Captains Keys and Mattek-Sands expect team jitters

The Volvo Car Open in Charleston was called off months ago but tournament organizers are putting on an exceptional Plan B next Tuesday. The Credit One Bank Invitational will feature 16 WTA stars split up into two teams.

Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Madison Keys are team captains and will pick their teammates during a draft on Monday. The pool includes Victoria Azarenka, Sloane Stephens, Sofia Kenin, Monica Puig, Eugenie Bouchard, Leylah Fernandez, Ajla Tomljanovic, Amanda Anisimova, Jennifer Brady, Danielle Collins, Caroline Dolehide, Emma Navarro, Alison Riske and Shelby Rogers.

"We’re no longer just playing for ourselves, we’re playing for our teammates," Keys said in a virtual press conference on Thursday. "We all want to do well. That extra level of nervousness is so fun, but it’s also something that we’re not used to. We always get excited when there is a team event."

Doubles will be particularly important, given Super Sunday is entirely doubles and those matches will be worth 3 points compared to Day 1 and Day 2 matches, which are worth just 1 point each.

"We’re used to going on stadium courts, being set points down, coming back, being up, having our opponents come back," Mattek-Sands said. "But then when you’re playing for someone else or watching someone else and wanting them to win, it’s like a whole new level of nerves."

Safety will be a huge factor at the six-day event with many restrictions and safety regulations in place. The biggest difference is the lack of fans, which is becoming a standard at sporting events returning around the world.

While college players might not blink at the notion of playing in front of no fans, pros aren't used to empty stadiums.

"It’s going to be tough without the fans," Mattek-Sands said. "That’s why the team event is even more important. You’re going to hit a winner, have a fist pump and hear nothing. We basically have to be the crowd for our teammates out there."

With the tours announcing a restart schedule for August, including a fan-less US Open, the 16 players in Charleston will get some crucial match-play experience in the "new normal".