Vandeweghe relives final forehand of 2020 WTT season

White Sulphur Springs, W. Va.—On Sunday afternoon, 66 matches, three weeks of drama and months of stressful planning came down to one final point of World TeamTennis between New York Empire and Chicago Smash.

At the deciding point, 6-6 in the supertiebreaker, with Chicago's Sloane Stephens serving to CoCo Vandeweghe on the ad side and Nicole Melichar at net, Vandeweghe went for a forehand return straight down the court. She would get the ball past Stephens and her partner, Bethanie Mattek-Sands and just clip the baseline.

“I’ve never been under that kind of pressured I think ever,” Vandeweghe says. “It was so much fun to have it on my racket to be able to control the situation. Luckily, I controlled it in the right way. So I’m really pumped and it just really accentuated what WTT is.”

The King Cup and a bonus of $500,000 in prize money hung on the Hawk-Eye call. With no linesmen, all lines have been called electronically, and the final shot would be deemed good by just a few centimeters.

"I went down on my knees thinking I missed it because I saw all their fingers go up," she says. "I couldn't hear the actual call, if there was a call or anything. Then it's the review and I was panicking and we finally won. I was just absolutely elated with emotions."

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It made for a dramatic finish to what has been a historic season that showed the world it's possible to put on live professional sports in a safe way.

"I think definitely The Greenbrier offered us something amazing," Vandeweghe says. "And I think everyone should cherish that and relish in that moment. Everyone doing their part from players to staff to everyone else involved, it's a team effort. Hopefully we can replicate it again, I don't think we can. I think The Greenbrier was something special."

The league emphasizes that "every point counts" and that was certainly showcased in 2020. Chicago had the lead going into the final set of women's doubles, but since Vandeweghe and Melichar beat Mattek-Sands and Eugenie Bouchard, they went into extended play. There New York had a chance to even the match if they won two games in a row, which they did. In an unexpected move, Chicago coach Kamau Murray subbed Bouchard out for Stephens, and then the "supertiebreaker" was played to seven with a sudden-death point at 6-6.

Chicago earned $250,000 in bonus prize money for making the final, while semifinalists Orlando and Philadelphia picked up $125,000 each.

For more photos, videos, results and live action from World TeamTennis, go to WTT.com.