Black Tennis Pros

Serena Williams is an American Tennis Player and arguably one of the best athletes in the world. Throughout her 20 plus year career, Serena has overcome accusations, personal attacks, and criticism and continues to achieve success on and off the court. pic.twitter.com/CzR3GNfbEQ

— Princeton African American Studies (@PrincetonAAS) February 3, 2019

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@BrooklynDecker has a surprise for her husband, #AndyRoddick - fellow tennis legend and G.O.A.T. @SerenaWilliams! 🎶: "Sorry" by @Beyonce 📺: Thursday 9/8c on @ParamountNetwork #lipsyncbattle

A post shared by Lip Sync Battle (@lipsyncbattle) on Jan 28, 2019 at 7:00am PST

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I love these pre match hugs they are my new fav part of my job. @olympiaohanian

A post shared by Serena Williams (@serenawilliams) on Jan 23, 2019 at 4:35pm PST

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Serena Williams, USA and Naomi Osaka, Japan, 2018 U.S. Open Final

Today was a complicated, gratifying and honoring of the God we serve day for Serena Williams.

As all of us who reside in the faith community know, the Grace of God is supreme, and manifesting that same Grace that has been bestowed upon us time after time is paramount.

After receiving a penalty when being accused of a coaching violation by Chair Umpire Carlos Ramos, Serena became very upset with what she saw as not only an attack on her character, but a sexist action due to the fact that MANY men have done a lot worse but have never been penalized in the manner that she was.

Serena was obviously upset with Ramos and his actions, but it appeared that the unrealistic characterization of her bothered her most. After calling upon Tournament Referee Brian Earley to assist in sorting out the disagreement, Serena began to pull her composure together and eventually restarted play. Shortly thereafter Naomi Osaka prevailed.

As the championship crowning festivities introductions began, the fans booed very obviously and loudly, a first for me! Eventually Serena spoke and quelled the boos. "I don’t want to be rude. She played well. Let’s make this the best moment we can, let’s not boo any more."

.@serenawilliams instructs crowd to stop booing and celebrate @Naomi_Osaka_'s moment of winning her first grand slam. #USOpen pic.twitter.com/LOAyB42OmQ

— Jeff Eisenband (@JeffEisenband) September 8, 2018

Serena also embraced and attempted to comfort a mixed-emotions Osaka... a very powerful moment.

From boos to cheers. An emotional and powerful moment for Naomi Osaka and Serena Williams at the US Open podium. (🔊⬆️) pic.twitter.com/oTg6SORjXe

— ESPN (@espn) September 8, 2018

Whatever anyone's thoughts or feelings with regard to the coaching accusation and penalization, one definite truth shone brightly in the midst of the drama. Serena's respect for, and desire to see the 2018 U.S. Open Champion Naomi Osaka celebrated, far outweighed all else that occurred during the match.

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2018 U.S. Open Champion Naomi Osaka, Japan

Congratulations to a very determined, strictly business on the courts player, 20-year-old Naomi Osaka of Japan.

Watching Osaka grow and tune her game over the years has been wonderful. It has been very visible seeing her mental growth as she watches her opponents tactics and adjusts her own to amp up her game and whatever the outcome, continue to move forward.

Osaka's apparent introverted personality seems to keep her in a very working and focused mode during her matches, as it did today with the very unfortunate circumstance of her opponent, 23 Grand Slam title holder Serena Williams.

Osaka maintained her composure, continued with the same game before and after the incident, and I believe came out on top as she would have had the incident not occurred. As Osaka  played and prevailed in the first set, there was no doubt that her skill level and desire to take the match was on a level that could make it happen... and it did.

Though Osaka's win came in the midst of a controversy, it was incontrovertible and she deserves ever accolade, prize money and all the love that she receives.

She may be a quiet spirit, but it's a powerful, as well as graceful one.

KEEP IT MOVING NAOMI - GREAT JOB!

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Thank you to the incredible @virgilabloh

A post shared by Serena Williams (@serenawilliams) on Aug 27, 2018 at 7:52pm PDT

willing to design dresses for her for life.

A post shared by @ virgilabloh on Aug 27, 2018 at 7:05pm PDT

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American Serena Williams at 2018 French Open in grand slam return after giving birth.

Where is Childish Gambino, I need a "This Is Tennis" track - better still, "These Are Sports"!!!

In an interview for Tennis Magazine, French Tennis Federation President Bernard Giudicelli announced that the French Open will be introducing a new, more restrictive dress code stating, ‘’I think that sometimes we’ve gone too far” and “[the catsuit] will no longer be accepted. One must respect the game and the place.’’

Wow...   Wow...   Wow...

HOW IN THE HELL DOES SERENA WILLIAMS E-A-R-N 23 Grand Slam Titles and have no respect for the game of tennis?

