers and some players not knowing when to switch ends.

“As an official, you want to be seen but not heard, unless you really need to be heard,” she said. “I want to be aware of everything. But I don’t want to be too invested so that people say to their opponent, ‘You always call the official over. Of course they’re taking your side.’ I like to make sure that everything’s fair on both sides.

“I’m representing everybody, not just some people. I’ve even let kids know that if they are confident that something unfair is happening, be confident and ask for an official. Unfortunately, I did have an instance where one of the kids gave into another kid just because he was crying. They have to let me or another official know. You don’t want somebody saying, ‘Nobody is supporting me.’”

Palmer sees herself staying in the game for the long term, with a goal of one day working at the US Open in New York. Until then, she’ll keep working with players, helping them with the rules and encouraging them to do their best, win or lose.

Check out more stories from across the USTA Missouri Valley celebrating officials by clicking here.