QUEENS, N.Y. — Back in 2009-2010, ESPN's Chris McKendry decided to make her own luck.
With contract talks looming, she could either continue on "SportsCenter" — ESPN's flagship studio show which she had anchored since 1996 — or the former college tennis player could try to work her way into ESPN's elite tennis coverage team. The possibilty to achieve a better life balance between being a TV personality and a wife/mother.
Seven years later, McKendry has what colleague Trey Wingo calls the "best job at ESPN." Her unique arrangement with the bosses in Bristol could point to a different relationship in the future between on-air talent and TV networks.
After 20 years on "SportsCenter," McKendry officially transitioned to all tennis coverage on ESPN in 2016. As the network's Grand Slam Tennis host, she travels to to glamorous locales to host coverage of the U.S. Open, Wimbledon and Australian Open for stretches of weeks.
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The rest of the year she's free to be a mother to her two young boys, or work for another network — as long as she's not covering tennis. McKendry anchored her last "SportsCenter" on March 31, 2016.
Sounds like a dream job, right? Not quite.
Pro tennis is a different sport to cover and televise. When she's on the job, McKendry and the rest of ESPN on-air tennis team — including Chrissie Evert, John and Patrick McEnroe, Darren Cahill, Brad Gilbert, Mary Joe Fernandez and Pam Shriver — often work 15-16 hour days for two or three weeks at a time.
Unlike announcers for the NFL or college football, tennis broadcasters don't usually know their next day's assignment until late the night before.
McKendry attended Drexel University in her hometown of Philadelphia on a tennis scholarship. The relaxed, friendly host is in her element here the Open, which attracts celebrities ranging from Tiger Woods to Robert Redford.
With ESPN offering exclusive "first ball to last" coverage, McKendry hosted over 150 hours of U.S. Open coverage this summer. ESPN was happy when it was all over: the network's TV audience grew 8 percent to an average of 948,000 viewers across ESPN and ESPN2.
Sporting News' Michael McCarthy interviewed McKendry here at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center before Sloane Stephens beat Madison Key in the women's final.
SPORTING NEWS: Your job is crazy. You work non-stop for weeks at these glamorous, global events. Then you're off for months.
CHRIS MCKENDRY: I do the deep dive. We all know it. We get it. It’s two weeks. You arrive a couple of days before the tournament. It's something we pride ourself on at ESPN: first ball till last. But I absolutely love it. It’s an energy rush. Even when I was still doing "SportsCenter," and would just SC leave to go to the tournaments, I would say it recharges my batteries.
Jay Crawford, my co-anchor at the time, would say, "Do you think it’s strange that you go on assignment, work 15 hours a day — and that’s recharging your batteries?" But we have a great crew. Everybody says that, but it’s really true with this gang. That’s even the reputation within ESPN. "College GameDay." "ESPN Tennis." We have a great chemistry. The analysts have known each other since the time they were teenagers. They have great stories that go back a million years. Many of them have played, or coached, against each other. There’s just a natural chemistry and a family-like atmosphere. We know each other's children and spouses and partners. It’s been great. It’s something I knew the minute I started doing some tennis in 2010. It’s something I put in the back of my mind. When it comes to make a change, that’s the group I want to go with.
SN: Was it tough to walk away from your co-anchors like Crawford on "SportsCenter?"
CM: I did love it. It was nothing but great to me. I’m one of the fortunate ones. I got to grow up there during the golden era. And still work with the best who ever did the job and learn from them. It was great. But I played tennis in college. So it’s a sport I understand and a sport I know well. Once I started working with our analysts, I really saw there was an opportunity to get more out of them — so long as you ask the right questions. They talk it on a different level. Darren Cahill, Brad Gilbert, can get so technical, it’s a different language. So I enjoyed that. I kept doing more and more. Chris Fowler started calling more matches. I could see there was an opportunity that maybe they’d need a host. I’d also shadow Chris constantly — because he’s one of the best hosts ever and learn from him.
SN: So you saw an opportunity to become ESPN's main tennis host — and went for it? Good for you.
CM: I did. I think that’s how you find longevity. You find your passion and figure out how to make it work. And make sure you’re pursuing something you love. And not just going after a job because somebody else has it. That’s a mistake a lot of people make in our industry, I think. It doesn’t lead to happiness. I really found something I loved a lot. I could see there was an opportunity. Of course, it aligned that ESPN picked up the contracts for Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. I just kept pursuing it. I learned a lot by going to Australia and hosting these big events. It's crazy. There’s 12 courts in action. You don’t where we’re you're going next. You need to talk about every match and every player. So I learned in Australia, when it was 2 am or 3 a.m. That’s a good time to make your mistakes, East Coast time. It’s a different skill set, going from anchoring to hosting.
SN: Still, you can’t be a diva in this job. How do you prepare if you don't know your assignment until 11 p.m. the night before?
