2017 was the year that Klupenger became part of Tennis Channel’s family, but it was by no means a fast track to her current position. She started out as a news update anchor, and then expanded upon that role with some single hosting duties during the wee hours of the morning on the Pacific time zone. There’s no other way the former athlete would have wanted it, earning her stripes before being selected to team with Prakash Amritraj to anchor the network’s coverage during the Masters 1000 events. And that’s when Klupenger’s appreciation for the tennis community and game’s greatest athletes deepened immensely.
“These are people and players that I have to admit that, while they’re speaking, I’m actually getting chills while sitting there,” she shared. And the legends of the sport continue to impress Klupenger, with not only the expertise in their fields but their mutual respect and admiration for other greats. Novak Djokovic came right to her mind given the frequency they’ve interacted at the desk after his victories.
“He had a great relationship with Kobe Bryant, and that one really stuck with me,” she explains. “Those people surround themselves with each other because only they know what it’s like to breathe that air up there.”