Looking Back at the Empire
ast summer was a special one for the New York Empire. The city’s World TeamTennis franchise put together the best season in its history en route to reaching the league’s championship match. The Empire earned a trip to Las Vegas for the league’s playoffs, beating their archrival and top-seeded Philadelphia Freedoms in the final match of the year (21-16) to qualify, then beating them again in the semifinals setting the stage for the finals against the defending WTT champion Springfield Lasers. Despite the difficult, 2019 loss to the Lasers, it concluded what was a magical summer for the Empire. “I just love the way we fought, I love the way
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we played,� said Luke Jensen, who was in his first year as head coach of the Empire. “It came down to losing by one game. What an amazing opportunity to be in this arena, this league, this atmosphere.� Prior to the finals, the Empire took out the Philadelphia Freedoms in a thrilling 2418 victory. The team received a clutch performance from Ulises Blanch, who filled in for an injured Mardy Fish to earn a key win in the Men’s Singles match. “I just tried to focus and when I stepped on the court, I knew a great part of it was mental and I just tried to deliver,� said Blanch. Those types of performances symbolized the type of season it was for
the Empire, and one it hopes to duplicate in 2020 as they move to a new venue in Manhattan for seven home matches. At the time this publication went to print, the WTT season is still on schedule to start on July 12. But because of the coronavirus pandemic, we are living in an unprecedented time. The WTT will continue to adhere to government recommendations and will update fans both on its site, WTT.com, and social media throughout the spring and summer. If the team is able to hit the court in 2020, the Empire will look to return to the league’s championship. Helping push the Empire towards its goal of a title will be the addition of International Tennis Hall of Famer and
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New York Tennis Magazine • June 2020 • NYTennisMag.com
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