It looks like the Springfield Lasers will be playing home matches once again, just not until next summer.
World TeamTennis — the nation’s only professional, mixed-gender team tennis league — has announced it is accepting expansion proposals from prospective ownership groups. In sharing the press release with local media, Jenny Fillmer Edwards, public information administrator for the Springfield-Greene County Park Board, added a note that the Park Board looks forward to hosting home matches in 2023.
“We are excited to announce that WTT is looking to add expansion franchises and returning to playing in individual cities across the United States in 2023,” said Eric Davidson, WTT chairman and CEO. “While hosting all of the WTT matches at one site in 2020 and 2021 was necessary due to the pandemic, our fans have missed the access that the teams bring in their home markets and we are excited to bring that model back in 2023.”
All signs point to the Lasers being part of that model.
“Our Springfield Lasers franchise is looking forward to participating in World TeamTennis matches here at the local level,” said Bob Belote, parks director and Springfield Lasers ownership representative. “We're supportive of WTT’s efforts to bring on additional franchise cities, as it's sure been fun for us here in Springfield. All signs point to WTT being back and operational at the local level for a 2023 season. When that happens, we'll certainly have our Springfield Lasers team going full force at our Cooper Tennis Complex, along with all of the excitement and fun that Lasers Tennis has brought us since 1996.”
While the 2020 season was held in West Virginia during the month of July, the typical month of operation for the league, the 2021 WTT season was held in November at Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Indian Wells, California.
The press release noted the league is taking 2022 off, but plans to return match play to venues hosted by the individual teams’ markets in the summer of 2023.
“With the 2021 season finishing up in late November and the damage that COVID caused to our franchises, we decided against rushing to host a 2022 season so our teams can get healthy as we look to relaunch in the summer of 2023,” Davidson said.
The press release goes on to note the growth the league experienced in 2020 and 2021, including participation from Grand Slam champions like Venus Williams, Kim Clijsters and former Lasers player Jack Sock. In addition, top-ranked American players Danielle Collins, Taylor Fritz and Jessica Pegula have also played World TeamTennis.
The league, co-founded by tennis legend Billie Jean King, also broke single-match viewership records on national network television for both its regular season and WTT finals in 2020.
For more information on the Lasers, call 417-837-5800 or visit the official Springfield Lasers website.
