XS Tennis Village New Home of DePaul Tennis Teams
10/21/2021 1:14:00 PM | ATHLETICS, MEN'S TENNIS, WOMEN'S TENNIS
XS Tennis founder Kamau Murray has strong ties to DePaul Athletics
CHICAGO – Kamau Murray fell in love with the game of tennis, which is kind of rare for a kid who grew up on the South Side where hoops fever reigns supreme.
He earned a tennis scholarship to Florida A&M and went on to become a two-year team captain and a graduate assistant coach while working towards his master's degree.
Returning to his roots, Murray coached a few junior tennis players in an operational armory with no heat in the dead of winter.
"There would be people shooting rifles and running HumVees with the smell of fuel in the air, and we would be there, hitting balls in winter hats," recalls Murray, who is best known for coaching 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens.
While overcoming such obstacles, Murray began to dream big of a tennis facility that would one day provide hundreds of underserved kids the kind of tennis opportunity that turned his life around.
With support from then-Mayor Rahm Emanuel and the City of Chicago, Murray broke ground in the summer of 2015 on a 13-acre, $9.8 million facility called XS Tennis Village on the South Side.
That will be the new home for DePaul tennis home matches beginning this season. Coaches Matt Brothers' and Marisa Arce's programs will continue to benefit from a valued partnership with Lakeshore Sport & Fitness to utilize those courts for their practices. The Blue Demons had previously played all their home matches at Lakeshore.
"Our goal is to have as many colleges in the city play at XS Tennis," said Murray whose strong connection to DePaul includes older brother Malik Murray, a Blue Demon basketball star in the mid-1990s who is now a senior vice-president with Ariel Investments.
Fellow Whitney Young alum Quentin Richardson is Kamau's best friend and was the best man at his wedding. 'Q' was a key contributor to helping build XS Tennis Village.
"We want to give city kids exposure to college tennis teams and college coaches exposure to our kids. Kids and coaches alike could run into someone like Billie Jean King or Sloane Stephens walking around our facility."
More than 47 XS tennis products have earned tennis scholarships to schools such as Michigan, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Northwestern, Duke, Illinois, Indiana, Tennessee State, Florida A&M, Howard and others.
Murray coached XS Tennis product Taylor Townsend to No. 1 in the 2012 junior rankings and to the fourth round of the 2019 US Open.
Isabella Lorenzini was the state singles champion out of Hinsdale Central and a top 30 player nationally. Another of Murray's pupils Zhavia Gray is a former Dean's List women's tennis player at DePaul.
"I grew up in a basketball family, and you think about local kids like Derrick Rose, Antoine Walker, Isiah Thomas, Doc Rivers, Mark Aguirre, Terry Cummings, Dwyane Wade, Quentin Richardson, Bobby Simmons and all the rest," Murray said. "You could have an all-star team with just Chicago players.
"There is that kind of young tennis talent in Chicago. In 10 years, there will be so much talent here in the city and suburbs that every university in Chicago will benefit.
"I want our kids to see the value of a college education through a tennis scholarship and also see the value of staying home and playing for the local university where family and friends can watch all your matches at XS Tennis."
XS Tennis has partnered with the University of Chicago in providing tutoring and academic support for the 2,000 Chicago Public Schools students enrolled in XS' free in-school tennis program.
Those CPS students are earning tennis scholarships to Division I schools---most recently Notre Dame, Northwestern, Indiana and Providence.
Someday soon, more of Murray's prize pupils will be headed to Lincoln Park.
"We are thrilled to announce our partnership with XS Tennis," Arce said. "The atmosphere that will be created with six courts in a row for dual matches and the fan experience will be second to none.
"XS is one of the best facilities in the country and has experience hosting the top collegiate and professional tournaments. We are so lucky.
"XS' values directly align with our Vincentian mission at DePaul, and we are excited to build relationships and give back to the community surrounding XS Tennis."
Spectators are welcome at all home matches and can enjoy complimentary parking and admission.
"We could not be more excited about our partnership with XS Tennis and Education Foundation," Brothers said. "Not only will our players get to compete at a world-class facility ideal for the college dual-match format---we are also looking forward to forming relationships with the tennis community on the South Side along with the mentoring and outreach opportunities these relationships will bring."
In alignment with XS's mission and DePaul's Vincentian values, Blue Demon coaches and student-athletes will annually offer complimentary tennis programming to underserved youth.
"DePaul is committed to Chicago," said Senior Associate Athletics Director Taylor Stapleton. "We're excited to reaffirm our commitment to the South Side through this new partnership with The XS Tennis and Education Foundation.
"Not only will DePaul men's and women's tennis benefit from the state-of-the-art facilities that XS Tennis Village offers, but most importantly, we'll be able to make an impact in our community by providing programming opportunities for underserved youth.
"At the same time, we're also thankful to continue our partnership with Lakeshore Sport & Fitness whose outstanding facilities will serve as our daily training center in Lincoln Park."
