Inside the Bubble: Marist Tennis Coach ‘Serves’ at the US Open

For many tennis fans, the end of summer means joining the roaring crowd at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, NY or sitting on the edge of their seats in front of the TV, never missing a serve. For the past five years, Marist College’s Director of Tennis and coach of both the men’s and women’s teams, Gary Sussman, has had the privilege of working as a press conference moderator in the U.S. Open. However, with the challenges that the world is facing in 2020, this year it was a completely different experience.

Marist's Director of Tennis and coach, Gary Sussman, at the U.S. Open this summer. Source: Marist Tennis on Instagram (@MaristTennis)

In order for sports to return this fall, many professional organizations were forced to create “bubbles” for their players and approved officials in order to comply with health and safety guidelines. The U.S. Open was no exception to this rule, especially with the involvement of international athletes. No fans were allowed in the tennis center, and players were shuttled to and from official hotels on Long Island. Strict protocols for mask-wearing and social distancing were also implemented for all staff and players. 

When asked what it was like in the infamous “bubble,” Sussman said, “There were actually a couple of bubbles. There was a bubble for players only, where they were housed in a hotel and then were brought onto the site. I went to a separate hotel every night and had to get tested every four days.” Even though many people were involved in operating the sport spectacle, each person had their temperature checked every day, and strict guidelines were enforced.

“They did an unbelievable job, knowing that they had athletes coming from all over the world,” Sussman said. “It was a shame that there were no fans, but it was still a monumental undertaking, and they did a great job.”

Even under normal circumstances, moderating a press conference is a difficult job; but to comply with the times, the U.S. Open had to get creative. “Normally, we would have a live audience that consisted of many journalists from different publications. However this year, there were no reporters,” Sussman said. 

The U.S. Open instead created a virtual portal where journalists could join the press conference from anywhere in the world. “The system was a bit tricky at first, and there were many technological snafus. We were given three days to rehearse and we finally got the hang of it,” Sussman said.

In previous years, Sussman moderated 169 press conferences over the course of two weeks. This year, they were still able to complete 136 press conferences. “I had never done something like this before,” he said. “It was hard, rewarding, and historic, and I will never forget it.”

In Sussman’s mind, the biggest success of the sporting event for him, was finally perfecting the new format while moderating the two champion press conferences with Naomi Osaka and Dominic Thiem. “They were the biggest moments of the open, the most people attended, and it was really a team effort,” Sussman said. “The added element of doing the press conferences in multiple languages was very interesting to be a part of as well.” 

Sussman working as a press conference moderator behind the scenes at the U.S. Open. Source: Gary Sussman

Addressing how the landscape of sports press conferences will change in the future, Sussman said, “I think they’re here to stay. In my opinion, the hybrid model will become the norm — at least for next summer. But for financial reasons and health reasons, I do not think that publications will be sending their journalists across the world to attend a press conference when they are able to do their job from anywhere.” 

When not working at the U.S. Open and coaching tennis, Sussman is an adjunct communication professor teaching a sports public relations course. The COVID-19 pandemic has created an entirely new system that the industry must adapt to — some aspects of which may even become the norm. Sussman hopes to discuss the challenges that the industry may be facing with his students this spring. 

Overall, Sussman said he will never forget the experience he had at this year’s U.S. Open. Although it was complicated and challenging, it only made him more eager to return again next year. “I always tell my students that when things are easy, anybody can handle that,” Sussman said. “But when things are hard, that is what separates the men from the boys — or the ladies from the girls.”

Watch Sussman in action at the U.S. Open here.