And if clothing is any indication of a player's respect for the game, based upon what I've seen MANY other players clothe themselves in over the years, respect would have to be absolutely the lowest rung on the ladder of respect for tennis.

The greater majority of tennis players express their individuality, fashion persuasion, culture, personal likes/dislikes, and/or support for a great number of things/issues in the outfits that they choose to wear for tennis tournaments. Yet it wasn't until the great Serena Williams graced the courts of France in an outfit that supported her grand-slam return with a two-fold purpose, that whatever bias, discriminatory beliefs, jackassness or foolishness (there's more I'm sure) that Giudicelli has towards this Queen of the game, find what is obviously deemed a legitimate opportunity to change the rules of the game in France, while accusing Serena Williams of being the impetus for the change.

Didn't like her catsuit? Ever heard of a damn cell phone? DM? Coach? Hell, a note!!

Or, was this simply an opportunity to get some conversation going with the non-great name of Bernard Giudicelli in it? Whatever the reasoning, you can rest assured that your disrespect of Serena Williams is now on the table. 

F-A-U-L-T!!

Always remember, Karma is a bonefide...!!

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Wow, wow, and just wow.  World No. 1 Serena Williams has nothing left to prove, yet she continues to prove over and over again that she is indeed the undisputed queen of the courts.

The 33-year-old Williams entered the Rod Laver Arena along with her championship-match-opponent, Russian Maria Sharapova, appearing as confident as she has been throughout this tournament ~ all in the midst of suffering with a cold.

Serena is self possessed at this time of her career in a way that she has not been in earlier years. She is a truly incredible athlete to watch as she continues to mature in the sport that she has virtually owned for such a long time now.

In winning her 19th Grand Slam singles title, she defeated Sharapova 6-3, 7-6(5) for the 16th consecutive time.

The legendary tennis star is incredible to watch as she simply will not bow down to age, new talent, or even illness. The lady is simply poetry in motion.

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Win, lose or draw tonight, Madison Keys has loudly announced to the world that "she got game." It has been a thing a beauty to watch this 19-year-old young woman fearlessly come into her own before our very eyes.  Bravo Madison!!

Now, the reality for most of us was that, no matter how incredible a run Madison has "had," that brick wall otherwise known as World No. 1 Serena Williams, would not be moved. To the tune of 7(7)-6, 6-2, Serena brought Madison's exciting run to a screeching halt.

It was more than evident that Serena is still suffering from what she says is more than likely a virus that has been floating among the players; she was definitely slower than usual, and her serve was not the flawless weapon of destruction that it is typically known to be. But the true grit of the woman that has mesmerized us for so many years now was definitely employed.

Serena has gained a much more serene resolve in the face of these court tests. Where she once would automatically become outwardly frustrated, she very visibly now stills herself and moves forward to the next opportunity to win.

So with a tight first set that ended in a tie-break, to a lot of match points going out the window in the first game of the second set, the Queen has prevailed and positioned herself for a sixth - count 'em - sixth trophy down under.

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World No. 1 Serena Williams hit the ground running at the 2015 Australian Open Quarterfinal, and did not let up until her work was done. Worthy opponent Dominika Cibulkova got in some of the bright and brilliant shot making that she is known for, but at no time was she ever a threat for the World No. 1.

Dominika Cibulkova

The five-time Australian Open Title holder will meet unseeded American Madison Keys, who has played an incredible tournament, and who had to defeat the elder Williams, Venus, to meet Serena. While Keys has shown what she is made of throughout the entirety of the tournament, nothing makes me believe that she will get by Serena.

While there was great hope from of lot of fans, including myself, that there would be an all-Williams semifinal, seeing Madison Keys ascend to this level is just as rewarding.

In her post match interview Serena barely had a voice, she stated, "I have to keep my answers short because I keep coughing. I've been sick the past few days, and it's just getting worse and worse, but hopefully it will get better."

"I heard there's a virus going around with a lot of the players, and I think I caught it."

If we've learned anything about Serena, we know she'll be ready.

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Well, it wasn't the match that I expected, nor was it the outcome I hoped for ~ but it is indeed a good sign.

It is incredible to have watched American Madison Keys grow up and elevate herself and her game to its present position. This 19-year-old young woman came into the 2015 Australian Open Tournament with nothing to lose, and has lost nothing.

Casey Dellacqua, Petra Kvitova, and Madison Brengle all had their Australian Open hopes dashed as Keys continued to mount an offense and defense that would bring her to this point. 

Playing this quarterfinal match against her idol, tennis legend Venus Williams, appears to be the icing on the cake at this tournament for her.

