BHM: "AJ" Varnado known for teaching excellence

Growing up in New Orleans was the building block that Alvin "AJ" Varnado, Jr., needed to launch a successful tennis career. He credits his mom for exposing him at an early age to the game of tennis.

Varnado said, “My mom put me in a sports-based youth program in 1982. I had the opportunity to play several sports at Delgado Community College. There was something about tennis that made me stick with it.”

With the stars aligned and good fortune on his side, he met Nehemiah Atkinson and Lloyd Dillon, Sr., at the Stern Tennis Center in New Orleans. As the history books confirm, both Atkinson and Dillon are legends in Louisiana and Southern tennis. Atkinson was inducted into the Southern Tennis Hall of Fame in 1997.

The chance to be tutored and mentored by these two master tennis teachers was a pivotal moment in his life. According to Varnado, called “AJ” by his family and friends, the Stern Tennis Center was “the place to be.”

He is the recipient of the 2023 Nehemiah Atkinson Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Award given by USTA Louisiana.

I suspect there were many promising junior players who started their tennis lessons at this iconic tennis facility. Now called the Atkinson Stern Tennis Center, it is one of the oldest public tennis centers in the country. I would not be surprised if it receives national honors in the future.

As I talked with Varnado about his tennis experiences, he said proudly that Atkinson soon had him playing singles and doubles with some of the older guys. He added, “Mr. A wanted me on the courts every day.”

I would opine playing against older competition strengthened his communication and prepared him for tournament play.

He is a graduate of Warren Easton High School, one of the premier high schools in the New Orleans area. He thinks that his tennis improved dramatically during his high school years.

Andre Agassi, Zina Garrison and MaliVai Washington were some of the players he watched as he was refining and defining his game. His time on the Futures Qualifiers Circuit improved his game and allowed him to have more tennis exposure.

Teaching the game of tennis has been a passion of his for over twenty years. Varnado contends his students have a high degree of trust in him. He believes that the trust factor is a key when developing technical and strategy components in a young person’s game.

“Tennis is both physical and cerebral. When the two mesh, it can lead to superior play on the court,” he explained.

Varnado held the position as assistant head pro at the Billie Jean King Tennis Center in Long Beach, Calif., beginning in the summer of 1998. There he was able to mold and shape the games of both juniors and adults. Years later, he was named the head tennis pro at the Lake Charles Racquet Club in Lake Charles, La. He also had the chance to work with Ronnie Walters, the Director of Tennis at the Graywood Golf and Racquet Club, also in Lake Charles.

His tutelage and teaching have come full circle. He is now the co-executive director and director of player development of A’s and Aces in New Orleans. A’s and Aces has received both Louisiana and USTA Southern recognition for its outstanding academic and tennis programming for youth. It is consistently one of the top NJTL programs in the country.

Varnado’s teaching prowess has also been a positive influence on Nathan Cox who has played the No. 1 and 2 singles for the men’s team at Vanderbilt University in 2022-23. He also works with Eadan Waters who is one of the top ranked junior girls in Louisiana, according to Tennis Recruiting for her graduating class of 2027.

He is well-respected and liked in tennis circles. As you observe him, you can readily see that he loves what he does. Simply put, tennis fits him like a hand in glove. AJ’s teaching has been given rave reviews by parents and students.

James B. Ewers Jr. Ed.D. is a member of the Black Tennis Hall of Fame and a former chair of the USTA Southern Diversity, Inclusion & Equity Committee.