No ball carriers, no fans: the lonely road to elite tennis

New York

LESS than a half-hour after a crushing defeat in front of two spectators, Alexandra Wozniak paced the hallways of the municipal tennis centre in Dothan, Alabama, pleading on the phone with an airline representative.

Ms Wozniak, a former top-25 player, had hoped to stay longer at the small tournament, but the loss forced her to immediately arrange a cheap 6am connection back home to Montreal. Once there, she would prepare anew for the next small tournament a week later in Charlottesville, Virginia, another lonely stop on a punishing minor league tennis tour.