“The moment is definitely sweeter being able to play Venus,” said Keys, who got into the sport after admiring a Williams tennis dress at the age of four. “It’s amazing – you just have to embrace the moment – I did, and I get to enjoy another moment in the next round.”

With a 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 victory over Venus, Madison is headed to the semifinal round of the 2015 Australian Open ~ what a moment!

Moment killer:  Venus' baby sis' awaits her ~ God bless you.

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The amazing sister act are still inspiring each other as they head for another improbable grand slam semi-final meeting at the Australian Open

(The Guardian) - Sisters, friends, survivors: all the strengths and virtues that Serena and Venus Williams have shown in adversity over the years arrived for them on day six of the 2015 Australian Open. However, after good wins from a set down against Elina Svitolina and Camila Giorgi respectively, there are a couple of formidable challenges immediately ahead for them if they are to collide in the semi-finals, which last happened in a slam at Wimbledon 15 years ago.

The day after Roger Federer left an unfillable space in the men’s draw following defeat to Andreas Seppi in the third round, there were some anxious moments on Saturday as Serena, the women’s favourite, had to fight from a set down to beat the tough young Ukrainian 4-6, 6-2, 6-0 on another hot, still day on Rod Laver Arena. A final withering forehand left Svitolina flailing at air to bring 96 minutes of struggle to an end. The scoreline told the story of a slow start, recovery and finishing flourish; a familiar pattern for Williams.

“She played really well, one to watch,” Williams said. “She made me work very hard. She kept hitting winners in the first set and there wasn’t much I could do. Then I heard so many people say: ‘Serena, Serena,’ and I thought you guys are really here for me. I looked up at the screen and saw Venus was 1-4 down and I thought: ‘Come on, we can do this.’ We really inspire each other.”

What an enigma the younger Williams sister is. Last year she failed to make even the quarters of three majors then won the US Open to take her career slams to 18 – one ahead of Federer, but, more pertinently, four behind Steffi Graf, who heads the women’s list in the Open era.

On Monday she plays the talented Spaniard Garbiñe Muguruza, who put her out of the French Open last year and here beat the Swiss Timea Bacsinszky 6-3, 4-6, 6-0. “She’s had a really good win and I have nothing to lose,” Williams said. “I’ll do my best.”If that seemed false modesty on a grand scale, Serena has suffered enough shock defeats in recent years to be wary, although the tennis she produced in the third set resembled her awesome best.

Venus’s 4-6, 7-6, 6-1 win over the promising Giorgi continued her run of decent form and she seems to be in good health, which is always her priority since the auto-immune disease Sjögren’s syndrome struck her three years ago. Her next opponent provides tougher opposition than Muguruza: the sixth seed, Agnieszka Radwanska, who impressed while beating Varvara Lepchenko 6-0, 7-5 in an hour and a half, although the Uzbeki-American put up stern resistance in the second set, which lasted nearly an hour.

If Serena and Venus, who is seeded 18th, do meet in the semi-finals, they will resume the game’s greatest friendly rivalry. Since they first played each other on the tour in 1998, in the second round of the Australian Open (Venus won in two sets), they have met 25 times. Serena leads 14-11 overall and 6-2 in slams. This is the 29th time the sisters have made the fourth round of the same slam.

Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova hold the all-time record for Open era slam matches with 14. It is unlikely, given their ages and career patterns, that the Williams sisters will get close to that number but the girls who hit their way out of a ghetto with their tennis rackets have reignited interest in one of the game’s remarkable stories. Venus, at 34 a year older than Serena, said later: “The years go by so fast. It’s definitely been a lot of work and a lot of learning and a lot of perseverance. It will continue to be that for me. Just have to come to terms with it.

“We talk about all the players we see that aren’t playing any more. We just can’t figure out how we’re still here. When you walk on that court, there is no such thing as age, height, any of that stuff. It’s really an even playing field. It’s a matter of can you get the ball in? Can you win the point or not? It doesn’t matter, any of these variables. That’s what they are: variables.

“I’ve been motivated by Serena since day one, since 1998 or 97 actually. She’s always been someone that anyone can learn from: the way she faces her life, the way she is fearless on the court. I probably take it a lot more to heart because she’s my sister and we’ve had the fortunate relationship, to be able to motivate each other and grow from each other. I don’t think I could have done the things I’ve done without her.”

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Serena Williams blitzed her way into the third round with a display that combined discipline and bravura in equal measure. She saw off the South African journeywoman Chanelle Scheepers 6-1, 6-1 in 49 minutes.

“I’m always the favorite,” acknowledged Serena afterwards. “It’s been that way for the last three years and maybe years before that. So it can create pressure. But it’s OK – I’d rather it was that way.”

