The 2008 Philadelphia Freedoms season was the eighth season of the franchise (in its current incarnation) in World TeamTennis (WTT).
The Freedoms finished the regular season with 7 wins and 7 losses and narrowly missed qualifying for the WTT playoffs. They were eliminated on a standings tiebreaker at the conclusion of the final match of the WTT regular season. The Freedoms were led by Travis Parrott, who was named 2008 WTT Male Rookie of the Year.
Season recap
Venus Williams returns, and Freedoms get a new home
At the WTT Marquee Player Draft on March 19, 2008, the Freedoms protected Venus Williams. They did not select any other marquee players. The team also announced that its home matches would be played at King of Prussia mall in Upper Merion Township, Pennsylvania starting with the 2008 season, after seven years at Cabrini College. A temporary stadium with a seating capacity of approximately 2,500 was to be constructed in the parking lot of The Court, then the smaller of the two buildings that composed the mall, in front of Macy's and Bloomingdale's. There would be room to expand the seating capacity of the stadium should demand merit doing so. Freedoms general manager Jeff Harrison said, "The Freedoms couldn’t be more excited to have the opportunity to play at such recognizable location. While this new site will give us the ability to expand our product, we want to assure our fans that they will continue to view world-class tennis in an intimate, exclusive setting. We are very confident that our new home will have a positive effect on our team, supporters and the community. Our relationship with the King of Prussia Mall allows us to grow awareness of the team and introduce some new fans to our brand of tennis." Owner Billie Jean King said, "The relocation of the Freedoms to King of Prussia Mall allows us to expand our overall fan experience. While we have enjoyed a spectacular run at Cabrini College, we have seen the success of other WTT franchises that showcase their teams in nontraditional settings. The timing is right, and the Philadelphia market is another perfect opportunity for us to continue with this approach. The Freedoms have a new home, and we will be driving more traffic to the mall. It's a win-win for everyone involved."
Roster Player Draft
The Freedoms were active in the trade market at the WTT Roster Player Draft on April 1, 2008. In the first round, they protected local favorite Lisa Raymond, which left Jamea Jackson unprotected. Since Jackson had substituted for Raymond in 2007, she had to be protected in the first round (Raymond's 2007 position), if the Freedoms intended to keep her. Raymond, on the other hand, could have been protected in the fourth round, if the Freedoms had protected Jackson in the first round. In the second round, the Freedoms protected Travis Parrott, who had substituted for Daniel Nestor in 2007. Parrott was still technically a WTT rookie under the rules in place at the time, even though he played for Sacramento Capitals in 2006, and for the Freedoms in 2007. The Freedoms traded their third round pick to the Delaware Smash for Alex Bogomolov Jr., whom had been selected by the Smash with the seventh pick in the first round. The trade forced the Freedoms to leave 2006 WTT Male Most Valuable Player Nestor and Frédéric Niemeyer unprotected. The Smash used the third round selection it acquired from the Freedoms to draft Madison Brengle. In the fourth round, the Freedoms selected Audra Cohen and left Olga Savchuk unprotected. The Freedoms did not select any roster-exempt players.
Substitutes for Raymond
On July 3, 2008, with Lisa Raymond's availability in doubt, because she and her partner Samantha Stosur reached the semifinals of the ladies' doubles tournament at Wimbedon, the Freedoms signed Carly Gullickson and Mouna Sabri as substitute players to replace her in the first two matches of the season. On July 6, the Freedoms signed Robin Stephenson as a substitute player to fill in for Raymond, who had lost the Wimbledon ladies' doubles final the previous day, in the third match of the season. The Freedoms expected to have both Raymond and Venus Williams, who with her sister Serena defeated Raymond and Stosur in that Wimbledon doubles final, available for the fourth match of the regular season on July 8. Raymond and Williams were to play women's doubles together in that match as well as the following two matches on the Freedoms' schedule.