Wimbledon has been cancelled for the first time since World War II, with the executive board at the All England Club ruling out the option of a closed doors/no spectators tournament. It also looks like the U.S Open, scheduled for August 2020, may be cancelled or postponed.
Meanwhile, the pros of the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) are in a holding pattern just like everyone else. That’s not to say they’re not making excellent use of the time.
This week, I reached out to the WTA to find out what some of the best players are doing both on and off the court during stay-at-home orders.
Bianca Andreescu, Canada
The World No. 6 ranked player and 2019 U.S. Open singles champion says that her time off the tournament circuit is definitely no time to waste.
“I have been focusing on strength training, weight lifting and resistance training.” Andreescu said. “I have also been biking a lot to get that good cardio in.”
But she does admit that you can’t work out and swing the racket 24/7. The 19-year-old Canadian says she splits her off-court time between books and TV.
“I have been catching up on some Netflix and HBO shows like Ozark, Narcos, Euphoria and of course, Friends! I have also been reading a lot. I really enjoy personal development books and have spent a lot of time diving into the works of authors including, Nathaniel Brandon, Eckhart Tolle, Malcolm Gladwell, Don Miguel Ruiz and Wayne Dyer.”
Saisai Zheng, China
Shaanxi, China native Saisai Zheng is not in her country of origin, but holed up in New York City. But she says she’s been both socially and physically active ever since New York City and the state instituted stay-at-home orders over a month ago.
“I get up in the morning and go out for a jog-walk—while keeping to social distancing rules, of course!—with my puppy Yuanbao. After I come back, I make breakfast, chat with friends to see how are they doing, watch the news and TV to follow the current situation. Then I’ll do stretching exercises to keep my body in a healthy and good condition.”
Svetlana Kuznetsova, Russia
The 34-year-old, No. 32 ranked player is currently at home in Moscow, Russia. Her routine, she says, involves some heady reading as well as TV’s guilty pleasures.
“I just watched the movie ZeroZeroZero and re-watched TV shows Gossip Girl and Empire. I read Pushkin—the Russian poet/playwright/novelist—and do workouts in the morning by myself.”
Kuznetsova also says that she thinks it’s important to be mindful during such an unusual time, and has encourages people she knows to seek activities that are calming and good for mental health. But sometimes it’s simple things that do the job.
“Today, I washed my car and really enjoyed it,” Kuznetsova said. “And I’ve been walking my dog Dolce a lot, and just talking to friends.”
Bethanie Mattek-Sands, USA
Bethanie Mattek-Sands, who’s known just as much or more for her huge personality and fashion sense as she is for her 2016 Olympic Gold Medal in mixed doubles, is spending her time doing what she does best: talking to people.
Mattek-Sands—who some in tennis call by her initials, BMS—has launched a chat series on YouTube with the help of WTA, called BMSing Around.
VIDEO: Bethanie Mattek-Sands & Monica Puig debate what day it is
Mattek-Sands is also co-hosting a new show called Tennis United, a collaborative project between the WTA and the men’s Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). Tennis United airs every Friday, and with Canadian player Vasek Pospisil, the duo will feature interviews and discussions with both men’s and women’s tennis pros, as well as other influential figures throughout tennis.
Monica Puig, Puerto Rico
Monica Puig, who was featured with friend Bethanie Mattek-Sands on BMSing Around (above), says she’s focused intently on workouts and recovery.
“I had elbow surgery in December, and I am still in the final stages in recovering from that. I do a lot of swinging with the racket, but besides hitting against the wall and some volley drills, we can’t hit on court at the moment with everything shut down.”
“In November, I added a Peloton bike. It is such a good way of working out besides the usual every day weight and strength workouts. Especially for cardio, it is perfect.”
Puig also won an Olympic Gold Medal at Rio 2016 in singles tennis, for Puerto Rico.
Danielle Collins, USA
St. Petersburg, Florida native Danielle Collins says she’s grateful to have a court and gym at her house.
“I’ve been able to train and work on my game, and all this time has allowed me to sit down and watch more tennis and learn more about my game and my opponents.” But Collins, a semi-finalist in last year’s Australian Open, has a new little friend.
“I just got a puppy a few weeks ago. Quincy is only 15 weeks old. Everything is new and fun to him. He’s giving me the optimism we all need during these crazy times,” Collins said. “I could just be going outside for a quick minute to take the trash out, and he gets so excited and thinks it’s the best thing in the world.”
Collins says she’s also brushing up on Spanish and learning German on Rosetta Stone.
Serena Williams, USA
As the world goes virtual so does 23-time Grand Slam singles titles winner Serena Williams. She’ll take part in the 41st annual Simmons Leadership Conference, which begins its next installment on April 16. This will be the first time that the Simmons Conference is done entirely online.
Each year, the Simmons Conference attracts over 4,000 middle and senior level women from companies and organizations across the globe. Williams is one of four keynote speakers for Simmons, which often touts elite sportswomen as honored speakers.
Representatives for Simmons say that Williams was selected not just for her name and success, but because of her history giving back to causes related to education and underserved groups. “An activist-entrepreneur, Williams has used her celebrity stature and business acumen to fight fiercely for gender equity, particularly for women of color,” said Simmons, on its event website.
Caty McNally, USA
Doubles ace and rising WTA star Caty McNally may be currentlyy apart from her well-known court partner Coco Gauff, but she says she doesn’t mind a temporary breather.
“It’s nice to be home spending time with my family, since I’m usually traveling a lot at this time of year,” McNally said. “I’m extremely close with my brother so we’ve been hanging out a lot, making TikToks, playing basketball, watching TV shows. I love spending extra time with my dog Stella, and she has her own Instagram account now.”
Wang Qiang, China
World No. 29 ranked player Wang Qiang reports that like most people on earth, she is hanging out with family, spending extra time with pets, and binge-watching TV shows. But she is also set on using the time to improve her form.
“I do my best to keep up with routine training, mainly (working on) my net skills and how to seize every opportunity and turning it to a winner shot.” But the right-hander from Tianjin, China stresses off-court fitness too. “I’m jogging solo, doing yoga. Planking is good for your core and really can help the entire body.”
Wang also says that she’s open to any suggestion that fellow players or tennis fans might have for what to watch on Netflix
WTA Charities launches humanitarian campaign
The WTA has also launched, the WTA Charities and effort called ‘WTA 4 Love,’ a humanitarian campaign aimed at supporting local communities directly affected by the coronavirus. In addition to corporate donations from across the global tennis community, WTA is also matching donations of players’ own personalized COVID19 initiatives and amplifying their efforts across WTA social platforms.
As part of the campaign, World No. 13-ranked Madison Keys teamed up to double the support of those in need through $2,000 in gift cards Kindness in Crisis, while Victoria Azarenka has spearheaded her own auction effort with the help of United Way of Miami-Dade’s Miami Pandemic Response Fund. WTA is actively promoting both efforts.
