Before she was a mainstay on SportsCenter, Chris McKendry was a Division I tennis player at Drexel University. As she worked her way up the broadcasting ladder, eventually anchoring ESPN’s flagship show and reporting on various sports including the X-Games and Women’s World Cup soccer, she never lost her passion for the sport. Now she’ll get a chance to focus solely on tennis as she signed a new contract with ESPN where she will “focus on tennis, continuing to front ESPN’s start-to-finish and extensive coverage of three of the sport’s Majors – the Australian and US Opens and Wimbledon.”
“On July 27, 1996, I made my SportsCenter debut,” McKendry recalls. “A newly hired reporter visiting Bristol, I was just a fill in. I never left. I found myself next to those whose talents, personalities and reputations initially scared me to death only to realize that I had found what would be my home for nearly 20 years.
“But when ESPN first assigned me to the Australian Open in 2010, I knew instantly that I was working on my future. I’ve decided the future is now. Wimbledon is one of sports’ most iconic competitions and venues, and that’s where you’ll find me next. I have a seat there because of the seat I’ve occupied on SportsCenter. For that, I am forever grateful.”
Having debuted on July 27, 1996, McKendry’s final SportsCenter show as a host will be 11 a.m., Thursday, March 31.
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About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.