The Washington Kastles are approaching professional sports history with their current 22-match win streak in World TeamTennis.
They have not lost a match since July 22, 2010, or 726 days. The last time Washington tasted defeat, Lebron James was ringless, Carly Rae Jepsen was only famous for finishing third in Canadian Idol, and Siri was not someone who told you jokes through a phone.
In a league where turnover is the norm rather than the exception for many teams, the Kastles' impressive winning streak cannot be understated, especially if you ask Murphy Jensen, Washington’s head coach. "Beyond amazing that the team continues to improve and fight night in and night out," Jensen said.
The Kastles' run stacks up to similar streaks in the other major American professional sports leagues. They've have already surpassed the NHL win streak record of 17, set by the Pittsburgh Penguins. The longest winning streak in Major League Baseball is 26 games, set by the 1916 New York Giants; it's 23 in the NFL, set by the Indianapolis Colts from 2008-09. The Kastles could surpass those marks as early as next week, especially with Venus Williams making appearances for Washington. Last night, she helped the Kastles extend their streak with a 20-11 victory over the Boston Lobsters, winning both her mixed doubles and doubles sets. "I just came out on fire in doubles giving us a big lead,” Williams said, “All I'm trying to do is get us a win when I'm here.”
None of the aforementioned teams, however, have done quite what the Kastles have accomplished the past couple of years. Washington completed a perfect season in 2011 with a championship, something the 2007-08 New England Patriots were denied in their final game (to the delight of some members of the 1972 Miami Dolphins, who did complete a perfect, 17-0-0 season).
With some of the best tennis players in the world competing each day in July, it is truly remarkable that the Kastles have been able to stay as successful as they have been. "It's a great team effort. It’s been a year since Venus was here. Great to have her back,” Washington’s Leander Paes said. “To beat us you have to beat all five of us."
Nobody has been able to beat all five of the Kastles team members for a long time, and the way this squad shows up every night, who knows when anybody will.
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