Tennis in 3 hours with eight top players, real team energy, and fans allowed on the court after the match? We sit down with Bill Oakes, former ATP Tournament Director who is the Current Chief Operating Officer for the reimagined World Team Tennis, to unpack a version of pro tennis built for modern fans.

Bill walks us through the World Team Tennis format and why it’s designed for speed and variety, with multiple singles sets plus mixed doubles, no-ad scoring, and rules that keep the action moving. If you love the strategy side of the sport, you’ll want to hear how Hawkeye AR augmented reality and Hawkeye data can reveal ball speed, bounce location, and movement in ways that help rec players understand real point construction.

The discount code for tickets for Second Serve listeners is: WTTBILL
Please let us know if you attend a pro World Team Tennis match and what you think!

Here’s a Complete Transcript of our Conversation:

Meeting Bill
Carolyn 0:08

Hi, this is Carolyn, and I’m here with Erin, and we are thrilled to have Bill Oakes back on the podcast. Bill is a former ATP tournament director who is the current chief operating officer for the Reimagined World Team Tennis. And he’s gonna tell us about that. Erin, how did we first meet Bill?

Erin 0:31

He’s already shaking his head. This is my favorite Bill story. We, Carolyn and I got awards in 2021, I think.

Carolyn 0:37

In 2022.

Erin 0:39

And we were in Atlanta, and I met this man, Bill Oakes, who came up and was standing next to us, and he said, Oh, how do you? He was the MC for the award show. And he said, How do you say your last name to me? And I said Canigliero, or no, I think I said Canigliero. And then I said, Oh, that’s really difficult. So you can just call me Erin. And he was like, Oh, just like Cher. So he’s proceeded to call me Cher ever since. But I honestly thought he was like a hired comedian to host the MC. I mean, to MC the awards show. And then I found out that he’s not a he’s not hired. He gets paid nothing with a guy that doesn’t have a stand-up show like I thought he did.

Carolyn 1:18

Yeah, because he was so funny and so good at it. Yeah.

Bill 1:21

That’s very kind of you guys. So I I mean, I did get I did get fired a year later, but then they then they rehired me. So I don’t know how to take that.

Erin 1:31

Fired as a volunteer, mind you.

Bill 1:33

Correct. Fired as a volunteer. As asked not to return as the host. And now I’m back. Now they changed their mind. So no, thank

What Reimagined World Team Tennis Is
Bill 1:44

you guys. Thanks you guys for having me on the pod. You’re welcome.

Carolyn 1:47

Oh, thanks for coming on. And can you tell us what is the reimagine world team tennis?

Bill 1:52

Well, look, world team tennis is trying to find a way to integrate sports, culture, and entertainment into one evening of fun. You know, when you go to a professional tennis match, you can sit and watch a four-hour tennis match, you know, at the at the Grand Slam’s unbelievable product. But you just see two people play for four hours. We’re bringing back a product that has, you can see all eight players, four players on each team in three hours. You could it’s going to be a lot more fun, it’s going to be energetic, there’s going to be a lot more going on, but it’s going to go fairly quickly compared to what you’re used to seeing. You know, when you when you go to a match, there’s, you know, 25 seconds between points or 20 seconds between points. There’s a very short warm-up time between each set. So there’s four sets of singles and then one set of mixed doubles put in the middle for an evening of great time. The players that we have are all top 20, top 30 players. I mean, you look at Jess Pagula, Coco Goff, Tommy Paul, Francis Tiafa, Taylor Fritz, Lerner Tien. It is chock full of top players who get to come and have a great time in a team atmosphere. So they’re playing for each other. And it’s a league also that’s very unique because the players have equity in the league. So Coco, though she’s playing for the Florida Flamingos, she’s a she’ll be a part owner of that team, you know, when, you know, over time. So it is a great opportunity for the players to see equity where they really don’t get that on the tours. And our broadcast, we’re so excited. We’re on CNBC, part of the USA versant network, which is unique for tennis. But we’re you’re gonna be able to see like what’s called Hawkeye AR, augmented reality. So the trajectory of the ball, see where it bounces, see the speed. So if you’re a casual fan, I don’t think you have a true understanding of how hard these balls are hit. Even the forehands and the backhands and you know, where players move so you can see how far and fast they move. It’s gonna be a lot of fun. But my favorite part, and I and I say this, and I know you guys just opened up the spigot and let me talk for a second, is that when you go to football games and baseball games and basketball games, especially baseball, you can go down to courts, you know, to the edge of the field and watch batting practice. Well, for us, you can come down to the court starting at 5:30 when the doors open, and you can watch the players practice and be courtside for that. So you don’t, if you have a ticket in the upper deck, which I mean, we really don’t have a big upper deck, even though we’re large venues, you can come down courtside and be courtside while they’re practicing. Something that’s very unique and

Five-Set Format And Faster Scoring
Bill 4:45

new for professional tennis for sure.

