The IX: Tennis Tuesday with Joey Dillon, August 11, 2020
No asterisk talk for US Open, thanks — Interview: Catherine Harrison — Must-click women's tennis links
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Withdrawals Galore for New York
Last week, Top 10 stars Elina Svitolina and Kiki Bertens announced their withdrawals from the upcoming US Open due to COVID-19 concerns. They join a wagon of players, including World No. 1 Ashleigh Barty, in avoiding New York with so many travel restrictions up in the air.
Of the Top 100 players, 14 have announced their plans to skip “Cincinnati” and the US Open in the New York bubble being created.
Now, I get that that’s a LARGE contingent of the top players missing for a Grand Slam. And everyone will be struggling in New York due to the lack of matches. The upside? There may never be such an open and even playing field as there will be in New York. Especially with no fans in the stands hyping up the well-known players.
If anything, the players who play the smaller tournaments, qualifying or even ITF Pro Circuit will benefit from these conditions. Could we have a surprise winner? Maybe Kim Clijsters can recreate her surprise 2009 run, as she was announced as one of the wildcards for the US Open.
Even with all of the uncertainty and the USTA having to make so many budget cuts, they’re still offering 95% of the 2019 prize money and have increased the bottom end of the breakdown. It’s crucial for these players to sustain their living and training costs, while having the “best of 2019/2020” ranking in their favor.
Now, with the tournament a go, do you count this as a Grand Slam with so many people missing, no qualifying and less doubles? It’s a no brainer….YES.
Tournaments get depleted all of the time and I guarantee almost every single WTA player isn’t thinking of the US Open as anything less than a Grand Slam. Yes, circumstances are different, but they will all kill for a trophy at the end of the fortnight. This is no different from a $15k ITF Pro Circuit event, players are there to play, to win money and ranking points and continue their journey. If Serena Williams finally takes Grand Slam No. 24 in New York, will we be putting question marks around her record? Absolutely not. However, the irony of her winning to tie Margaret Court, whose record includes many Australian Opens of depleted fields, isn’t lost on me.
More withdrawals can possibly happen, especially towards the top as Simona Halep is still unsure if she will still stay entered. Petra Kvitova surprisingly announced her intention to play in New York, after sending serious doubts only a few weeks ago. Expect there to be some more shifts in the entry list with tennis’ return between travel concerns, as well as potential injury after such a long layoff.
While I understand and empathize the concerns revolving around such a large sporting event, I have no doubt the USTA, ITF and WTA are doing everything in their power to create a safe and effective space for players to soley focus on their craft. Like Jon Wertheim mentioned, they deserve a round of applause for working around the clock to create and enhance their protocols on-site and beyond.
This Week in Women’s Tennis
This week’s must read is Matt Fitzgerald’s feature for Tennis Magazine about the outstanding activism by Naomi Osaka and Coco Gauff. Gauff shared even more about finding her voice as a teenager and then utilizing it. If you need a prime example, please watch this TikTok. To quote the kids these days, we stan.
Fiona Ferro won her second career WTA title this week at the Palermo Ladies Open, the WTA’s first organized competition since the COVID-19 shutdown. The Frenchwoman highlighted her attitude and surprise off-season with a new coach as the catalyst for her week in Italy.
The Tour moves onto tournaments in Prague and Lexington this week, with the latter featuring a loaded draw. The first quarter alone features Serena and Venus Williams, Victoria Azarenka and Sloane Stephens. Serena sat down to express her excitement to returning to the Tour, while Azarenka was open about her eagerness to restart after playing only one match in 2020. Simona Halep headlines the field in Prague and the two-time Grand Slam champion was open about tennis not being the biggest priority during the COVID-19 shutdown.
The WTA announced that the week of August 31st will include two new WTA $125k events: Prague and Portschach.
British player Emily Webley-Smith discussed what to expect on Tour after participating in Palermo, as well as the WTA helping players financially and how it’s putting a “plaster” on a long-term issue about prize money distribution.
Former Doubles World No. 3 Nicole Arendt penned a tribute to Hall of Famer Pam Shriver this week for WTA’s My Inspiration.
The tennis.com podcast sat with Genie Bouchard, who was the first winner of this week’s event in Prague, to discuss how the Canadian handles her career on and off of the court.
Before Angelique Kerber, Anke Huber and Steffi Graf, there was Helga Niessen Masthoff. The German shares her journey to the WTA in a Legacy Spotlight feature.
World No. 1 Ashleigh Barty was on hand with the Australian Tennis Foundation to announce their A$115,000 contribution to the Indigenous Tennis Programs out of Queensland.
Italian Eliabetta Cocciaretto had a career week in Palermo, upsetting Donna Vekic for her best win en route to her main WTA quarterfinal. The 19-year-old opened up about juggling her rising WTA career and her passion for education with her law school classes.
Barbora Strycova planned to retire this season, but with the COVID-19 break putting a jolt in her plans, the Czech isn’t quite sure she is ready to say goodbye.
