Vicky Duval can be called many things. Tennis player. Cancer survivor. Ballerina. And now, entrepreneur and artist.
Duval, the former USTA Girls' 18s champion who made a name for herself with a shocking upset of former US Open champ Samantha Stosur at the 2013 US Open, is extending her skills from her drop shots to her doodles. The former world No. 89 has turned her passion for art into a business, as the founder of Dooval, where she plans to sell t-shirts featuring her art, with a percentage of the proceeds going back to cancer research and to help grow the game of tennis for youth.
“Art has been a big part of my life for many years,” said Duval, herself a survivor of Hodgkin's lymphoma. “It’s gotten me through a lot of obstacles in my life.”
While Duval’s tennis game is a public part of her life, art has always been a major component, one that she dabbles in on her time off the court.
“It’s not something I publicly shared with anybody,” said Duval. “But something I do in my own time.”
A few months ago, Duval was inspired to push her work into the spotlight. Dooval, her company, was named using a play on her surname and the doodles she designs.
Before going public, Duval was able to partner with the USTA’s Net Generation, hoping to marry her love of tennis and art.
Throughout this summer's US Open Series events and extending into this year’s US Open, kids have been donning Net Generation t-shirts printed with Duval’s very own creation, the Net Generation logo made up entirely of her hand-drawn designs.
Now, the tennis player’s artwork has been given the grandest stage in tennis. Duval was commissioned by the USTA to design a piece celebrating Net Generation and the US Open’s 50th Anniversary. The picture, entitled, “The Big 50”, plays on New York’s Big Apple theme, and is hung inside the Net Generation Arcade booth onsite at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center for the duration of the tournament.
The Net Generation Arcade booth is located next to Grandstand and Court 8.
“It’s definitely a surreal moment. Just to see my art being displayed on such a big stage at such a big event is something I’m so grateful for,” said Duval.
Ultimately, Duval has even grander plans for Dooval.
“My dream for Dooval is to raise a million dollars through a gala and give it to cancer research.”
Through her doodles and dreams, Duval is helping to spread joy and tennis, one drawing at a time.
To see more of Duval’s designs, find Dooval on Instagram, @DoovalArt, and her website Dooval.com.
