Missouri Valley / St. Louis

Shapiro Carries Coaching Torch

Jamie Hansen | July 21, 2020

Max Shapiro considers himself fortunate to have had many coaches as a kid growing up in the St. Louis area inspire him to be the best tennis player he could be – Mike Johnston, Mac McDonald and Cameron Thomas – just to name a few. 

 

Now Shapiro is the one who is encouraging area youth to be the best, both on and off the court.

 

And he does it exceptionally well. He is a USTA Missouri Valley 2020 Gold Star Award Recipient for his work coaching local youth, as well as his efforts in working with Junior Team Tennis (JTT). The Gold Star Award is given in conjunction with USTA Missouri Valley’s 100th Anniversary. 

 

USTA St. Louis Tennis Service Representative Carli Connors said Shaprio’s love for tennis shines through in how he approaches his work each and every day.

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“I have never seen Max do anything other than an exceptional job on and off of the tennis court. Everyone loves Max, especially the kids. He has a true passion for tennis and it shows whether he is giving a lesson, coaching a team or running an event. He goes above and beyond for the kids, his students and for the sport. People like Max are what keeps this awesome sport alive and fun."

 

Shapiro got his start in tennis like many – through family. His father and grandfather were both high school players and passionate about the game. Crediting great coaching, he quickly moved up the junior ranks.  His prep career at Clayton High School culminated with a Class 1 State Doubles title in 2006.

 

A life coaching tennis just sort of happened on its own. After returning to St. Louis after a stint away from home, he landed a part-time job at Missouri Athletic Club (MAC).

 

“I got my foot in the coaching door at St. Louis Country Club and Old Warson when I was in high school and college. I started working at the Missouri Athletic Club as a part-time job when I moved back to St. Louis. I just loved the idea of meeting people by playing and teaching tennis,” he said.

 

Shapiro landed the coaching gig at MAC in 2009 and was named its Director of Junior Tennis in 2017. 

 

He’s taken bits and pieces of the coaching styles of those who taught him the game and has added his own flavor along the way.

He said Mike Johnston emphasized the serve and volley game, which is something he passes down to his students. Mac McDonald honed in on conditioning and today Shapiro makes sure to schedule it when possible. Finally, Cameron Thomas is the one who taught him what it means to compete.

 

“Once your strokes get to a certain level, your willingness to compete will take you farther than you can imagine,” Shapiro said.

 

Great coaches are those with the ability to not only encourage and teach the game, but help steer kids in other positive ways. While tennis is a sport one can play for life, its lessons carry on as well. 

 

“It's extremely important to make a positive impact on youth through tennis because the sport can instill positive values and traits into youth that they can use on and off the court for the rest of their lives.”

 

One of his favorite – and least favorite parts of tennis – is the idea that while out on the court playing singles, it is all you. That means the mental aspect of the game plays a significant role. It is an individual battle. He said it is a true test of willpower and desire to win. 

 

Despite that, life in tennis is so much more than wins and losses. To Shapiro, it is important to help students dissect their matches. Regardless of the outcome, what about the match went well; what could have been done differently?   

 

“I encourage controlled competitiveness to all of my kids,” he said. “If you want to succeed at the highest level of tennis, you have to compete until the last point. It is also important to teach your students how to break down a match after they've played it. You want to ask the student, ‘How did you play,’ rather than, ‘Did you win?’ You try to get the student to focus on where they can make improvements and go from there.”  

 

Tennis also helped him find his own permanent mixed doubles partner. He and Margaret Junker recently wed in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. The pair met coaching at MAC and now play in local mixed doubles tournaments together. 

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