When Katrina Adams was named president and CEO of the United States Tennis Association in 2015, becoming the first Black person to lead the 135-year-old organization, my mind flashed back to when we met about two years earlier. The occasion was a reception for tennis legend Billie Jean King at the National Press Club where … More Katrina Adams at the top of her game
In her run to a second Australian Open title – her fourth major championship overall – Naomi Osaka convinced me that she indeed has the intestinal fortitude to reign on the throne of women’s tennis. About a year ago, I had begun to have my doubts. After failing to defend her 2019 Australian Open title … More Osaka answers the question Down Under
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
At the conclusion of the 2017 US Open Women’s tennis championships, I wrote about a young phenom who had just competed in the girls title match. Her name was Cori “Coco” Gauff, and she was 13. Let me repeat that: She was 13! The youngest girls’ finalist ever. At the time, I was struck by … More Coco’s Wimbledon run a preview of what’s to come
In 2004, Gael Monfils won the first three of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments – Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon – and finished the year as the top-ranked junior in the world. Later that year, he gave fans good reason to salivate over his star potential when he reached the quarterfinals of his … More Gael Monfils: From Wakanda With Love
If you’ve been following this blog, you probably have figured out I am a big fan of Frances Tiafoe, the 20-year-old rising tennis star from Hyattsville, Md. He is having an amazing season in his third year on the ATP World Tour with a 20-12 record so far. He clinched his first title in March, … More Black Canadian creating lots of buzz
When Sloane Stephens beat fellow American Madison Keys to reach the finals of this year’s French Open, I began preparing my appetite for a little crow. Madison had been playing well on the red dirt at Roland Garros and, though it’s not her favorite surface, I was among those who predicted she would avenge her … More Sloane erases doubt about her desire
One of the first things I do whenever I go home to Cleveland is call my best friend Rimp to set up some tennis court time. I can always count on getting in a good hitting session with Rimp, even though he may not have played since the last time I was there. That could … More Can Sloane Win Another Slam?
The first time I saw Christopher Eubanks on a tennis court I nearly gasped in fear. Here was this stick-figure – all arms and legs and a head – with a tennis racquet in his hands. I worried if he fell, the court would be littered with his shattered bones. And, as if his lack of … More Georgia Tech star turns pro
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?
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