World TeamTennis, including Freedoms, will play full season at resort in West Virginia
The Philadelphia Freedoms will spend three weeks in West Virginia for the 2020 WTT season.
World TeamTennis and the Freedoms announced Tuesday that the 2020 season will be played at the Greenbrier, a luxury resort in West Virginia.
The Freedoms’ home games at the Daskalakis Athletic Center were canceled earlier this month because of the coronavirus pandemic, but WTT still planned to play its season at one location.
“We’ve been in touch with the team and I think everyone is very excited,” Freedoms president Barbara Perry said."They’re chomping at the bit to want to play tennis. We’re so pleased that the Freedoms will be able to play this year."
Matches will begin July 12 and the WTT Final will be played Aug. 2. The nine teams will play 63 matches over a 19-day span, with at least three matches per day.
The outdoor arena at Greenbrier seats 2,500, but because of state guidelines, maximum capacity will be 500 fans (20%). An indoor arena is also being installed as a backup option. The resort is located in White Sulphur Springs, W.Va., which is where players will be staying during league play.
“I think [league officials] have met all the criteria with the Greenbrier situation," Perry said. “They’ve presented us with a plan that’s really safety-first, so we’re really happy about that. It should be a good situation for [players]."
One potential roadblock for teams is the arrival of foreign players who could be quarantined abroad. Freedoms star Fabrice Martin is currently in France, but he is expected to return.
The Freedoms made one of the biggest signings in February by signing 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin. Ranked No. 4 in the world, she’s the highest-ranked men’s or women’s player in World TeamTennis. Kenin was scheduled to play home matches on July 16 and 17 at the Daskalakis Center before they were canceled.
“We’re talking to her now regarding her schedule,” Perry said. “My understanding is that she’s very excited about playing, so I think everything is headed in the right direction there.”
WTT’s matches will be live-streamed by CBS, CBS Sports, ESPN+, or WTT.com. Perry believes that even more networks could pick up the matches in the next few days. The TV broadcast schedule will be announced later.
This is a golden opportunity for WTT. The French Open was pushed back to September and the ATP and WTA suspended all tournament play through at least July, which should put more eyes on the courts at Greenbrier.
“I think a lot of people will see World TeamTennis for the first time this summer because it’s going to get a lot of television exposure,” Perry said. “It really does lend itself to television because it’s fast, easy to follow, and it’s cumulative scoring, so the team with the most points at the end wins.”
This will be the 45th season of WTT. The league’s prize money will be a record $5 million in 2020.
“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," said the league’s CEO, Carlos Silva.