fond Farewell

It pains me to have to inform you of some very sad news. Our long-time colleague, USPTA ambassador and loyal team member, Fred Viancos, is going to be leaving the USPTA after two decades plus of service to assume the role as the new Executive Director of USTA Texas. While this is a devastating development for us, it is a wonderful opportunity for Fred and his family.

He is returning to his beloved home. With aging parents and an adult son living in Houston, I understand the motivation to get back to his roots. Nor can I blame him for wanting to put his own stamp on the tennis scene in Texas and to be the leader of that organization.

I could not have had a better “wing man” since coming on board over 10 years ago. As Chief Operating Officer since moving to Lake Nona, Fred has been the point man at all of our World Conferences; managed our building; supervised the Membership, Education, and Multimedia teams; and oversaw all our technology systems. But much more than that, he has been my confidante, my sounding board, and a trusted advisor.

Fred is a tennis lifer. A stalwart at TCU, I first met him when he came to the Hilton New Orleans Riverside in the mid 80’s to play a USTA satellite tournament while he was in still in school. Upon graduation, he played on tour for a couple of years until he was hired to be a tour manager for the ATP, traveling to some of the most remote places in the world dealing with the players. Does he ever have stories to tell!

After globetrotting for eight years his adult life dedicated to the USPTA. To his core, he always wanted what was best for our members. But after 24 years of service to us, he is moving on to the next chapter to lead one of the largest USTA sections. The good news is that USPTA will have a strong ally as he works to grow tennis in the Lone Star state. with the ATP, he settled in San Francisco with his lovely wife, Jody, to serve as the marketing and promotion manager for Spalding Tennis as they attempted to get into the racquet business here in the USA. Unfortunately, the company had a difficult time getting traction in the market. It was at that point that Fred returned to Houston to join the USPTA in 1999 as Director of Professional Development.

I am proud of what Fred has accomplished with our Association. More importantly, he will be a friend for the rest of my life. His departure will be in late May. Let us celebrate his wonderful career with the USPTA over the next month or so. I am sure he would love to hear from you before he moves on. He can be reached at Fred.Viancos@uspta.org.

Fred has spent the lion's share of

In our sport, we are blessed to have so many terrific people dedicated to growing our game. Fred is one of the “good guys” and I know he will do great things for USTA Texas. I cannot thank him enough for all that he has done on behalf of USPTA members across the country. Our team is going to miss him terribly. Our Association will miss him just as much.

Best of luck, Freddie V! We will be watching your success from afar. But we take solace in knowing that you are one of us! *