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
When my wife walked into our bedroom and told me softly that David Dinkins had passed the night before, my head began to swirl with memories of the time I spent covering his historic 1989 mayoral campaign and first few months in office as a reporter for New York Newsday. There was that night at … More David Dinkins remembered as avid tennis player and steady patron of the sport
I have profound new respect and admiration for tennis star Naomi Osaka after the recent stand she took on the latest controversial shooting of an unarmed black man by a white police officer. Just hours after scratching out a quarter-final victory in the prestigious Western & Southern Open, Osaka announced she would not play in … More Naomi Osaka: A new profile in courage
I want to give a high five and a fist bump to former WTA player Leslie Allen for her rebuke of a recent statement released by the United States Tennis Association during the surge of protests ignited by the brutal killing of George Floyd under the knee of a Minneapolis cop. The death of Floyd … More USTA omits its past in statement on race
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
After watching silver-haired Rubye Stevens chase down a lob and send it back to her opponents’ baseline, then scamper to mid-court for an overhead put-away on the next ball, I could not help but wonder how old she was. When I asked during a break in action, she feigned being offended before telling me she … More Tennis keeps these seniors on their toes
As I savor the recent success of rising young tennis phenoms Frances Tiafoe and Naomi Osaka, my thoughts keep shifting to the blockbuster movie “Black Panther.” The Marvel production about a black superhero has enjoyed unprecedented crossover appeal, packing movie theaters from California to Calcutta and grossing more than a billion dollars at the box … More The future is now for Tiafoe and Osaka
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?
I was trolling for blog material midway through the recently completed American Tennis Association (ATA) national championships when I spotted Will and Pharoah casually hitting balls and chatting. It wasn’t long before I sensed they were reminiscing about old times. “You always had the cuter girl,” I heard Pharoah say at one point. When they … More Tennis buds reunite at ATA tournament
Frances Tiafoe is working it — both on and off the tennis court! The 19-year-old Hyattsville, Md., native has won just two of nine matches on the ATP World Tour this season, yet he has soared 45 spots in the men’s singles rankings. As of June 19, Tiafoe was perched at No. 63, his highest rank … More Tiafoe continues to rise, shine as ATP pro
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