For a few weeks each summer, tennis players get a taste of what professional athletes in most sports experience every day: playing on a team. With its signature multi-colored courts, Mylan World TeamTennis begins its 41st season in 2016, bringing a faster, brighter and louder version of the game across the United States. But underneath the untraditional format and fan-friendly exterior lies a foundation that plays a serious role in tennis careers, from owners to coaches to players.

Every spring, a draft is held in which players are chosen by teams in reverse order of the previous year’s standings. Each team fields a roster of men and women who will combine to play five events each match: women’s singles, men’s singles, women’s doubles, men’s doubles and mixed doubles. Each event is played to five games, with a nine-point tiebreaker held at 4-all. Each game is played to four points, with no-ad scoring. To speed up the pace of play, a 25-second service clock is used between points, and lets are played.

“We feel like matches are taking too long,” Mylan WTT co-founder Billie Jean King says. “I don’t want [matches] to be longer than two hours, maybe two-and-a-half if it’s an unbelievable match. People’s concentration spans are short.”

As part of the touring lifestyle, players are given hotel rooms, rental cars, a daily allowance, massages, pedicures and gift bags—not insignificant to the many participants who reside outside the Top 50. Practice partners and coaches are guaranteed, as well as plenty of competitive matches against top players.

“You get to live a bit like what other sports teams live like—travel with the team, everything is paid for,” said Alex Kuznetsov, who played for the Boston Lobsters in 2015. “When you’re out there [on tour] by yourself, you have to think of your coaches’ expenses, your expenses. But if you’re playing here, everything is pretty much taken care of for you.”

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Team Work

Team Work

Matches are held at night, so players typically get in a midday two-hour practice session. After lunch, it’s back to the courts for a 45-minute warm-up. The regular-season schedule, though just a few weeks long, can be taxing.

“It’s the traveling that’s hard,” said Irina Falconi, a teammate of Kuznetsov’s in 2015. “But other than that the dynamic is cool.”

The travel would be overwhelming even with a private jet. It’s not unusual for players to go straight from the runway to the court, and right back on board. There are very few off-days in Mylan WTT.

Big-name attractions like Andy Roddick, Caroline Wozniacki, John Isner and Martina Hingis are the faces of Mylan World TeamTennis, but these marquee players only appear when their schedules allow. It’s the steadfast pros like Falconi that grind throughout the entire season and carry the league.

“It’s a fast three weeks, and I tell that to the players,” says Samantha Shaw, senior vice president of player recruiting. “You’re going to be up early, you’re going to be going to bed late. You have to pace yourself and create your own training programs. Treat it just like you would on the tour. It’s serious. Everybody’s out there to win.”

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Team Work

Team Work

With a slate of tournaments on the tour calendar and the Olympics this summer, committing to Mylan WTT isn’t an easy decision. But for many players, the pros outweigh the cons.

“I’ve played for three years and it’s been really fun,” says 20-year-old Taylor Townsend, a member of the Philadelphia Freedoms last year. “I thought that it was a great way to be out on the court as much as possible, to be playing so I’m match-ready going into the US Open Series.”

Townsend has also benefitted from the tutelage of King, who owns the Freedoms.

Mylan WTT coaches offer a wealth of experience and knowledge; this year’s field includes Josh Cohen, John-Laffnie de Jager, John Lloyd, Murphy Jensen, Patrick McEnroe and Rick Leach.

“All the coaches in the league are pretty good,” said Scott Lipsky, who will play for the Orange County Breakers this season.

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Team Work

Team Work

None of this would be possible without King relentlessly driving the unique league onward and upward.

“I met [King] in Philadelphia last year,” said doubles star and former Philadelphia Freedoms player Marcelo Melo. “It’s amazing how into the team she is.”

King has been a part of WTT from its beginnings in the 1970s, and her passion for the league is unparalleled.

“I’ve either been a player, an owner, an announcer, a commissioner; just about anything,” King says. “For me, I love it because if you watch a WTT match you see my philosophy on life, and that’s men and women together, helping each other and cooperating. There are leadership and supportive roles intertwining.”

It’s not easy growing a league at a time when, as King put it, “tennis isn’t as popular as it used to be.” One exception to that is in Washington, where the Kastles have become a major draw thanks to their unprecedented success. The team won its fifth consecutive title in 2015, a credit to its players and ownership.

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Team Work

Team Work

“Every team has a budget. But it’s not always about salaries. It’s talent,” Shaw says. “Players that have played for you before, that goes into picking your team. There are a variety of reasons. It’s interesting to see how the teams come together in the draft.”

This year, at least, the San Diego Aviators, Springfield Lasers, New York Empire (moved from Boston), Orange County Breakers (moved from Austin) and Philadelphia Freedoms will try to stop the Kastles from building on their record run.

“Once we’re settled with the seven [teams], we want to expand,” King said, mentioning new locations like Chicago and even Canada. “Sometimes it comes to fruition; sometimes it doesn’t.”

Despite some volatility, World TeamTennis remains a pillar of tennis’ summer calendar. And with stars like Venus Williams and Roddick serving as part owners of Mylan WTT since 2013—with other pros voicing interest—the league’s future is bright.

“[We’ll] come back every year we can, as long as we’re still playing,” Mike Bryan said about himself and his brother, Bob, who will compete for the Kastles this summer. “Even when we’re done, there are still a lot of legends that come back. We’ve talked about starting a team, being owners of a team. That would be a fun way to stay involved forever.”

Originally published in the July/August issue of TENNIS Magazine.