Washington Kastles
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| Founded | February 14, 2008 |
|---|---|
| Current season | 2016 |
| League | World TeamTennis |
| Team history |
Washington Kastles 2008–present |
| Based in | Washington, D.C. |
| Stadium | Kastles Stadium at the Charles E. Smith Center |
| Colors | Dark razzmatazz red, white and Prussian blue |
| Owner(s) | Mark Ein |
| Head coach | Murphy Jensen |
| Championships | 6 (2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015) |
| Division titles | 6 |
| Cheerleaders | 8 |
| Mascot | Topspin and Slice |
The Washington Kastles is one of six franchises currently competing in World Team Tennis.
Based in Washington, D.C. since 2008, the Kastles won the WTT championship in the 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015 seasons. The team is named for Kastle Systems, the office security company owned by team owner Mark Ein.
The Kastles will play the 2016 season indoors at George Washington University's Charles E. Smith Center at 22nd and G Streets NW. The Kastles also played the 2014 and 2015 seasons at the same venue. The venue hosted two matches that set the record for attendance at a Kastles match at 3,275 in 2014. In 2015 a new attendance record was set at over 4,200 when an additional seating section was offered for sale to a sold out match. That additional seating section sold out in less than one day.
The team played its first three seasons in a temporary stadium constructed each summer on the site of the former Washington Convention Center. The Kastles played the next three seasons at Kastles Stadium at The Wharf, a 2,600-seat facility erected in 2011 on the Southwest Waterfront. That facility was torn down for the city's waterfront development project.
The Kastles began World TeamTennis play as an expansion franchise in 2008 and finished 6–8 in their inaugural season. They won their first King Trophy (named after former world No. 1 player and league co-owner Billie Jean King) in 2009 despite losing their first four matches and finishing just 7–7 during the regular season. The Kastles failed to qualify for the playoffs in 2010 but then went undefeated in both the 2011 and 2012 seasons, winning all 14 regular-season matches, the Eastern Conference championship and the WTT championship.
In 2011, the Kastles went undefeated, the first perfect season for a World Team Tennis team and only the second team, after the 1994 Newport Beach Dukes, to win all of its regular-season matches. (The Newport Beach Dukes lost in the playoffs). It was the first time a Washington professional sports team posted an undefeated regular season and also won its league championship.
In 2012, the Kastles finished 16–0 again, becoming the first U.S. professional sports team to complete back-to-back perfect seasons.
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