Newfoundlander runs elite tennis tournament, rubbing shoulders with legends
A Newfoundlander who started playing tennis in a basement in Outer Cove is now living in Singapore and overseeing what she describes as the sport's top women's tournament.
Melissa Pine's roots in the tennis world may have started in Newfoundland, but she's now reached the upper echelon of the world tennis scene as vice president of the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) Asia Pacific, as well as being tournament director of the WTA finals in Singapore.
After spending her youth playing on courts around St. John's, Pine accepted a scholarship to Washington State University to compete in the WTA minors' circuit, before deciding to coach and getting involved with the United States Tennis Association and the WTA.
"I wanted to take my tennis game to the highest level that I could," she told the St. John's Morning Show Wednesday while home vacationing in Newfoundland.
"I think realistically I knew it wasn't going to be my career, as a professional player. So I made a decision to combine my background in sport as well as my education to be able to work in sport business."
Rubbing shoulders with legends
Pine's career has put her in some surreal situations, such as getting to play matches and take part in clinics with tennis legends such as Martina Navratilova and Monica Seles.
Her biggest responsibility in Singapore is overseeing the WTA finals, where the top eight female players in the world compete. Singapore was awarded the event for five years and this year is the fourth year for the tournament.
"For me, growing up here, watching the likes of Martina Navratilova, Chris Evert and Monica Seles, who I really looked up to," she said. "To be able to bring them to Singapore is something where I do sometimes pinch myself and say 'Wow, this is pretty special.'"
Part of her work in Singapore included her launching a junior development program called WTA Future Stars, which looks to develop female tennis players from 21 countries where the sport is not necessarily in the mainstream.
"We work with kids in different countries, in a lot of underdeveloped and underserved areas to put racquets in their hands, teach them the benefits of the sport and try and help them live a better and healthier life through sport," Pine said.
"There are so many benefits to the sport. Kids that play tennis, it's shown to help with self-esteem, focus — and kids who play tennis tend to do better in school."
