Tombstone
Born: 2019 – WTT expansion franchise
Folded: 2021
First Game: July 14, 2019 (L 21-20 @ Orlando Storm)
Last Game: July 29, 2020 (W 19-16 vs. Washington Kastles @ West Virginia)
World Team Tennis Championships: None
Arena
Orleans Arena
Opened: 2003
Branding
Team Colors:
Ownership
Owner: World TeamTennis
Background
The Vegas Rollers were one of two league-owned expansion clubs added by World TeamTennis for its 2019 season, alongside the Orlando Storm. In addition to placing a team in Vegas, WTT also booked the city’s Orleans Arena to host the league’s championship weekend on August 2-3, 2019.
The Rollers marked WTT’s second attempt to establish a team in Las Vegas. In 2014 the league’s plans for a team known as the Las Vegas Neon were scuttled when team owner Deepal Wannakuwatte was revealed to be the mastermind of a $150 million ponzi scheme. The Neon never played a match.
In the league record books, the Rollers were a two-year entry in World TeamTennis. But in reality, the Vegas Rollers were merely tourists, whose entire residency at the Orleans Arena consisted of 7 matches crammed into an 11-day stretch between July 20-July 30, 2019. The 2019 Rollers team finished 6-8 and failed to qualify for WTT’s postseason tournament at Orleans Arena.
What would have been the Rollers’ second season in 2020 was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The entire 2020 World TeamTennis season was conducted at The Greenbrier luxury resort in West Virginia, primarily for the benefit of a video streaming audience and cable viewers on the CBS Sports Network. The Rollers took part in the season, but no operations took place in Nevada.
In May 2021 World TeamTennis announced that its 2021 schedule, set for November, would once again be held in a single location. A shrunken line-up of five teams would compete at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in California. No mention of the Rollers or the other non-participating franchises was made in the announcement and they appear to be defunct.
Talent
WTT teams typically signed about four players that committed for the full three-week season. Then they supplemented these core players with so called “franchise” players, who were basically just special guests who committed to play a selected match or matches. The 2019 Rollers roster included:
- Harriet Dart
- Asia Muhammad
- Matt Reid
- Evan Song
- Bob & Mike Bryan (special guest appearances; long-time World No.1 ranked men’s doubles pair)
- Reilly Opelka (special guest)
- Monica Puig (special guest; 2016 Olympic gold medalist in women’s singles)
- Sam Querrey (special guest; 2017 Wimbledon singles semi-finalist)
During the 2020 season, the Rollers fielded an All-American roster. Due to league playing its entire season in a COVID bubble the The Greenbrier resort in West Virginia, no WTT signed special guest players. The 2020 Rollers featured:
- Kristie Ahn
- Bob Bryan
- Mike Bryan
- Asia Muhammad
- Monica Puig
- Sam Querrey
Vegas Rollers Video
The Rollers host the San Diego Aviators at Orleans Arena on HaJuly 28th, 2019.
Downloads
2019 World TeamTennis Media Guide
2019 World Team Tennis Media Guide
2020 World TeamTennis Media Kit
Links
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