If you had asked me before the start of this year’s US Open tennis tournament if I thought a teenager had a shot at winning the women’s title, I would have answered enthusiastically without hesitation in the affirmative. But neither Emma Raducanu, the 18-year-old Brit who won it, nor Leylah Fernandez, the 19-year-old Canadian who … More US Open draw raises eyebrows, questions
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 recently had the privilege of moderating an online panel discussion on the history of black tennis and the American Tennis Association, the nation’s oldest black sports organization. The 90-minute Zoom webinar attracted an engaging audience, with participants sending in comments and/or questions for the distinguished guests. I got goose bumps being in the company … More ATA seeking to revitalize
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
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?
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
Tauheed Browning was adrift in the second set of his semi-final match and had lost his service-break advantage when suddenly he made an eye-popping play that punctuated his No.1 ranking in this USTA 14 and under national tournament. His opponent sent a high top-spin drive deep to Tauheed’s backhand side. The top-seeded kid from Philadelphia … More Philly teen has big time potential
I was watching the recent Miami Open doubles final when it dawned on me that Nicholas Monroe, who was playing alongside Jack Sock, an American ranked No. 16 in the world, may be the only African-American doubles specialist on the ATP World Tour. So I did some research. As far as I could discern, Monroe … More Nicholas Monroe: Doubling up on a professional tennis career
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