Q&A: Kim Hammond, league captain, tournament player & Korean adoptee

In celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month occurring in May in the United States, USTA St. Louis is featuring Korean adoptee Kim Hammond—league captain and tournament competitor.

What is your heritage and your connection to AAPI Month?

I am a KAD (Korean adoptee), and as one of the few Asian Americans in my community growing up and having lived in the United States since being an infant, I never saw myself as anything other than 100% American.

I love that K-pop, K-dramas and Korean food have grown popular over the past few years, and as an adult, I have embraced my ethnicity and become more interested in my heritage. AAPI Month reminds me to celebrate and honor my culture and take pride in my diversity as an Asian American.

Tell us about yourself.

I grew up in Independence, Missouri and moved to St. Louis for college, attending WashU for my undergraduate degree. I eventually met my spouse here and never made it out of St. Louis as I had planned!

Tell us about your involvement in tennis.

I reconnected with tennis as an adult and became more involved with tennis when I was invited to co-captain a Sunday USTA team. I currently captain several USTA and ITT (Impact Team Tennis) teams, and I like to play tennis any chance I can get.

If I’m not at home with my two Ragdoll cats, there is a good chance that I am at a match, attending a tennis lesson with friends or out of town watching or playing tennis!

What is your favorite tennis moment or story?

I went to the Miami Open for the first time a couple of years ago with my husband. We decided to do some shopping and grab dinner at the mall. We were sitting at our table, and Belinda Bencic and Petra Kvitova sat down at the table next to us.

I asked if I could get a picture after dinner, and they were so nice and took several pictures with us. Petra ended up winning the tournament that year, which made the sighting even more exciting.

Complete this sentence: “Because of tennis, I … ”

Have made friends and memories that will last a lifetime.