The Baseline Awards: The realest MVPs
Everyone that contributed to some tennis being played deserves a nod.
The 2020 season has been like no other in tennis. This year’s Baseline Awards look at the standout performers and moments during an unusual year.
By its very nature, tennis wasn’t going to face the same set of concerns professional football and basketball leagues would have to address as far as athletes returning to competition in the midst of a global pandemic.
Still, staging a tournament at this time with so many logistical factors would take a Herculean effort from all of the usual parties: the governing bodies, the tournament directors, the sponsors, the officials, line judges, ball people, on-site facility staff, health professionals and more.
In signs of resilience and determination, tournament staffs and other organizations brought players back to the court when and where they could, through no small effort.
World Team Tennis, an annual summer showcase, was held in a “bubble,” with constant testing and strict on-site rules in place. UTR has hosted events around the world, while Patrick Mouratoglou created the Ultimate Tennis Showdown, featuring a number of changes and top-level talent.
Two Grand Slam tournaments, with no to few fans, were still held, with the USTA providing off-court entertainment for the players and coaches whose movements around New York were extremely limited.
And while Wimbledon wasn’t held, the AELTC made a generous gesture.
The ATP and WTA both managed to put together a shuffled calendar, even with the cancellation of the fall “Asia Swing.” While the women’s year-end championships were a casualty of the pandemic-related changes, the ATP Finals in London still went on.
Events, too, were held at both the ATP Challenger and ITF levels.
While the schedule wasn’t as robust as in a regular year, the fact that there even was one should be celebrated. It’s a testament to the people working behind the scenes to make sure the sport can continue in some capacity.
As Daniil Medvedev said after winning the ATP Finals: “It’s a really tough job to do tournaments nowadays. And what everybody is doing…is just unbelievable.”