Sofia Kenin, Sloane Stephens will play in front of fans for shortened World TeamTennis season
Tennis is planning its return to play this summer with a three-week season, joining other professional sports leagues looking to hold games at a single site.
World TeamTennis, which is separate from the ATP, WTA and International Tennis Federation, announced plans for a season in West Virginia. It will be a little different than other ideas in the works during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The group intends to host fans at each match.
Tennis to return to US in July
World TeamTennis (WTT) announced it will go on with its 45th season and hold it as a three-week showcase at The Greenbrier in West Virginia. It will be held July 12-30 with the playoffs to follow. The semifinals will be Aug. 1 and the final on Aug. 2.
In all it will have 63 matches over 19 days, with at least three matches per day.
“The overwhelming feedback from our players is that they want to play WTT and are comfortable in doing so in a safe environment, which is our number one priority,” WTT CEO Carlos Silva said in a statement. “West Virginia has among the nation’s fewest cases of COVID-19 and I’m grateful to The Greenbrier, the city of White Sulphur Springs, and Dr. Jill Justice for being so welcoming and allowing World TeamTennis to play on in 2020.”
West Virginia has reported 1,774 positive cases of COVID-19 and 72 deaths as of Tuesday afternoon. It is one of 12 states with fewer than 5,000 reported cases and one of the few with fewer than 100 deaths.
Fans will be in attendance
Fans have not been a part of the equation for most sports looking to return during the pandemic. Most leagues playing this summer do not intend to hold fans, at least at first. The NWSL has discussed ramping up to having fans when it becomes realistic.
WTT will join the ranks of the NFL, where teams such as the Miami Dolphins have started to release how they will host fans safely with social distancing guidelines.
WTT said it will allow up to 500 fans at the 2,500-seat outdoor stadium at The Greenbrier. That is a capacity of 20 percent and will likely include fans spaced out in the seats to comply with staying at least six feet apart.
What is TeamTennis?
The WTT was co-founded by tennis legend Billie Jean King in 1974. It is the fifth major professional team sports league to reach 40 seasons.
The competition combines men’s and women’s singles, men’s and women’s doubles and mixed doubles into a rapid, five-set match. The 2020 season features teams representing nine cities: Chicago Smash, New York Empire, Orange County Breakers, Orlando Storm, Philadelphia Freedoms, San Diego Aviators, Vegas Rollers, Washington Kastles and two-time reigning champion Springfield Lasers.
They typically play in a home/away format. The matches will be broadcast on a combination of CBS, CBS Sports Network, Tennis Channel and ESPN+.
Prize money will increase to a record $5 million, per WTT, plus an added $1 million for playoffs compensation. The team that wins the King Trophy will get a $500,000 bonus.
Which tennis stars are competing?
American Sofia Kenin will headline the event. The fourth-ranked player in the world is slated to compete for the Philadelphia Freedoms. Kenin won the 2020 Australian Open, her first Grand Slam victory, and became the youngest women’s singles champion since Maria Sharapova in 2008. She’s 21.
Sloane Stephens, ranked No. 37, will play for the Chicago Smash. She won the 2017 U.S. Open and lost in the 2018 French Open to Simona Halep.
Men’s singles players Sam Querrey (Vegas Rollers), ranked No. 45 in the world, and Tennys Sandgren (Orlando Storm), ranked No. 55, will participate.
Doubles stars Bob and Mike Bryan, the most accomplished in doubles tennis history, and Rajeev Ram, Jean-Julien Rojer and Neal Skupski will also participate.
What about Serena, Federer, Nadal?
There have been some exhibition matches during the COVID-19 pandemic, but official ATP and WTA Tour stops have ceased. That’s left Serena Williams awaiting a chance to win her record Grand Slam. And meant Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic are also left training at home.
Professional tennis tours require intense world travel for hundreds of players to reach tournaments around the world. The four Grand Slam majors are held in four different countries. Making that commitment right now is unwise and unsafe for the health of not only players, but everyone it takes to host a major event. Even if fans aren’t involved.
All tour events have been canceled through July but there’s hope the U.S. events, which include the U.S. Open in September, will go on. That might be tricky since the New York City area was hit hard by the virus and Gov. Andrew Cuomo has not yet given the area the go-ahead to begin the phased re-opening. Though he has allowed professional sports teams to begin training camps.
Until those events begin, and do it safely, it’s unlikely we’ll see a massive group of big stars competing together.
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