Erin 4:47

Talk about the format again. So you talked about five matches. I also read there’s no ad scoring, which I don’t think Carolyn and I love. But there’s also no let serves, I think. So talk about those five matches and and what those look like.

Bill 5:01

Yeah, so it’s five, it’s really five sets within one match. So it’s uh number two versus number two on each team and the guys and the girls, number one versus number one on each team, the guys and the girls, and then a mixed double super tie break in the kind of the third set. But it’ll make it so everyone plays quickly. When you have no ad scoring, you know, and you’re trying to play four single sets and a doubles, mixed doubles super tie break in a three-hour period so that people can enjoy it. You you want to you don’t want it to go forever. And I think when you go to a lot of the off-season exhibitions, they can go for four or five hours. And it’s you know, you don’t get to see everybody play. We want it to be fun, but competitive. It is a competitive product. So the players are you know rewarded if they win matches. It’s not just, hey, you get to come out and play. There is something to be said for it, and there’s a championship at the end. The Billie Jin King trophy is pretty darn cool. I will admit it’s it’s it has a dent. It’s so original, it still has a dent in it from where a where a team owner, when he won the title, dropped it. So it’s but it travels with its own big case. You know, when you handle it, you have to wear white gloves. I felt like I was handling this Lord Stanley’s cup for the stand for the Stanley Cup when I when I was using, when I pulled it out of its case a couple months ago.

Erin 6:27

Were you the one that dropped it? Let’s be honest.

Bill 6:30

Um, actually, I was not, but someone I’ve known since I was since I was 10 years old is the person who dropped it. Okay. So he his team won, and he tried to put his son in the cup, and it kind of fell as he was, and so he dropped it.

Carolyn 6:47

So Oh no. What are you gonna do?

Bill 6:50

Can’t can’t do anything. It’s it’s a but it’s a beautiful trophy.

Carolyn 6:53

Can you tell us a little bit about

The Trophy With A Dent
Carolyn 6:55

the teams and what you know the packages and what it would be fun for like a ret player to go to?

Bill 7:02

Well, I I think there’s a lot of things that that make it enjoyable for every level of player. I mean, I’m wearing my Toronto North hat right now, the the Moose. It’s you know, we’ve we tried to be thoughtful in uh how we do it. You’ll I’m gonna I’m actually gonna put on my Florida Flamingos hat right now, which was an original team from the 70s in it. But like you get to come if you’re if you’re in attendance, you get to you’re gonna get to see top players play singles and doubles, and that and we’re gonna drive through the data. So you’ll be able to see like how far people run, what they do, what and using Hawkeye data, which is the people that when you watch matches and you see the in-out call, the electronic line calling, there’s a ton of data that they collect that you’re not able to see. So we’re gonna be able to show people,

