An Exclusive on Wendy C. Goldberg; Executive Producer of Top Class Tennis

Once a junior tennis star and now a director/producer, Wendy C. Goldberg rediscovered her passion for tennis after years away from the sport. Her latest project, "Top Class Tennis," offers a behind-the-scenes look at the world of elite junior players. Partnering with Sloane Stephens and LeBron James's Uninterrupted, Wendy's journey has taken her from childhood dreams on the court to being Executive Producer of a major docuseries that shines a light on the intense dedication it takes to compete among the most elite players in the country.

Tell us about your junior tennis experience.

I grew up in suburban Detroit and played tennis at every club in the area, including junior performance camps every summer. I also spent every vacation in Florida and playing here. I started playing junior USTA tournaments in the Midwest region in 12s and continued until 18s. Mary Carillo called all my matches, in my mind, and I had this sort of clarity of focus and passion that was hard to ever replace. Unfortunately, around the time I was trying to make some college decisions, I was diagnosed with Lyme disease and my focus really shifted. For the first time in my life, I didn't play tennis in the summer (because I couldn't) and started exploring other interests—one of which was making theater. I took that same sort of junior intensity and channeled it into my training as a theater director, which led me eventually to UCLA's School of Theater, Film and Television where I continued making theater but also made short films and began to work in television.

Wendy C. Goldberg as junior player in Detroit, Michigan in 1990.

Tell us about your vision for Top Class Tennis and how it came to life.

I had moved totally away from tennis for years, and in 2017 I started thinking seriously about a return to the game for myself but also as a now trained storyteller. I had seen that the US Open women's final was two American women (Sloane Stephens and Madison Keys) and wanted to sort of pick up where some of the early aught tennis documentaries had left off to see how did we get to this point with US tennis? I wondered in that moment where was Nick Bollettieri these days? I also wanted to explore the junior scene currently.

Wendy C. Goldberg pictured with Nick Bollettieri at the 2018 U.S. Open.

I started developing the show and in 2018 took a meeting with LeBron James's production company, Uninterrupted, about the show. They expressed strong interest but were really just getting started as a company. They mentioned they would be back in touch when they had fully staffed up and could give it some focus. We ended up partnering and in 2020 signed an agreement to begin making the show in earnest. I signed this the day sports shut down in March of 2020. Thankfully, the company remained really interested so we kept plugging away throughout COVID trying to figure out our story, our path, the partners, and one amazing thing that happened in that time was we began a partnership with Sloane Stephens who also signed on as an executive producer. It was through this relationship we were able to get specific on our desire to make the show about the path to the Orange Bowl. Sloane had trained in Florida also as a junior, and I knew the history of this tournament and its significance.

As Executive Producer of Top Class Tennis and a former elite athlete yourself, how did you infuse your tennis background into your work?

Through the development of the show, I was finally able to live out my ultimate tennis dreams and get access to people, tournaments, and situations I had really only just read about or seen on television. When I first met with USTA about the show, I think they took me very seriously as I came down to the Lake Nona campus with all my rackets—in my first meeting with Head of Junior Development, Martin Blackman, he regripped my racket as we talked, and I took a lesson on campus that same day. As I was doing all that was needed to move the show forward, I was starting to play tennis again and between being an actual player, as well as now being a parent (my son was 8 when this all started), I could relate from both the player's side as well as the parent's side, and this always felt important as we had conversations about the show.

Why was it so important for you to showcase these elite players, the sacrifices they make, and this side of the game that many don’t see?

When I was growing up playing in the 90s, we looked up to players who were professionals who were a couple of years older than us or some our same age. It struck me even then that it would make a good show to look at what it means to be so talented at such a young age, and what it would mean to be a professional tennis player as a teenager. I wanted to shine a light on the intensity and dedication it takes to be at that level of play, and the overall requirements it takes to be the best in the world when you are so young. I am hopeful it also allows parents to see into this culture and think about what they would do, and how they may handle this level of dedication. 

Wendy C. Goldberg pictured with Mary Carillo at the 2022 French Open.

Who inspired you as a player and now as Executive Producer of Top Class Tennis?

There are two people who were really essential to the show, as well as mentors and inspirations for the overall vision, both of whom figure into Florida and US tennis history, Nick Bollettieri and Mary Carillo. I had always dreamed of being a part of Nick's academy and was fortunate to work with someone who was very close to him who told him about the show. He called me the next day. His team and IMG worked closely with me and even when Nick passed away, everyone kept assisting to make sure we had what we needed. I met Mary through her son who is an actor. We had been working on a project together and it was sort of a twist of fate how it all happened. Once he introduced us, Mary really became someone who I felt I could trust and would run ideas and cuts by her, before we even shot the interview with her. She became a mentor to the project and I am forever grateful as I had always looked up to her and consider her the overall voice of tennis. Now I text her when she's calling the French Open—which she also just takes in stride, and my junior self and adult player self, find it all a bit thrilling.

Top Class Tennis is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video and Amazon Freevee. View the Top Class Tennis here. For inquiries, you may contact Wendy on Instagram (@wgoldberg) or via email at thefrontoffice@icloud.com. Wendy currently resides in both New York, NY and Naples, Florida. Video: Amazon Freevee. 

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Photos courtesy of Wendy C. Goldberg.