2014 Philadelphia Freedoms season
| 2014 Philadelphia Freedoms season | |
|---|---|
| Conference | 2nd Eastern |
| Record | |
| 2014 record | 9 wins, 5 losses |
| Home record | 6 wins, 1 loss |
| Road record | 3 wins, 4 losses |
| Games won–lost | 284–254 |
| Team Info | |
| Owner(s) | Billie Jean King |
| General Manager | Barbara Perry |
| Coach | Josh Cohen |
| Stadium |
The Pavilion (capacity: 3,500) |
The 2014 Philadelphia Freedoms season was the 14th season of the franchise (in its current incarnation) in World TeamTennis (WTT).
The Freedoms had 9 wins and 5 losses and finished second in the Eastern Conference. They qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 2007, losing to the Washington Kastles in the Eastern Conference Championship Match. The Freedoms were led by WTT rookie Marcelo Melo who was named WTT Male Most Valuable Player.
James Blake was selected by the Freedoms in the 2012 marque player draft and played for the team that season. Blake did not register for the 2013 marquee player draft, but he signed with the New York Sportimes as a wildcard player. Since WTT teams are permitted to have only one wildcard player of each gender, Blake was effectively released by the Sportimes when John McEnroe was designated as the team's male wildcard player on July 18, 2013. Consequently, the right to protect Blake, should he register as an eligible marquee player, remained with the Freedoms under WTT rules. On February 11, 2014, WTT announced that the Boston Lobsters had traded Blake to the Springfield Lasers for undisclosed consideration. Therefore, an apparent unreported trade which sent Blake to Boston took place between the Freedoms and the Lobsters between the end of the 2012 season and the 2014 marquee player draft.
Since the Freedoms had the second-worst record in WTT in 2013, they had the second selection in each round of both drafts. The Freedoms chose Victoria Azarenka in the first round of the Marquee Player Draft and chose not to protect Sloane Stephens. They passed on making a second-round pick. At the Roster Player Draft, the Freedoms protected Victoria Duval and Liezel Huber and picked WTT rookies Frank Dancevic and Marcelo Melo.
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