Mylan WTT Team Preview: California Dream

Mylan World TeamTennis celebrates its 40th birthday this year. For more on WTT, including this season's schedule, click here.

2014 Record: New Team

Owner: Jeff Launius  

Key Additions: Bob and Mike Bryan, Jarmila Gajdosova  

Coach: David Macpherson

As Mylan World TeamTennis gears up for its 40th season, Sacramento has plenty to celebrate as it welcomes a brand new team into Mylan WTT’s Western Conference. The California Dream, owned by Jeff Launius, is bringing professional team tennis back to the NoCal area with a roster bound to play some exciting matches this summer.

“We have some extreme competition in the Western Conference,” Launius said. “It’s going to be a dog fight, but we feel we’ve assembled the top team that can not only win in the West, but take home the King Trophy.”

Launius is the former owner of both Texas Wild and the Kansas City Explorers, where he first met California Dream’s resident women’s singles player, Jarmila Gajdosova. Gajdosova is a former Top 25 player making her way back up the WTA Tour rankings after bouts of injuries and inconsistencies. Under Launius’ ownership, Gajdosova led Kansas to glory in 2010, earning the Finals MVP distinction in the process.

“I really enjoy the aspects of Mylan WTT that make it different than just playing normal tournaments,” the veteran Aussie said. “Being part of a team and playing with other men and women towards team success is a great change of pace to have in the middle of the season. It also adds fun elements like music, fan interaction, and fast-paced matches.”

Headlining the Dream’s men’s doubles is the undeniably dream pair of Bob and Mike Bryan. The top doubles players on the ATP World Tour rankings have been an unstoppable force for over a decade, with Grand Slam men’s and mixed doubles titles won every year since 2002. The Bryans will be at three matches towards the end of the regular season in the hopes of making one final push into the Conference Championships, where the top two teams from the East and West advance.

“We take great pride in winning most of our matches in TeamTennis,” Mike Bryan said. “We have a great time putting on a show for the fans and winning for our city, owner and team.”

With a name made for tennis, Tennys Sandgren is the Dream’s young up-and-comer; the 21 year old is playing his first season of Mylan WTT, and already has six ATP challenger titles to his name.

Rounding out the Dream are doubles specialists Ananbel Medina Garrigues, who played on Launius’ former franchises in Texas and Kansas, and Neal Skupski, a Mylan WTT debutante from Great Britain. Medina Garrigues has plenty of experience in a team format as a Fed Cup stalwart and former Hopman Cup champion. Skupski has won seven ATP Challenger doubles titles, was a three-time NCAA All-American at Louisiana State University.

Launius is confident his new California team will be a “Dream” come true for the Sacramento area, one that will draw in crowds of Mylan WTT fans, old and new.

“This is a market that truly appreciates professional team tennis, and we’re honored to be able to bring it back.”