One could reasonably argue that had Lenny Simpson not returned to his roots in Wilmington, NC, there still may not be a monument honoring Althea Gibson, who did as much as anyone past or present to break down the barriers preventing Blacks from competing in major professional tennis tournaments. Simpson, the first Black to play … More Lenny Simpson: A legend in his own right
Serena’s early exit. Coco’s big win. Another Sloane slump. Or Donald Young’s plunge into obscurity. Any one of those storylines could have been suitable for a blog on the 2020 Australian Open from a black perspective. But I chose to focus on Taylor Townsend, a 23-year-old Chicago-born lefty, who reached the second round of the … More Taylor Townsend finding her groove
As I sat emotionally caught up in the touching embrace between Sloane Stephens and Madison Keys following their milestone US Open championship match, I thought to myself it couldn’t get any better than this for black tennis fans as a wrap to the biggest Grand Slam tournament of them all. But, the next day, it … More Cori Gauff: The Next GOAT?
History was made at this year’s US Open tennis championships, but you will have to dig deep to find any mention of it in mainstream media. For the first time ever, three of the four women playing in the women’s singles semi-finals were African American – Madison Keys, Sloane Stephens and Venus Williams. The fourth … More Madison, Sloane, Venus make history at US Open championships
I recently renewed my membership in the American Tennis Association (ATA), the nation’s oldest black sports organization, but I must confess my enthusiasm was nowhere near as high as it was when I first joined in April of 2016. Since then, I have experienced one disappointment after another, including never having received a membership card. … More ATA in need of transfusion as it celebrates 100 years of existence
The black tennis world lost a stalwart with the recent passing of Marcus A. Freeman, Jr., who for the past 39 years had published a magazine devoted to the coverage of African Americans in a sport in which they had been largely ignored by mainstream media. Freeman died at his home in Dallas on September 4, 10 days before his 82nd … More Black tennis pioneer will be missed
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