Tennis may be a fun game, but it can be a cruel sport.
“When you’re on a singles court, it’s a very lonely place,” Pam Shriver once said. “The torment of the pressure of singles can be immense.”
Mylan World Team Tennis eliminates those feelings of isolation. It surrounds each participating player with a bench full of teammates, and a backyard of loyal supporters. For a young player, that kind of support can be crucial when transitioning onto a tour that forces him or her to grow up quickly.
America’s Zina Garrison was 18 years old when she played Mylan WTT for the first time. A member of the Dallas Stars, the future Wimbledon finalist captured the King Trophy in her debut season, and credits the team tennis league as a crash course in professionalism.
“WTT was incredible for me when I played,” she told WTT.com during last year’s US Open. “It gave me an opportunity where you come in and play with veteran players and you’re the newcomer on the block. More than anything, I learned to be a professional with WTT, and that was what I needed at that part of my life.”
Garrison went on to play four more seasons of Mylan WTT, forming a bond with co-founder Billie Jean King that transcended her tenure on the league as the two took turns captaining the United States Fed Cup team.
“I learned from the best and that was Billie Jean King; I was her assistant for so many years," Garrison said. "When you play an individual sport and have the opportunity to play for a team, there’s so many things you have to learn, not only about yourself and being a professional, but also about how to play with others.”
Chanda Rubin was a Fed Cup stalwart and, like Garrison, also got her start with Mylan WTT. The American played five seasons on the league, starting a full decade after Garrison but winning two King Trophies, the first as part of the “Dream Team” Sacramento Capitals. Beyond winning, Rubin remembers many of Mylan WTT’s core values.
“The biggest thing I remember was the camaraderie with the team," Rubin said. "I was a young professional player, didn’t know what to expect, and hadn’t really built any relationships yet, so it was great for me to be a part of that.”
Playing for the Atlanta Thunder in 1994, Rubin recalls one unforgettable teammate, believing that invaluable experience helped make her the Grand Slam champion—winning the 1996 Australian Open women’s doubles title after reaching the semifinals in singles—she went on to become.
“I ended up playing with Bjorn Borg, and it was phenomenal," she said. "I don’t know many sixteen year olds who’ve had that type of an experience. It helped me understand how to play within that type of environment, within that atmosphere under pressure. A lot of those things were lessons that I eventually used to propel myself into the Top 10 in the world.”
Garrison also forged deep bonds with her teammates and coaches, recounting one story centered on her fear of flying.
“One of my favorite stories probably was with Kathy Rinaldi," Garrison said. "We were getting ready to play in Springfield, Mo., and I don’t like to fly—don’t think a lot of people know that. We were getting ready to fly and we overheard someone say there was bad weather.
“I asked a flight attendant, ‘Is everything going to be ok?’ and she goes, ‘I hope so! This is my first trip,'" and I just freaked out. I said to [coach] Trevor Kronemann, ‘Please, can we get off the flight and drive?’ They were willing to even get off the plane and drive with me just to be part of a team.”
Garrison and Rubin each laud King for creating a league that made a lonely sport a game worth playing.
“Billie Jean is one of my favorite people, and has been a mentor of mine for so many years,” Garrison said. “She always tells me she wishes she got a hold of me a little bit sooner; I probably could have been an even better player. But I love Billie; she’s one of the nicest people that I could ever imagine. Intense, but the thing I like about Billie is that she’s truly honest, very passionate and has a love for helping others. I owe the world to her.
“Being around someone like Billie, the osmosis in terms of what she knows and how she’s handled herself, has affected how I act and what I try to do and give back,” echoed Rubin.
The two were equally effusive of Mylan WTT CEO/Commissioner Ilana Kloss, whose pairs a passion for the sport with a shrewd business sense.
“Ilana Kloss has been such a phenomenal executive in trying to increase the league’s stature,” Rubin said. “Having a woman in that position, especially for a woman like myself or a young girl, it lets you know what all the possibilities are."
“The little that I do know about business, I’ve learned from Ilana,” Garrison said.
Both Rubin and Garrison have big dreams for where Mylan WTT will be in 40 years, with expansion the name of the game.
“I definitely could see it going international,” Rubin said. “I think so many people now use the Mylan WTT format in different events. I think that internationally, they are very receptive to that style, the atmosphere and having a mix of players on the same team, men and women.”
Garrison has had the opportunity to see the sport through King’s eyes for over two decades, and believes Mylan WTT is a league too good to let go.
“I remember Billie first explaining WTT to me," Garrison said. "How she’d have the veterans play with the current stars, both alongside the younger ones learning. I think it’s a great concept, and I really hope the younger kids take heed of that and have the opportunity to play.”