CM: For the most part, I know I’m on the desk. Different people have come in to spell me a few hours here and there. This year we had Trey Wingo join us. Trey and I co-anchored "SportsCenter" together in 2000 and 2001. We were talking about Venus Williams and the last time she actually was a titleist here. We were like, "We remember those years." That was fun to work with a friend of 20 years. He likes tennis. He said when he left, "The news is out girl, you have the best gig going." But we don’t know. People don’t know their matches. Even if you are assigned to a match, its the luck of the draw in a tournament. You never know which match is going to explode into the match of the night or the match of the afternoon.
SN: So how does the ESPN team stay alert, and TV-ready, during a 16-hour workday?
CM: Oh my gosh. You should see our green room. It’s full of stuff I don’t have in my house. Actually, Brad is sleeping right now with Dave Nagle as my witness. There’s couches in there. People nap. There’s a lot of Coca-Cola consumed. They keep us watered and fed.
SN: Serena Williams won the Australian Open while pregnant. Will Serena be back after giving birth to a baby daughter?
CM: I can’t wait for Serena to come back in Australia. She says she wants to. But you never know, until you’re holding that baby, right? In her absence, I feel like some of the younger women have not just seized the moment, but maybe said to themselves, "I’m not waiting in line any more. This is my turn, my time."
SN: What’s the key to a great tennis rivalry?
CM: The spine of any great tennis rivalry is: can they strike an opposite? Roger (Federer) and Rafa (Nadal) are opposite, from look to demeanor. But mostly their style of play, which produced great tennis and great matches. I think the women really have that right now. It's been so exciting to see. Because it’s been the men. It’s been the Big Four. Look, it’s been a golden era of tennis for the men. Right now, I think the women are really rivals. It’s a rival tour. The physicality of the women. The strength with which they play? It's unbelievable.
SN: So what does Chris McKendry do when she’s not hosting tennis tournaments?
CM: I’m a Mom to a 12 and 14 year old. I’m taking a step away. I kind of have a unique deal with ESPN. I’m exclusive to them just for tennis. So I can work on other projects. I just can’t talk tennis for anybody else.
SN: Who’s your agent?
CM: Sandy Montag (Of the Montag Group).
SN: What did he advise?
CM: He’s a great friend. I’m sure there are people out there who would have said, "You want to do less? Wait, you want to do less?" But he really understood where I was in my career, and my life, and what was important to me. When you start doing big events, it’s like letting a genie out of a bottle. It’s hard to shove it back in. So I wanted more of that. So he came up with this. I honestly think it may be the wave of the future for networks and how some talent work. So it’s a very exciting time for me. But I’m also very loyal to the ESPN Tennis family. Jamie Reynolds (ESPN's vice president of production) really went to bat for me. He brought me along as a member of this team and created this hosting role which is excellent. But I am in an interesting situation I think. So we’ll see.
SN: Ideally what tournament would you like to host?
CM: I’ve never been involved in Indian Wells (BNP Paribas Open). I’ve never been able to get out there. I hear such great things about it. It'S talked about as if it were the fifth Slam. So much has been invested into the venue. So I would love to do that. I’d also love to do some play-by-play at smaller tournaments. But I understand when we get to to a Grand Slam, I’m the host. And I’m really proud of it. I’m really proud to set the tone for the fun we have up there.
SN: Some would say hosting is a thankless job. You're the TV point guard who has to make sure all the stars get their touches. What’s the key to being a good host?
CM: It’s a different skill set than anchoring. I learned that. I always kind of knew it. But then you really learn it. It’s funny, now I watch with a keen eye, and I can tell. I can go, "Wow, that person’s really good at doing that." Or, "That person is an anchor hosting the show." Because it still has the rhythm of an anchor. The rhythm of: "I speak, I look down, I look to you, I look to them." I prefer that I throw the topic out. Then I step back. Talk amongst yourselves. Let the audience be the fly on the wall of a conversation.
When John and Patrick (McEnroe) are talking, and Chrissie (Evert) is interjecting in there, the world wants to hear what those three talk. Even the relationship they have with each other — and how they give each other the business. Chrissie gives them the stink eye sometimes. (Viewers) want to see that. It’s my job to get out of the way. I say Ernie Johnson (host of Turner Sports' "Inside the NBA") is the gold standard for that. Now he receives all the recognition he deserves. But for years, it was like, "That show is so great." Well, who made it great? Who made sure they had fun — but the show didn’t totally go off the rails?
SN: What’s it like working with the great Johnny Mac?
CM: He’s like a volcano. It just erupts sometimes. Sometimes it fools you with a little smoke. I think he’s brilliant TV. I really do. He’s a great analyst. He’d be great on a Knicks game. He gets the passion of the athletes, the passion of the sports. Sometimes people say, "Oh John, he’s all personality." He is not. John just understands the sports so well. He’s our Barkley. He truly is. He’s our Charles Barkley. He’s irreverent. He’s not afraid to ruffle feathers. In fact, he loves it. He’s fun. He’s a guy from Queens. It’s a sport to him. It’s not nice-nice with everybody.