With social media and all its various platforms and apps taking over how many people stay in touch with one another, it’s no surprise that many WTA pros quickly took advantage of these new tools to communicate with their fans and comment on their lives in general. In an effort to aggregate all of the various players and their social networking platforms into one spot, the WTA tour recently launched its new WTA Superfans website.
Although the site is still young and the effort, for the most part, is sincere, it all comes across as one big “hot mess” for visitors. For those who still don’t know what that phrase means, according to UrbanDictionary.com, a “hot mess” is defined as “when one’s thoughts or appearance are in a state of disarray but they maintain an undeniable attractiveness or beauty.
WTA Superfans definitely gives off a hip and funny vibe but it all comes across to me like a flashy but weird multinational 9th grade yearbook. After enduring a very long uploading process, visitors are treated to a barrage of obviously staged photo opps, recent posts by pros either on their personal Facebook or Twitter accounts and just a lot of odd photos period like the one of Ana Ivanovic above.
And then there’s the moderator of this site, only known as “Center Court Yoda” who’s some dude in London sporting a blonde mullet commenting once in a while on what the ladies tweet or post about. I’m not sure if he’s for real or just some guy brought in for laughs but his presence just adds to the whole feeling of disarray.
Right now, only ten WTA players are listed on the site and it runs the gamut from the queen of tweets, Serena Williams, who really only uses her official Twitter posts to promote her latest spots on the Home Shopping Network or her fanatical love of the band Green Day, to Justine Henin who barely tweets at all. In the middle, you have Kim Clijsters, rising star Melanie Oudin, and Victoria Azarenka, who recently unleashed an expletive fueled tweet to those questioning her commitment during a recent loss.
But where are the other players who use social media on a regular basis? What about Svetlana Kuznetsova, winner of the French Open last year, who sends off amusing, tweets though most of them are in her native Russian? Or young British player Anne Keothavong who writes some of the funniest and candid tweets around, like this gem, “Lost today, opponent played well and served big. I played like a muppet and there were a few cross eyed people who didn't help matters.” Or even German player Andrea Petkovic who bills herself as “the first ever tennis-playing Rock 'n' Roller”. Are they not cool enough to hang out with the “in-crowd” of Serena and the gang? Or does Anne and Andrea’s lack of star status preclude them? Wouldn’t WTA Superfans be the ideal place to promote these rising stars to a wider audience in a time when the WTA desperately needs new blood to keep the tour exciting?
If WTA Superfans is billing itself as the one-stop place for all WTA social media, then it’s giving off false advertising. Plus, all the super-cool graphics are really too distracting for those who just want to get the latest news from their favorite players. The site has time to figure it out, but right now, if you want to keep up with your favorite WTA star, I suggest going directly to the source.
Erik Gudris is a writer and media consultant based in Los Angeles. He writes and moderates his own tennis site, Adjustingthenet.com