Santiago Munoz brings person-centric approach to Forest Lake junior tennis
In the win-at-all-costs attitude that sometimes happens in sports, it’s easy to look down on athletes who don’t wish to become the very best in their field. There may be numerous reasons for not pursuing excellence, but terms like “waste” and “lazy” easily creep into the conversation.
But that’s what separates Santiago Munoz and the team at Forest Lake Tennis Club in Chesterfield, Mo. For the high-performance academy, Munoz and Forest Lake have a person-centric approach rather than a player-centric approach.
The difference is subtle but significant.
“We really emphasize and focus on the development of our kids as people, and we feel like that translates into them becoming better players,” Munoz said. “We try to help these kids to become the best players they can. But at the same time understand that tennis is a lot more about life than just about a game.”
Striking the Balance
This approach has led to more well-rounded players achieving success. Forest Lake has had numerous players graduate and go on to play college tennis.
“We’ve had the good fortune of having some great kids and some great families that put in the work and trusted the process that we had at Forest Lake, and we were able to get them college offers,” Munoz said.
But that’s not the path for everyone. For every junior who wants to play at the next level, there’s a cadre of kids who only want to improve enough to play for their high school team.
Some players want tennis to be part of their growing-up experience but not the central part. Munoz doesn’t look down on those kids. He channels his efforts toward helping them achieve their goals, whatever those might be.
Santiago Munoz (center) coaches high-performance competitors in his role as Forest Lake's director of junior development.
"We really emphasize and focus on the development of our kids as people, and we feel like that translates into them becoming better players," Santiago Munoz said.
Santiago Munoz (right) views his position at Forest Lake Tennis Club as an opportunity to pay it forward to the next generation of players.
- Santiago Munoz (center) coaches high-performance competitors in his role as Forest Lake's director of junior development.
- "We really emphasize and focus on the development of our kids as people, and we feel like that translates into them becoming better players," Santiago Munoz said.
- Santiago Munoz (right) views his position at Forest Lake Tennis Club as an opportunity to pay it forward to the next generation of players.
“There are two sides to balance in terms of development,” Munoz said. “One of those is the effort and commitment. And the other side of the balance is the expectation.
“What I try to do is help players find where that balance sits for them. Because if the balance is off on either side, then it leads to nothing but frustration.”
Journey to Coaching
Munoz was born and raised just outside of Mexico City. He has an older brother and older sister who both played competitive tennis. It was only natural that he would follow them, and he took up the sport at age 5.
He was very successful, even winning a couple of national championships in Mexico. He joined the International Tennis Federation Tour when he was in his teens. He got recruited to play tennis at the University of Arkansas, where he played for four years and was a captain his senior year.
Munoz played at all six singles positions, but he found the most success at the No. 3 spot. He was also on the No. 1 doubles team as a junior. The Razorbacks were ranked as high as No. 12 nationally during his senior season.
But when Munoz graduated in 2016, he took a hiatus, instead taking a job using his degree in finance. It wasn’t long, however, before he got the itch to get into coaching.
He and his wife, who played volleyball at Arkansas, moved to St. Louis. Munoz joined the staff at Forest Lake in 2022. He is the director of junior development. He also organizes and captains several USTA St. Louis league teams.
Last year, Munoz was given a USTA St. Louis award for Outstanding Contributor to Youth High Performance. He credited the juniors he was fortunate to coach.
“I just had the luck of working with some of the top juniors here in St. Louis,” he said. “I am very grateful for people who saw that I was maybe in a similar position when I was young and took the time and effort to help me. They were fundamental in me reaching the level that I reached.
“I see my role as trying to pay that forward with kids who show promise and have the desire to be high-performance players — trying to help them and contribute to their success as much as we can.”
It’s completely up to the players. Munoz is there for them, to help them become whatever they want to be.
Check out additional feature stories for National Hispanic Heritage Month from across USTA Missouri Valley by clicking here.
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