Courtside Access And Fan-First Perks
Bill 7:53

you know, where the ball lands, how that impacts, how you set up a point. I mean, when you’re a rec player, you know, yeah, maybe a 2-5-3-0, you’re not worrying about setting up a point. You’re worrying about getting the ball back. But if you’re a 4-5 player, the difference between a 4-5 and a and a greater, they are learning to set up a point. They know if they hit the ball wide, if it’s gonna put person in a position, then you can hit and you can take advantage of it. That’s what top, that’s what professionals do. It’s not just hitting the ball back in the court. How do you put the ball back in a court that’s gonna give you an opportunity to win the point? So you’re gonna be able to see that both in in venue and on broadcast. But if you go to the, if you go to the matches, yeah, there’s a lot of fun opportunities. You can sit courtside, you can go out on the court, you there are opportunities to practice, go to practice with the players, hit on the court in the afternoon with the players. You know, we’re taking full advantage of the court when it’s sitting in Barclays Center in New York, Coca-Cola Coliseum in Toronto, or Amarant Bank Arena in South Florida, that you can go and be, you can truly be on the court at different points during the day. Or, this is one of the things that we haven’t really publicized a lot, at the end of the night, if you stay to the end of the night, we’re opening up the court to everybody. So if you’re a fan and you want to come out, I mean, look, I’m a sports fan. I love, I love all sorts of sports. How cool is it that you get to go on the field when you’re at it when you’re at an event? Everybody can come on the court after the at the end of the night. You can come take pictures, sit in the player bench, sit in the umpire chair. You know, you can pretend like you’re running back and forth on the court. It’s a it is a lot of fun. We want to make this a fan-first environment. You know, there’s gonna be places you can come down courtside and do a you know, do a video or take a picture or do a selfie. Can’t do it during play, which is what they had at the U.S. Open. Right. People were with their lights, and you know, I I thought it was interesting that Wimbledon has already banned influencers for next year. I mean, so it means I can’t go to Wimbledon because you know, I can’t be an influencer, you know. I mean, it’s really disappointing.

Erin 9:57

That’s fun because usually those the like the court’s off limits. Like that’s very, you know, like a no-no is to go down on the courts. I mean, people always turn around and take pictures and try to get a player and a photo or whatever. But yeah, actually being able to, Carolyn and I went to an event many years ago in Asheville, and we tried to get on the court and tried to find some players. And we I think we kind of got kicked out of that venue at the end of the night.

Carolyn 10:22

Like, come on, keep security. Yeah, security security came to us and was like, you ladies need to leave.

Bill 10:28

Is that the is that the event that was done for charity for the hurricane? Hurricane release.

Carolyn 10:33

No, it wasn’t no way before that.

Erin 10:36

It was it was the billing thing in that.

Bill 10:39

See, if you’d come to the one in Asheville with the charity, which I was doing, I would have not kicked you out, but I would have just put a you know, had security walk around with you all the time to make you look like the reporter. They do this and they’re like, you know, you know, share is share is entering the court, chair is entering the court, you know.

Erin 11:02

And they not the real share. Yeah.

Carolyn 11:05

Yeah. Well, at the US Open, I was asked for an autograph one time.

Erin 11:09

Yeah, so it was a player, it was really cute.

Carolyn 11:11

Only bec yeah, only because we were we had special tickets, so we were coming out of somewhere and it was where players normally come out.

Bill 11:18

Yeah.

Carolyn 11:19

But I told the kid I was like, if I sign your big ball, the value will go down.

Bill 11:23

So, you know, that’s I I thought it was gonna be for your uh for the pod, you know.

Carolyn 11:29

I know, we should have done that. Second serve.

Bill 11:32

Second serve. But like for for our fans that are gonna come in the venue, they’re gonna get to have a lot of fun because it’s gonna be quick, fast moving. We’re gonna mic up the players that are on the bench. Our broadcasters, for the most part, are gonna be on court. We’re trying to find ways to bring everyone closer. We’ll have a DJ right next to the court as well. It is gonna be a fun, you know, but the integrity of the game of tennis is still the most important. So the match, so the points, you know, we’re not gonna be playing, you know, it’s not like the Savannah bananas where you know you you hit a ball and then you do a backflip. Though we did hire the agency that helped them do planning, we did hire them to help us with fan engagement. So trying to think through what are things that, if you’re a fan, and we all go to events, whether it’s sporting events or dances or volleyball or whatever it is, you you go and you, you know, when you can engage the fan in the venue, that they get to have a lot more fun. And that’s just not a kiss cam or you know, or something like that. We want to do stuff that will be enjoyable and fun. The at the end of when you do ball changeovers, you know how the ball kids take their balls and they the ball kids are gonna throw them into the stands. That we don’t need them again. And so, you know, more people will get an experience. You know, I look, I started as a ball kid when I was 11 years old at a tournament in Washington, D.C. I had gone for a few years before that. But, you know, what hooked me into the professional side of tennis was was the excitement and the fun and the interaction. And you know, in the 70s, in the 70s, when you did it, you know, you could be there wasn’t security guards at everything. The players were walking around. It was much more communal, and we’re trying to find a way to bring it to be more communal. We’re we’re not in the average ATP WTA season. The old world team tennis was played in July. That you know, players had other commitments. We’re playing in the out of season, we’re playing in December. This is their time where they’re getting ready to get ready for the, they’re getting ready for the Australian Open, they’re practicing. So we’re finding ways to help them be successful. We’re using the same balls as the Australian Open, the same court surface and speed as the Australian Open. So it’s part of making it nice for the players as they get prepared for the year’s first slam.