Katrina Adams’, whose book Own the Arena: Getting Ahead, Making a Difference, and Succeeding as the Only One, is set to be released early next year, celebrated her 52nd birthday last week. Joel Drucker put out a fantastic spotlight on the former player, broadcaster, executive and grassroots organizer.
Tweet of the Week
Stay flexin’, Serena.
Five at the IX: Catherine Harrison
Catherine Harrison is currently ranked No. in singles and No. in doubles. She has one ITF singles title and six ITF doubles titles to her name. A four-time All-American at UCLA, Harrison sits down with us to discuss her return to tennis this week in Lexington, Title IX, her willingness to express her opinions and more. You can follow her on Twitter and Instagram.
Joey: You’re playing in the Top Seed Open this week, the first American WTA event since COVID-19. Can you talk about the protocols in place for the athletes and how you’re feeling after last week’s tournament in Palermo?
Catherine: I’ve been pleasantly surprised with how professionally everything has been handled so far. Top Seed is doing an amazing job – as soon as we arrived, we were tested for COVID inside the hotel, and got our results within 12 hours. There are masks provided, hand sanitizing stations everywhere, and the players’ lounge has been spaced so we can socially distance. I’m sure it was a nightmare for the staff to get everything ready at such short notice for this event, but they’ve done a great job.
Joey: The IX is an ode to Title IX, which ultimately guided to your scholarship at UCLA. Can you talk about it’s impact, as well as the impact of your collegiate career?
Catherine: I’ve been pleasantly surprised with how professionally everything has been handled so far. Top Seed is doing an amazing job – as soon as we arrived, we were tested for COVID inside the hotel, and got our results within 12 hours. There are masks provided, hand sanitizing stations everywhere, and the players’ lounge has been spaced so we can socially distance. I’m sure it was a nightmare for the staff to get everything ready at such short notice for this event, but they’ve done a great job.
Joey: You’re a player mainly on the ITF Pro Circuit. Are there any hesitations with tennis’ return and the lack of tournaments offered at this time?
Catherine: I’ve been pleasantly surprised with how professionally everything has been handled so far. Top Seed is doing an amazing job – as soon as we arrived, we were tested for COVID inside the hotel, and got our results within 12 hours. There are masks provided, hand sanitizing stations everywhere, and the players’ lounge has been spaced so we can socially distance. I’m sure it was a nightmare for the staff to get everything ready at such short notice for this event, but they’ve done a great job.
Joey: At the end of last year, you shared in the past how you were working in retail with a cast and couldn’t imagine being where you’re at. Where do you see yourself going with tennis? Do you have any specific goals or timeline playing? What do you want to do post-tennis?
Catherine: I’ve been pleasantly surprised with how professionally everything has been handled so far. Top Seed is doing an amazing job – as soon as we arrived, we were tested for COVID inside the hotel, and got our results within 12 hours. There are masks provided, hand sanitizing stations everywhere, and the players’ lounge has been spaced so we can socially distance. I’m sure it was a nightmare for the staff to get everything ready at such short notice for this event, but they’ve done a great job.
Obviously my goals need to be re-evaluated as COVID has thrown everyone through a loop, but I want to be in qualifying of Australia in January, and transition to a predominately WTA schedule during the 2021 season. By 2022 I’d like to have established myself as a regular at grand slams at singles and doubles, eventually winning several in both categories.
As for post tennis – I’m very interested in preventative medicine/health & nutrition education, public policy/politics, and global sustainability. My dream career would be something that merges those three things. I also really enjoy coaching – especially the little ones.
Joey: On your Instagram, you share a lot about sustainability and speak out on issues most tennis players are hesitant or ignore. Can you share your thoughts on that?
Catherine: Yes! If my friends read this they’ll laugh – I’m definitely one to call it like I see it and not shy away from tough issues, even though this might get me in trouble sometimes (laughs). As I said before, sustainability is something I’m extremely passionate about, especially since the science tells us we are running out of time to fix things on our planet.
I’ve gotten the occasional comment saying something along the lines of, “you’re a tennis player, stick to tennis.” But, I’m a tennis player who’s interested in many things outside of tennis as well, and I don’t want to shy away from sharing my passions just because randoms on the internet think I should limit myself to my current job title.
When I share political, scientific, or nutritional information on my social media it isn’t just to “dunk on” anyone, I promise (laughs). I truly believe that if used correctly, social media can be used for purposes beyond vanity and self promotion, and can be a space to learn & spread facts and knowledge.
Mondays: Soccer
By: Annie Peterson, @AnnieMPeterson AP Women’s Soccer
Tuesdays: Tennis
By Joey Dillon, @JoeyDillon Freelance Tennis Writer
Wednesdays: Basketball
By: Howard Megdal, @HowardMegdal The Next
Thursdays: Golf
By Carly Grenfell, @Carlygren PGA.com
Fridays: Hockey
By: Erica Ayala, @ELindsay08 NWHL Broadcaster
Written by Howard Megdal
Howard is the founder of The Next and editor-in-chief.
