It would be tough to find an American pro tennis player—with the exception of Australian Open singles champion Sofia Kenin—who has had a better 2020 season so far than Jennifer Brady.
Two weeks ago, Brady captured the first WTA Tour singles title of her career at the Top Seed Open in Lexington, Ky., and then moved up to a career-high singles ranking of No. 40, and a likely seeding in the upcoming US Open.
The 25-year-old Brady began 2020 at the Brisbane International, where she advanced through qualifying and beat Maria Sharapova in the first round, before taking out world No. 1 and home-country favorite Ash Barty in the Round of 16. At the Australian Open, Brady advanced to the doubles quarterfinals with Caroline Dolehide for the third consecutive year, after reaching the semifinals Down Under in 2019 with Alison Riske.
In February, Brady advanced through qualifying at the Dubai Tennis Championships and then secured her second career win over a Top-10 opponent, with a dominating 6-2, 6-1 victory over No. 6 Elina Svitolina.
This is all pretty impressive for a small-town girl from Harrisburg, Pa. (population 49,000), who helped lead UCLA to a Division I National Championship in 2014 as a freshman and then elected to turn pro after her sophomore season in 2015.
Brady made her WTA Tour debut at the 2014 US Open, thanks to a doubles wild card, and has been a fixture on the pro tour ever since, having won four singles titles and five doubles titles on the ITF circuit.
USOpen.org recently caught up with the American to discuss winning her first WTA title, her new coaching situation and what kept her busy during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Q: You started the year so strong. What do you attribute your fast start in 2020 to?
Jennifer Brady: I think confidence was a big thing, just going out there and believing and knowing I could do it.
Q: You started working with your new coach in November. Would you agree that’s another reason for winning results so far in 2020?
JB: Yeah, I think so. I started working with Michael Geserer last November in Germany. He formerly coached Julia Görges. During the offseason, I spent a lot of time in the gym building strength and getting stronger.
Q: What did you do to stay busy during the four-month stoppage of the WTA Tour?
JB: During COVID, I was still training, working on my fitness and my tennis. I was able to practice and play near where I live in Orlando. I played the Charleston event. They did a great job, and they ran the tournament well.
Q: Did you ever get bored when the stay-at-home order was in place?
JB: I did have a lot of down time, but I was still training and practicing. I mean, tennis is my life, so I was just doing that.
Q: What was clicking most during your dominating week in Kentucky?
JB: It was such a great week for me at the Top Seed Open in Lexington. I was able to execute well on my serve and forehand, and was happy with how I competed in each match.
Q: You won an incredible 93 percent of your service games. Has that been the biggest change in your game?
JB: I saw a stat that I was only broken three times over the course of five matches, so I’d say my serve was working pretty well that week, for sure. I have been focusing a lot on my serve and working on turning it into a weapon. I think that has been one of the many improvements in my game this year. I think if I continue to improve, it will become a weapon.
Q: Are you playing the best tennis right now of your career? Or can you be even better?
JB: I’m not sure. I think I played good tennis [in Lexington], but I definitely will continue to put in work on and off the court to improve in all aspects of my game. I think there is always room for improvement, and every day is a chance to get better.
Q: How did you celebrate the big win?
JB: I had some champagne—which took me awhile to open—and I ordered copious amounts of food from City Barbeque on DoorDash and enjoyed it with my coach at the hotel.
Q: Your phone must have been blowing up. How many text messages and emails were in your inbox at the end of the day on Sunday?
JB: I must have had hundreds of messages from family, friends and coaches. It was definitely the most messages I’ve ever received, and I tried to respond to every single one. I really appreciate everyone who took the time to write me such nice messages and congratulate me. I wasn’t expecting the amount of support that I have received. Lots of people have said congrats to me in person, as well as on-site. I really appreciate that.
Q: What do you like best about being a pro tennis player?
JB: I like competing. Just going out there and battling. Having a game plan and going out there and executing it.
Q: We see a little bit from you on social media. Do you enjoy Twitter and Instagram?
JB: I’m not very into social media. I’m not that good at it, so I don’t do it much. I’m just a troller. I just like to see what’s out there. But I don’t participate much.
Q: What do you like to do for fun?
JB: I like to hang out with friends, just the usual stuff.
Q: You have entered the “bubble” in New York City. What has it been like? Anything out of the ordinary, or is it what you expected?
JB: Yes, I have entered the “bubble.” It has been exactly as I expected, to be honest. I have had the privilege to play in a few events and experienced “bubble” protocols already. The USTA and all of the staff and organizers have done such a great job to create a safe environment for all of the players. I am really looking forward to competing here.
