Best known for signing "The Rocket" Rod Laver, the San Diego Friars were a cornerstone of Mylan World TeamTennis in the late 1970s and 1980s. Despite its rich tennis history, however, the area has not been home to a WTT franchise since then.
Until now.
Behind a spirited effort from owner Russell Geyser, the league returns to the area for the first time in nearly 30 years this season. Following a successful player draft, San Diego Aviators are ready to make some noise in their first Mylan WTT season.
“The San Diego Aviators had the first pick in the Mylan World TeamTennis Draft, and they’re a strong team with lots of experience,” said Mylan WTT CEO and Commissioner Ilana Kloss. “Look for them to be a really competitive team this summer.”
Leading the pack for the Aviators will be Somdev Devvarman, who was selected with the No. 1 pick overall in this year's Mylan WTT Roster Draft and will be making his league debut. India's top-ranked player on the ATP Tour, Devvarman won back-to-back NCAA singles crowns in 2007 and 2008 while competing for the University of Virginia.
“To know that the San Diego Aviators...decided to pick me first before anybody else...makes me excited to go out there and play,” Devvarman said. “I just heard many good things about Mylan World TeamTennis. A lot of my friends have played in the past and they’ve said nothing but good things.”
Joining Devvarman on the singles front is Daniela Hantuchova, who will also be making her Mylan WorldTeam Tennis debut. Hantuchova owns a career-high WTA ranking of No. 5 in both singles and doubles and is the winner of six WTA singles titles and nine doubles titles. In addition, she owns the career Grand Slam in mixed doubles.
“I’m very excited about playing Mylan World TeamTennis,” Hantuchova said. “I’ve heard so many great things about it and playing for such a great team like San Diego. I’ve had so many great results in California, I also enjoy playing out there and I'm really looking forward to this year’s summer.”
While she says she might have to get used to the unique scoring system of Mylan WTT after playing over a decade on the WTA Tour, Hantuchova is also looking forward to experiencing the special atmosphere that's on display in WTT.
“I think [the scoring] so much more fun,” she said. “It’s so much more interesting for the fans and I’m just really looking forward to being on the court and competing in this way.”
Rounding out the Aviators are experienced Mylan WTT players in Raven Klaasen and Kveta Peschke. Together, the two have nine years of league experience and over 30 professional doubles titles.
Peschke, who won the 2011 Wimbledon Championships with Katarina Srebotnik, has won two WTA titles so far this year with fellow Mylan WTT veteran Anna-Lena Groenenfeld. Klaasen reached the Australian Open final this season with the Boston Lobsters' Eric Butorac and the pair also won the crown in Memphis earlier this year.
Klaasen and Butorac beat Bob and Mike Bryan at both tournaments, but the South African will now be playing on the same side of the net as the No. 1 team in the world.
The Bryan twins, who came over to the team as a result of a trade with the Texas Wild during this year's draft, will be taking the court for the Aviators three times this season. The twins will be competing in their 12th season of Mylan WTT, having made their debuts with the Idaho Sneakers back in 1999.
“We’re excited to be coming out to San Diego,” Mike Bryan said. “We started playing down in San Diego when were 8-9 years old.”
“Fans are treated to incredible tennis,” Bob Bryan added. “I encourage all the parents to take their kids [to a WTT match] if they want to inspire them try to get them pumped up about tennis.”
The Aviators will open their season on July 7 at home when they welcome Andy Roddick and the Austin Aces, the other franchise debuting in the league this season, to the Valley View Casino Center.