Volynets: Having no holes as a player is the ultimate goal
Katie Volynets doesn't just have a supremely-appropriate surname for the sport she’s dedicated her life to. She is also developing the game to do it justice.
Last May, the 20-year-old Californian won her first professional singles title – in just her second final – at the highest level of the ITF World Tennis Tour when she defeated Romanian Irina Maria Bara at W100 Bonita Springs.
Fast-forward 12 months and Volynets has climbed over 200 places in the WTA rankings to her current position of No. 112, aided by a run of 11 victories from her last 14 matches on the ITF World Tennis Tour that took in her second professional title at W100 Palm Harbor in April.
Her successful Spring on American clay earned her a wild card into Roland Garros courtesy of the USTA’s women’s Roland Garros wild card challenge (part of a reciprocal arrangement between the French and US Opens), and has put her in a prime position to kick on further on the WTA Tour and at the Grand Slams.
While she sits on the cusp of the Top 100 as a result of her two W100 triumphs, Volynets has honed her game across all levels of ITF competition, translating her form from the ITF World Tennis Tour Juniors, in which she put together a 61-23 win-loss record and climbed as high as No. 21 in the girls’ rankings, to the professional realm and W25, W60, W80 and W100 tournaments on the women's ITF World Tennis Tour.
“I have definitely learned a lot through playing at ITF tournaments,” she reflected. “There have been a lot of really tough matches, a lot of really good weeks and even some not so good weeks. You always just have to learn and use the losses and wins to your advantage. It’s definitely a big part of the process.”
Volynets has had plenty of opportunity to develop on home soil, with her first 20 professional events all coming in the United States. It is perhaps a luxury of her geographical position that her first foray abroad as a pro came at the WTA International event in Luxembourg in October 2019 - over two years after her professional debut at an ITF W25 event in South Carolina. With the abundance of opportunities on home soil, Volynets has been able to craft a clear path for herself in the sport.
“I’ve definitely grown a lot as a player through the ITF programme,” Volynets admitted. “When I first started playing I only played 25ks and then I got to progress to 60ks and now to a lot of 100ks. As you progress the level you also build your game.
“We’ve worked on a lot of mental aspects, physical aspects, different tools in the game and being a well-rounded player. Having no holes as a player is the ultimate goal and we’re working towards it every day."
Career-high feelings 🙌🏆
— ITF (@ITFTennis) April 19, 2022
USA’s Katie Volynets has eyes on @rolandgarros after a title lift at W100 Palm Harbor#ITFWorldTennisTour
Volynets has already proved a tough competitor at the ITF's highest-tier events, compiling a 17-4 win-loss record at the six W100 tournaments she has contested.
“I have learned a lot [in particular] from competing at the W100 ITF events," she added. "There are so many transitioning players and there are also players that have been out there for 10 years and are super experienced.”
Like many others, Volynets is looking to the top of the sport to find inspiration – albeit to a player the same age as her in Iga Swiatek.
“I’m really inspired by Iga’s journey,” she said of the prolific Pole, who is currently on a 27-match winning streak. “I really admire her mentality. You can see every day – even if her tennis isn’t there that day, her mentality is great and the game ends up being there because she’s so determined. She’s inspiring.”
With role models like that, the next crop of emerging tennis talent is set to be pretty impressive too.