Game, set, master’s degree: Organization steps up support for athletes' futures

Although headquartered in downtown St. Petersburg, the Women’s Tennis Association keeps a low profile locally, preferring to let superstars, such as Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka, generate headlines on an international level whenever one of its tournaments sweeps into a city.

WTA players’ careers have lengthened considerably — Serena and her older sister, seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams, are both in their late 30s and still playing well — but the organization also wants to set up its athletes for second-act success. And because there are only so many high-profile tennis broadcasting jobs to go around, that means education will be a big contributor to off-court careers.