Joe Russell is a graduate of the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah. A former top 200 world ranked ATP player and winner of over 15 international titles, Joe had over 10 years of international playing experience while being based in Osaka, Japan. He held the number one ranking in Japan in 1991. He had the opportunity to play with Ivan Lendl, the former world #1 player in the round of sixteen of the USD$1.2 million Suntory Japan Open Championships in 1991. Having held set points in the first set, he ended up losing in two close sets. Additionally, he has numerous wins over former world top 100 players such as Tarik Benhabiles (#22), Robert Vant Hoff (#25), Dan Goldie (#27), Kelly Evernden (#25), Jamie Morgan (#52), Johan Anderson(#90) and many more.

After his playing days were finished, he turned to coaching and tennis management. He was an ATP tour coach in the late 90's, travelling with top 100 ranked players on the ATP tour. He has also held positions as tennis director of the Footwork International Corp while he was based in Osaka, Japan and the Pinetree Club in Singapore. He has also had the opportunity to work for the Singapore Tennis Association as the national director of the junior elite training programme, overseeing the training and development of the brightest juniors in the country. Currently, he is the director of J & T Tennis International, which provides training to top juniors at various establishments around Singapore. He also directs Joe Russell Tennis International, which provides tennis coaches to five star resorts in Asia.