Three generations of players took to Margaret Court Arena on Wednesday night to slog it out at the Australian launch of World Team Tennis (WTT). Pat Rafter played Australia to victory in a super tie-breaker to decide an entertaining exhibition match against an international team, Australia winning 22-21.
Team Australia featured veterans Nicole Bradtke, Pat Cash and Rafter, along with current player Alicia Molik and young stars Monika Wejnert and Luke Saville. Team International was captained by former US player Mary Joe Fernandes, and featured other former stars Austrian Thomas Muster, American tennis prodigy turned commentator Tracy Austin, Swede Anders Jarryd, and youngsters Heather Watson from the United Kingdom and Barrett Franks from New Zealand.
Most people watching the match wouldn’t have been aware that World Team Tennis (WTT) has been played in the United States since 1974. The competition was set up by former US tennis star Billie Jean King. At a break in the match, she explained the origins of WTT: “There was a group of us who wanted tennis to be a co-ed team sport. And we thought the format would have to be time-sensitive.”
“More importantly, we wanted cumulative scoring, we wanted a level playing field, and we wanted three generations playing … the young players could learn a lot from the older players, the older players could get energy from the younger players.”
And that successful format was on show in Margaret Court Arena in a friendly but skilful exhibition match. After the match, Rafter, who said his shoulder was holding up, added, “It’s a fun format. I’ve played it a couple of times in the States. The crowd gets excited; it’s a lot of fun. In the end it was a good match.”
Aussie junior Wejnert, who played the women’s singles rubber against UK junior Watson, said she wasn’t overawed teaming with the older legends. “There was a good team spirit happening,” she said, admitting that it took time to get accustomed to the new rule of playing net cord serves. “I forgot the first time, then the second occasion I just remembered in time and we played on.”
Saville partnered Rafter for the Aussies in the men’s doubles. He was then substituted into the first stage of the final men’s singles rubber against Muster. This was a master tactic by captain Bradtke, as Saville wore Muster out before Rafter entered the fray and took the match into a super tie-breaker.
The crowd was subdued early on, trying to work out exactly what they were witnessing. With a DJ playing music courtside between games, the commentator told the audience to “forget everything you know about tennis … tonight is about yelling and screaming and being part of the match.”
Australians love to support teams, which is why King says it is the perfect country to launch World Team Tennis. “Up until this point, we've had international players, but we really haven't expanded it outside of America,” she said.
She added that it was exciting to be here, and to be looking beyond the exhibition match to see how WTT can be a bigger part of tennis in Australia, helping to grow tennis.
Australians have featured in WTT from the very start. Tony Roche was a player/coach of the first WTT championship team in 1974. Since then 74 Australians have participated, including Rod Laver, Margaret Court, Ken Rosewall and Evonne Cawley.
One of the original intentions of WTT was to be family-oriented and for young people to see men and women cooperating. And that was what was happening out on Margaret Court Arena as Molik and Cash were pitted against Muster and Austin in the mixed doubles set.
During one point Molik, who was celebrating her birthday, hit a forehand into Cash, who decided to jump the net and join the opposition. The crowd cheered and laughed - they were beginning to warm to the spectacle that is World Team Tennis.
As the match reached its final stages, it was up to Rafter to take the game into a super tie-breaker. He didn’t disappoint – rolling out his trusty serve-volley game that has been sadly missed by tennis fans. An exciting tussle with Muster ended with an Aussie victory.
If World Team Tennis will allow fans to see some of their favourite older players teamed with up-and-coming players, then it is sure to be popular here in Australia. Perhaps one day this idea will grow into a State-based rivalry, as it is in the US, to rival our other national sporting leagues.
World Team Tennis rules
- Games are played first to four points (i.e. no advantage).
- Sets are played first to five games, with a nine-point tie-breaker at 4-4.
- Service net cord lets are played on.
- One set of women’s and men’s doubles, women’s and men’s singles, and mixed doubles are played.
- If both teams finish on the same number of games, a super tie-breaker is played.
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