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Philadelphia Freedoms to play World TeamTennis home opener Monday night at St. Joe’s

Although they’ve lost US Open champion Sloane Stephens and WTT Male Rookie of The Year Kevin King, the 2019 team still features WTT Female MVP Taylor Townsend, and expectations remain high.

Taylor Townsend, the reigning female MVP of WTT, is back with the Freedoms.
Taylor Townsend, the reigning female MVP of WTT, is back with the Freedoms.Read moreAlastair Grant / AP

The Freedoms’ string of highly anticipated home matches begins Monday when they host the San Diego Aviators at 7 p.m. at St. Joseph’s University.

The franchise, which finished last season as the World TeamTennis runner-up, has a number of promotions in store for the fans, including a music playlist designed by a player at each of its seven home games.

The Freedoms opened the 2019 season Sunday night at Springfield, Mo., home of the defending champion Lasers. Last summer, after earning the top seed for the World TeamTennis finals with a 12-2 regular-season record, the Freedoms fell to the second-seeded Lasers, 19-18.

Although the Freedoms have lost 2017 U.S. Open champion Sloane Stephens and WTT Male Rookie of the Year Kevin King, the 2019 team still features WTT Female MVP Taylor Townsend, and expectations remain high.

“On paper, we have a really good team,” coach Craig Kardon said. “My expectation, of course, we want to win. I just want everybody to enjoy the season, and to do their best, and I think we have a great chance to win. We had the best record last year and we should’ve won, but we didn’t win. We have left no stone unturned. We’re very desperate to bring back the title."

In addition to Townsend, who is the former girls’ No. 1 junior player in the world, the Freedoms’ roster features Fabrice Martin, Raquel Atawo, Adrian Menendez-Maceiras, and Donald Young. Less than a week before the beginning of the WTT season, Martin and Atawo were in London, where they competed as a mixed doubles pair at Wimbledon.

After a first-round bye, Martin and Atawo lost to the powerhouse duo of Serena Williams and Andy Murray on Centre Court, 7-5, 6-3. Kardon noted that the bright lights of Wimbledon help ready players for the WTT season.

“Competing on the biggest stage at a grand slam like Wimbledon obviously will prepare you, but it’s a total different mindset when you don’t have that much time and you’re immediately put under pressure,” Kardon said of the switch from a Grand Slam tournament to WTT play. “You’re playing for something bigger than yourself, you’re playing for a team.”

Menendez-Maceiras and Young are no slouches themselves. The Spaniard has won nine of the 14 ITF Futures finals that he’s reached, while the American, whose father, Donald Young Sr., coaches both him and Townsend, lost in the final of the Wimbledon qualifier and has an all-time best ranking of 38th in the world.

The Freedoms will play their home matches at St. Joe’s Hagan Arena, which has undergone significant transformation to accommodate the tennis competition ahead of Monday’s home opener.

With several Philadelphia-area food trucks and stars like Billie Jean King, Venus Williams, and Feliciano Lopez scheduled to make appearances throughout the month, the Freedoms are hoping to create a fun atmosphere that intimidates opposing teams.

“This year in particular, there’s a lot of promotions,” Kardon said. “Every night’s a different theme, and we’re looking forward to seeing a lot of people out there supporting the Freedoms. It strengthens our home-court advantage. ... Particularly the home matches, it’s always really nice to have a good fan base.”