December Cities Dates And Ticket Deals
Erin 13:56

I want you to talk about locations because I even was mapping, you know, I always have these streams when we record these podcasts of like, what could Carolyn and I go to? So I know there’s one in New York, which we could drive to. That’s only like an eight-hour drive or fly. We could, we could drive to Florida, but that’s a little bit far. It’s probably 12 years old.

Carolyn 14:13

It’s warmer. It is warmer there.

Erin 14:15

We’re gonna be inside, so but that’s about a 12-hour drive. But talk about the different locations and and the dates because I know they’re they’re coming up pretty quick in December.

Bill 14:23

Yeah, December 1st and 2nd, we’re playing at Barclays Arena where the you know the Brooklyn Nets and the New York Liberty play. It’s a wonderful venue. And then December 5th and 6th, we’re playing at Coca-Cola Coliseum in Toronto, where the the actually their new WNBA team plays the the Toronto, the the Tempo. And then in December 14th and 15th, we’re playing at Amaranth Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida. I will say that the we play on the 14th. On the 12th, Janet Jackson is playing at Amarant Bank Arena. And I’m like, hey, backup dancer? You need a backup dancer? Oh, I keep going in on the 12th. I’m going in on the 12th the morning of, and you know, I’ll probably try to find a way to sneak my way in. Maybe I will dress up as a backup dancer. You know. Look, the venues, the venues were thought of. They’re all the reason we’re they’re all on the East Coast, which makes it easier for the players. We chose the venues and the cities based on what we think would be of interest to fans, but also where players are from or train. Most of these players live in Florida, so having a venue in Florida made complete sense. Our Canadian team makes a lot of sense. Vic Victoria Mboka, Leila Fernandez, Dennis Shapovalov, Gabriel Diallo, you know, they are all part of a, you know, they’re Canadian, so they’re playing for a Canadian team, and that’s a that’s a big deal. So, and we do offer discounts. I this week, you’re gonna get to see, you’re gonna, if you’re a USTA member, in any of the eastern sections, Eastern, New England, Mid-Atlantic, Southern, and Florida, there’s gonna be a ticket discount coming your way for 10% off. All the sections on the East Coast of working with us. So you can get a chance to get a little discount, but we do offer, we do offer group packages and you know, bring your team out, have fun. This is about having fun. You get to see top quality tennis. You know, for those of us that wanted to go to the US Open, you know, trying to even get on grounds was $400. Our ticket prices start at $49 or $59, depending on the market. So you can bring your family to an event. You can bring your spouse, your girlfriend, your boyfriend, you know, your friends, the person you don’t like from down the hall, whatever it is, you can bring them because it’s cost effective. And yeah, we do have higher-end seats that you know, you get courtside, you get hospitality, so you get all your food and drink, or you can do an opportunity to be on the court and do something in the afternoon.

Erin 17:01

There’s also you could get picked up by a driver, I saw. Yes. Um, and I got to. How could you ever go back from that if you get like, okay, I bought a fan experience and I got picked up, you know, by a personal driver. It’s gonna be Bill Oaks.

Bill 17:15

Let’s it is not gonna be Bill Oaks because in four states and 13 cities, I’m not allowed to drive them. Not allowed to drive. I’m not I’m not articulating which of the four states, but um, but those 13 cities are in, you know, so I just I it’s safer for you if I don’t pick you up.

Erin 17:33

So but what a fun experience. That’s kind of like a player experience. Players get picked up by their tournament cars, and so I just I saw that. I thought that was just like another fun thing that you could do.

Bill 17:45

Like it it’s about having fun. We we every day is we you know, we all have things that we have to experience in life. Why don’t we have some fun with it? And you know, I do think having 49 and $59 tickets makes it easier for fans to be able to understand and enjoy.

Carolyn 18:02

Oh, that’s great. Can you tell us who the coaches are?

