Fiend at Court Unplugged
Arguably no player has benefitted more from the Coco Gauff effect than Caty McNally. Though she is currently ranked 110, she gets more tennis broadcast screen time than many other American women currently in the WTA top 100. The reason for that attention is quite simple. She is Coco Gauff’s doubles partner. One very positive side effect of Coco mania is that the tennis broadcasting industry has suddenly rediscovered that doubles is a thing.
I can’t imagine that regular Fiend at Court readers would not be aware of this, but doubles is almost never televised. Usually it is shown only for matches that involve the Williams sisters, Federer, or Nadal. Venus and Serena play doubles together occasionally, but Federer and Nadal rarely participate in the event. As a consequence, doubles is usually relegated firmly on the back burner.
Coco Gauff plays doubles. The insatiable desire of the viewing public to see Gauff as much as possible has created a perfect storm. Gauff’s doubles matches are televised, at least in part. Her regular doubles partner, Caty McNally, is getting a lot of air time. Consequently there is more buzz and excitement surrounding McNally than her current ranking would merit on its own. I am not complaining.
When Gauff had to withdraw from the doubles bracket at the MUSC Health Women’s Open in Charleston last week, I lamented that it was likely the end of women’s doubles coverage at the event. I was wrong. The Tennis Channel has included breakaway check-ins on the progress of McNally and Hailey Baptiste, who replaced Gauff as McNally’s partner for the event.
Baptiste is an American 19 year old who is currently ranked 205 on the WTA tour. To provide a sense of where Baptiste currently stands on the publicity front, her WTA provide does not include an official head shot. I am happy that she has had the opportunity for additional exposure.
Television broadcast of tennis is a conundrum for the media companies and the professional tour promoters. Advertisers care about television viewing ratings right here right now. Consequently there is both temptation and demand to fill the available space with the current bankable superstars of the game. The problem is that when those players dominate the storylines and the public consciousness, it also creates a very dim future for the sport once they retire.
It is not realistic to expect the broadcast media companies to take the spotlight off the current superstars of the game. However, what can be done with a little intention and creativity is to craft ways for the other players of the game to more effectively share the spotlight with those superstars. That could generate the sparks that develop into the compelling storylines essential to build the future of broadcast tennis.
The first step is to stop thinking of Gauff as lightning in a bottle and start regarding her situation as a template.
- Catherine McNally, WTA Player Stats & More Page, wtatennis.com, viewed 17 April 2021.
- Hailey Baptiste, WTA Player Stats & More Page, wtatennis.com, viewed 17 April 2021.
