‘I Could Have Never Played Again’: McPhee Turns Her Career Around on the UTR Pro Tennis Tour

‘I Could Have Never Played Again’: McPhee Turns Her Career Around on the UTR Pro Tennis Tour
By Jonathon BradenPublished

Twelve-time UTR Pro Tennis Tour champion Kaylah McPhee can hardly believe how far she’s come in the past few years. Years ago, competing at the 2020 Australian Open, she seemed ready for her breakthrough.

But shoulder problems ensued. Months of rehab and side hustles persisted. She doubted whether she’d compete professionally again.

But now McPhee (UTR Rating 10.13) is healthy once more and playing some of the best tennis of her career. The Aussie is No. 1 in the UTR PTT Tour Card Points Race and has thrived while competing in the unique format offered around the world on the UTR PTT.

“To think where I am now versus, maybe I could have never played again. I'm extremely grateful that I've been able to make something of my career,” McPhee told UTR Sports. “I finally feel like I'm being paid for all of my hard work I've put in over the last few years.”

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Thousands of players similar to McPhee worldwide have been drawn to the UTR PTT. Whether they’re competing in college tennis, just starting their professional careers, coming back from an injury, or solely seeking additional matchplay and a way to make substantial prize money, the UTR PTT attracts all types of rising pro tennis players.

The tour’s biggest differentiators – its guaranteed prize money and matchplay – have been wildly popular for players everywhere, including McPhee.

“What I really like about the PTTs is just the structure. You know your schedule the week before, so you can base your training around that. And for people like me who have other commitments, I work part-time, it allows me to schedule my week and build out a little bit of a plan,” said McPhee, who also works in SEO content marketing.

“Having guaranteed matches is unreal. You get to build confidence, work on particular things… And obviously, financially, the PTT is really rewarding.”

It’s been especially rewarding for McPhee, who recently won her 10th UTR PTT title of the season. The title, which stretched her UTR PTT winning streak to 62, catapulted her to the top of the competitive points race. McPhee has 28,800 points, just ahead of Veronika Miroshnichenko (25,875), who led the women’s points race the first 28 weeks of the season.

But players don’t need to be at the top to make extra money through the UTR PTT Tour Card. All players who compete in at least two tournaments earn $500 in free Power Subscription analytics and gear. Players who play in four events can earn an extra $750. And players who finish in the Top 100 of the points race at year-end can receive a payout of up to $10,000.

 

“The thing that I really like about the Tour Card is just the incentive to keep competing. Getting that $750 bonus after my fourth event was so great. It's really rare in tennis to be rewarded like that, just for showing up and performing consistently,” McPhee said. “I also really like the yearlong points race. It just keeps me motivated and is something to work towards.”

This year, nine of McPhee’s 10 titles have come on home soil, which has allowed her to save on travel expenses and is yet another example of the UTR PTT’s global accessibility. In 2025 alone, more than 450 events will be played in 30-plus countries.

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Not long ago, McPhee was similarly playing great tennis. She cracked the WTA Top 200 in 2019. But then, while competing in the 2020 Australian Open qualifying draw, she could no longer play through what had been extended shoulder pain.

“I could barely move my arm before the matches,” she said.

In the next two years, she’d undergo surgery to repair her right shoulder labrum and another operation to help stabilize it. While rehabbing and training, McPhee coached tennis at schools in Brisbane and Sunshine Coast.

She coached a range of students, from those competing in color ball tennis to high school players. All along, McPhee wanted to join the best of the best on court and play out points. “It was kind of difficult to watch in a way,” she said.

She returned to competition again in June 2022 and found her way to the UTR PTT in late 2023 at the urging of a friend, Tenika McGiffin. McPhee won both of the UTR PTT events she played in 2023, including the $25K in Melbourne in December.

The next month at the WTA $125K in Canberra, McPhee felt match tough from her UTR PTT experience and posted some of the biggest wins of her career, including two Top 150 victories.

“I played the PTT, and I won it. And at the time, people kind of questioned the decision, whether I should be playing matches for money, or whether I should have just been training to get better. But I took the decision I thought was good for me,” McPhee said.

“Those matches I played at that PTT got me ready to play in a WTA tournament, because I hadn't had that major gap of not playing.”

Now she’s competing on the UTR PTT on a regular basis, and the prize money, as well as valuable experience gained through matchplay, continues to come her way.

“I've actually gone quite well, and probably have the most confidence I've had in a long time in my tennis. So that’s what keeps me coming back,” she said.

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