Inside COVID-19 Bubble, New York Empire Win First Ever WTT Title By A.M. Brune
Credit Photos to Ryan Loco/World TeamTennis
t was the forehand heard round the tennis world. And it was so unbelievable, it required a Hawk-Eye glance. At 20 games to 20 and six-points-all in the World TeamTennis championship match, winning came down to one point in the final set: women’s doubles. Veteran doubles player Bethanie Mattek-Sands took her place at the net, while her partner, Sloane Stephens, of the Chicago Smash lofted the ball skyward. The New York Empire’s Coco Vandeweghe set her feet, took her racquet back and—against partner Nicole Melichar’s better judgment—ripped a down-the-line forehand that nicked the back of the baseline. “I could hardly put into thoughts or words what was going on—it was Star Wars out there,” said Empire Coach Luke Jensen. “Genie Bouchard was hitting a ball to save her face, Kamau [Murray] substituted Sloane, Nicole was flying around the net, and then Sloane hits a bomb to save match point. I called a time out and Coco was like ‘I’m taking next serve’. “Bethanie is then at the net with her ankles and instincts and Coco unleashes
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the beast right past her. Just the way the world is, I could go on and on how it could have gone sideways, but it didn’t,” Jensen added. Hawk-Eye confirmed the “in” call. The New York Empire had won its first King Trophy and the $500,000 purse. In five years, the New York franchise, put together in 2016 as an expansion team, has come from the very bottom of the league to the top through three coaching changes, three venue moves and several roster switchups, including absent marquee stars. But after an exhaustive three weeks and 66 league matches in a tennis “bubble” at the Greenbrier, the Empire won its first King Trophy. Both Jensen and the team attributed a large measure of the Empire’s success to the addition of Kim Clijsters, who also acted as the team’s assistant coach, according to Jensen. Clijsters, although sidelined for some matches, chalked up big singles victories
Long Island Tennis Magazine • September/October 2020 • LITennisMag.com
— following an eight-year hiatus from professional tennis, as well as pairing with veteran Neal Skupski for mixed doubles. But to get the Empire to that playoff spot, Jensen had to tinker with the team camaraderie. Vandeweghe and Melichar had originally signed with the San Diego Aviators in March, but in an 11th-hour deal on the Sunday night before the season’s last week, Jensen traded Empire players Kveta
