Getting To Know....Cici Bellis

02/16/21 • 43 min

The tennis world has always had a fascination with the young tennis prodigy. Whether it be Jennifer Capriati, Venus Williams, Rafa Nadal or even today, with Coco Gauff, we always find ourselves rooting and searching for the next great champion. When 15 year old, Cici Bellis made a name for herself at the 2014 US Open by upsetting a top 20 player in her grand slam debut, all eyes turned to this young future star of the game. In 2017, she would climb all the way to #35 in the world by defeating elite players such as: Agnieszka Radwanska, Petra Kvitova and Svetlana Kuznetsova, and her strong season would earn her the exclusive title of WTA Newcomer of the Year. 2018 & 2019 would be both difficult and disappointing seasons as elbow and wrist surgeries would sideline this would-be champion from the game. But as with every great tennis journey, the best players always find a way back, and in 2020, she would finish her resilient year with a title run in Macon, Georgia (her 1st in 4 years). Join this fun interview as host, Jon Guerrica surprises Cici with one of her biggest cheerleaders in life and we learn how Cici plans to take the 2021 WTA season by storm. Now at 21, listen as we cover all of Cici's greatest career highlights, play a fun game or two and find out why Tennis Channel just chose her to be the next star of "My Tennis Life"....we'll give you a hint why, she's pretty fantastic.

Previous Episode

Getting To Know....Zina Garrison

Episode 12 of FANTASTIC TENNIS spotlights a player that may have retired in the 90's, but whose legacy lives deep in the tennis history books. From the time she announced herself on the WTA Tour in 1982, until the tail end of her career in 1995, she would be a staple in the world's top 20, climbing to a career high of #4 in the world. Among her list of many accomplishments: an olympic gold medal, 3 grand slam mixed doubles titles, 14 career singles titles, 15 grand slam quarterfinals and a career best, 1990 Wimbledon final that saw her defeat both Monica Seles and Steffi Graf, in back-to-back matches. Off the court, few knew of her battle with bulimia and her constant struggle with racism in a predominantly white sport. In this in-depth interview, guest Zina Garrison is joined by host Jon Guerrica, and one of Zina's biggest fans of the past 30 years. This frank and honest discussion has Zina opening up about her many career highlights, as well as letting her guard down to discuss what was truly going on behind the scenes of her legendary career. You won't want to miss hearing some of the stories that helped shape the look of today's WTA Tour. Get to know....the fantastic, Zina Garrison.

Next Episode

Getting To Know....Magda Linette

This week, we spotlight a player that has sneakily made her way up the WTA rankings over the past few seasons, climbing to a career high of #33 in the world in early 2020. With two career singles titles and 3rd round appearances in all four grand slams, Magda Linette has made a remarkable career out of grinding and working her way up from the very bottom of the tennis world. In this in-depth interview, Magda details and shares her life story and how she was able to become a high performance athlete from early meager beginnings. We quickly learn how Magda's statistical mind plays an important part in her game, as well as how a chance encounter led her to leave her native Poland for a rare opportunity that she couldn't pass up. Please join Magda and one of her biggest fans, as well as host, Jon Guerrica, as they go through her many career highlights, including title runs at the 2019 Bronx Open, 2020 Thailand Open and her take on her recent "WTA Shot of the Year" award. I have a feeling you'll find yourself cheering for.....the fantastic, Magda Linette.