Bill 18:05

Sure. So the coach of the Florida Flamingos is is retired player Jesse Levine, who lives in South Florida, played at the University of Florida. In Toronto, it’s Dan former world number one doubles player Daniel Nestor, who’s a who’s a Canadian tennis legend. And in New York, we have this young lady who is who is originally from Europe but spends most of her time in New Jersey, Kim Kleisters. So who’s also the yeah, who’s also the president, I believe, of the International Tennis Hall of Fame. And she she’s wonderful. She is she reached out to us when she found out about this and what and asked how she could be involved. I mean, Billy Gene King is is no longer daily involved with us daily, but is supporting us and is, you know, we we talk to her and make sure that she’s comfortable with what what’s going on. She’s no longer involved in the day in, day out. But this was her product and her, you know, really her thought process, you know, over 50 years ago. And we respect that. And what she did for the sport of tennis and for world team tennis is it’s it’s immeasurable. So, you know, we love having her, getting her insight on things, but you know, she’s enjoying other parts of her life now, and we’re just happy that we can continue the and continue this product.

Erin 19:28

I just love that she’s still an innovator and she’s willing to make changes even after all these years.

Bill 19:33

Yep. And that’s I think that’s what makes her that’s what make has always made her, you know, very good for the sport of tennis.

Carolyn 19:40

We had asked you your most memorable moment before, and I always remember it because it’s where he hooks someone. Do you remember this, Erin? Like he called the ball out even though he knew it was in, but then he told his opponent that he did it, and that always sticks with me.

Bill 19:55

16 Clay event in Wintergreen, Virginia.

Carolyn 19:59

I always remember it sticks with him too. Because no one else has said anything like that.

Bill 20:04

Well, I mean, look, it it’s one of those

Tennis Memories From Ball Kid To Wimbledon
Bill 20:06

moments that, you know, I was getting blown out by a guy who was significantly better than me, and I just didn’t want to lose love and love. So I hooked him. And, you know, it is what it is. It look, it’s not my, I didn’t say it was my most proud moment. It is the most memorable moment in my but I will say that the second most memorable moment is in 2019, I was at going to an ATP player council meeting at Wimbledon in the in all at the All England Tennis Club. And I’m sitting in the lobby where the players come out to go out on court. And myself and the guy sitting next sitting across the lobby from me, somebody I’d known since I was 10, maybe somebody who dropped a world team tennis trophy. And he runs, he owns a tournament in Washington, he owns a tournament in Washington, DC. And we both started as ball kids at the Washington tournament in the 70s. And we’re standing, we’re sitting there talking, we grew up six blocks from each other, and we then just take a quick second and realize how surreal it is that two kids who started as ball kids at the same tournament, you know, 40 plus years ago, are sitting in the lobby at the All England Tennis Club, getting ready to go make individual presentations to the A T V Player Council led by Novak Djokovic. And it to me, that is another one of those moments that it’s hard to really articulate how crazy it is to think about it when I was 15 years old or 10 years old, to where I’ve had the opportunity to do such cool and fun things.

Erin 21:46

Yep, that gave me goosebumps, actually. Because of tennis, it’s tennis exactly tennis, tennis and tennis friends.

Bill 21:53

And look where you’re on the city. Tennis and tennis friends. And you know, look, I’ve I’ve had a lot of ups and downs in the sport, and it’s fun. I’ve played since I was a little kid when you know someone asked me what was my first racket, and it was a cut-down wood racket. And I I saw that Rafa at his museum took Andy Murray recently and showed him his first Prince Jr. racket, I think is what it was. I I couldn’t tell you what happened to my cut-down wood racket that my parents cut down for me to play at St. John’s College High School in Washington, D.C. is where I first hit tennis balls. But, you know, those type of situations where you learn to play and you have fun and the friends I have made, both in the recreational, the professional, and even just the attending of prof of tennis events in my life is innumerable. And I’m just so grateful for the opportunities that the sport of tennis has given me. And the arguments that I have had with myself on a court when I’ve shanked a ball or double faulted. I mean, I I can remember those as well. Throwing a racket when I was 18 and my mom walking off the court, and my mom just looking at me like I had six heads and not saying a word and just you know walking to the car, knowing that I’m and I was knowing that I was gonna get my rear edge shoot for being a brat.

Carolyn 23:24

Thanks to Bill for coming on the podcast. He has given our listeners a discount code for tickets that you can find in our show notes. Thanks so much for listening and hope to see you on the court soon.

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