He earned a tennis scholarship to Florida A&M and went on to become a two-year team captain and a graduate assistant coach while working towards his master's degree.
Returning to his roots, Murray coached a few junior tennis players in an operational armory with no heat in the dead of winter.
"There would be people shooting rifles and running HumVees with the smell of fuel in the air, and we would be there, hitting balls in winter hats," recalls Murray, who is best known for coaching 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens.
While overcoming such obstacles, Murray began to dream big of a tennis facility that would one day provide hundreds of underserved kids the kind of tennis opportunity that turned his life around.
With support from then-Mayor Rahm Emanuel and the City of Chicago, Murray broke ground in the summer of 2015 on a 13-acre, $9.8 million facility called XS Tennis Village on the South Side.
That will be the new home for DePaul tennis home matches beginning this season. Coaches Matt Brothers' and Marisa Arce's programs will continue to benefit from a valued partnership with Lakeshore Sport & Fitness to utilize those courts for their practices. The Blue Demons had previously played all their home matches at Lakeshore.
"Our goal is to have as many colleges in the city play at XS Tennis," said Murray whose strong connection to DePaul includes older brother Malik Murray, a Blue Demon basketball star in the mid-1990s who is now a senior vice-president with Ariel Investments.
Fellow Whitney Young alum Quentin Richardson is Kamau's best friend and was the best man at his wedding. 'Q' was a key contributor to helping build XS Tennis Village.
"We want to give city kids exposure to college tennis teams and college coaches exposure to our kids. Kids and coaches alike could run into someone like Billie Jean King or Sloane Stephens walking around our facility."
More than 47 XS tennis products have earned tennis scholarships to schools such as Michigan, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Northwestern, Duke, Illinois, Indiana, Tennessee State, Florida A&M, Howard and others.
Murray coached XS Tennis product Taylor Townsend to No. 1 in the 2012 junior rankings and to the fourth round of the 2019 US Open.
Isabella Lorenzini was the state singles champion out of Hinsdale Central and a top 30 player nationally. Another of Murray's pupils Zhavia Gray is a former Dean's List women's tennis player at DePaul.
"I grew up in a basketball family, and you think about local kids like Derrick Rose, Antoine Walker, Isiah Thomas, Doc Rivers, Mark Aguirre, Terry Cummings, Dwyane Wade, Quentin Richardson, Bobby Simmons and all the rest," Murray said. "You could have an all-star team with just Chicago players.
"There is that kind of young tennis talent in Chicago. In 10 years, there will be so much talent here in the city and suburbs that every university in Chicago will benefit.
"I want our kids to see the value of a college education through a tennis scholarship and also see the value of staying home and playing for the local university where family and friends can watch all your matches at XS Tennis."
XS Tennis has partnered with the University of Chicago in providing tutoring and academic support for the 2,000 Chicago Public Schools students enrolled in XS' free in-school tennis program.
Those CPS students are earning tennis scholarships to Division I schools---most recently Notre Dame, Northwestern, Indiana and Providence.
Someday soon, more of Murray's prize pupils will be headed to Lincoln Park.
"We are thrilled to announce our partnership with XS Tennis," Arce said. "The atmosphere that will be created with six courts in a row for dual matches and the fan experience will be second to none.
"XS is one of the best facilities in the country and has experience hosting the top collegiate and professional tournaments. We are so lucky.
"XS' values directly align with our Vincentian mission at DePaul, and we are excited to build relationships and give back to the community surrounding XS Tennis."
Spectators are welcome at all home matches and can enjoy complimentary parking and admission.
"We could not be more excited about our partnership with XS Tennis and Education Foundation," Brothers said. "Not only will our players get to compete at a world-class facility ideal for the college dual-match format---we are also looking forward to forming relationships with the tennis community on the South Side along with the mentoring and outreach opportunities these relationships will bring."
In alignment with XS's mission and DePaul's Vincentian values, Blue Demon coaches and student-athletes will annually offer complimentary tennis programming to underserved youth.
"DePaul is committed to Chicago," said Senior Associate Athletics Director Taylor Stapleton. "We're excited to reaffirm our commitment to the South Side through this new partnership with The XS Tennis and Education Foundation.
"Not only will DePaul men's and women's tennis benefit from the state-of-the-art facilities that XS Tennis Village offers, but most importantly, we'll be able to make an impact in our community by providing programming opportunities for underserved youth.
"At the same time, we're also thankful to continue our partnership with Lakeshore Sport & Fitness whose outstanding facilities will serve as our daily training center in Lincoln Park."
Blue Demon Room Podcast Episode 17: Rachel Wilhelm and Noreen Vlamakis, Rush Physical Therapy
Wednesday, March 19
Episode 11: DeWayne Peevy, Vice President/Director of Athletics
Wednesday, December 18
Blue Demon Breakdown - Oct. 16
Wednesday, October 16
LEGACY: Build Your Brand
Thursday, August 01