“I’m trying to figure out when this [press conference] is going to end,” she said. “I’m really losing focus up here. The longer these interviews go... Maybe that’s why at Wimbledon they have them long. This is getting... The questions change from tennis to Novak and then Rafa. It’s no longer about the match. Is this the last question?”



American Madison Keys, a winner last week in Eastbourne, took her winning streak to seven matches thanks to her 7-5, 6-7(3), 6-2 dismissal of 31st seed Klara Koukalova, the slight Czech who was out-gunned in the power stakes but who kept herself alive in the contest on Court 12 with speed, guile and anticipation.

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The Williams’ last Slam doubles victory was on the SW19 lawns two years ago, and they had lost their only previous doubles outing this year in the United Arab Emirates. With a ranking of 88, they are seeded No.8 here in a nod to their record at the All England Club.

It should not be overlooked that the two women now have a combined age of 66, in contrast to 26-year-old Savchuk and 23-year-old Kalashnikova. The years may not always favour the sisters now – both arrived on court in long-sleeved tops, with Venus additionally in capris, none of which extra warmth was required by the opposition – but the trade is that all that experience does no harm at all. Moreover, time seems to make no impression on their competitive hunger, with both sisters determined to wring the very most from their careers.

Venus held her opening serve, the first game of the match, so quickly to love that the clock had yet to register even one minute. Amid some fabulous volleying exchanges they broke Kalashnikova’s serve for 4-2. But the Russian-Ukrainian pair were up for the fight and not only leveled but powered on, increasing their service accuracy. At five-all Serena attempted a backhand down the line which fell way short of requirements, and moments later a Kalashnikova volley yielded the crucial break.

But at the start of the second the sisters combined brilliantly to break for 3-1.
With Serena pounding the ball from the baseline and Venus doling out the punishment at the net, the set went by in a flash. Yet at the start of the third confusion reigned as the two literally bumped into each other at the net, while Savchuk and Kalashnikova capitalised to go 3-0 up. Serena expressed her frustration with a mighty smash at the Russian to hold serve, which drew a particularly withering look from Savchuk. But Serena was accelerating into super-aggressive mode and the sisters levelled. Indeed, at 3-3 her impetus was such as she chased a backhand wide that she ended up in the lap of a startled spectator at courtside. Cue laughter from Serena, Venus and their mother Oracene who was in the stands.

It did not alter the focus of “Team Williams”, as umpire Julie Kjendlie labelled the Americans. They broke again for 5-4, and the result was sealed on the first match point as Serena punched away the winning volley.


source:  wimbledon.org

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Five-time Wimbledon Champion Serena Williams has her eyes on the prize - as usual. The world no. 1 eased through round one with a 6-1, 6-2 win over Anna Tatishvilli of Georgia. Serena is without a doubt the favorite to win.


'I have nothing to prove, nothing to hide, nothing to lose' ~ Venus Williams. There you go! It's all in the history books at this point and what will be, will be. Ms. Williams etched another win in the books, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 over Teresa Torro-Flor of Spain. WORK IT OUT VENUS!!


Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga wasted little time in securing a place in the second round of Wimbledon when returning to Court One on Tuesday morning.

The 14th seed had been left frustrated by heavy late-evening rain which denied him the chance to serve for the match in an epic clash against Austrian Jurgen Melzer.

Tsonga won the match 6-1, 3-6, 3-6, 6-2, 6-4.


Still buzzing from her first WTA title a few days ago, American teenager Madison Keys showed again why she is being tipped for a big future as she powered into Wimbledon's second round on Tuesday.

Hurling down 25 clean winners, including seven aces, she had too much weaponry for Puerto Rico's Monica Puig in a 6-3 6-3 win.

"It feels really good. There was definitely a moment on Saturday where I was like, this would be awesome if it happened every week," she told reporters after the match, calling the title her "biggest milestone" to date.


His unorthodox approach is well known, yet today he took this to new heights in his 7-6(5), 7-5, 6-4 victory over Tunisian lucky loser Malek Jaziri.

Monfils complained of injury, chatted frequently between points with his supporters and at the change of ends with the umpire, vacillated wildly in his intensity levels – sometimes he wouldn’t even attempt to run for shots, other times he would fling himself about the court in mad pursuit of them – and also produced some jaw-dropping tennis.

“On grass is never easy for me. (So) I'm very relaxed. I'm just the coolest than ever on grass,” he explained. “Then is hard for me to play like solid tennis, I will say, because I can't move. Actually I can't move. I don't feel comfortable. So I try to play just some part of the match. It was fun, so it's good for me.”

Monfils, seeded No.24, recovered from deficits of 1-3 in the first set and 1-4 in the second, finishing the match with a tidy stats sheet reading 50 winners to just 24 errors along with 17 aces. “For me, it's like shot after shot, just focus on my serve. If the ball is very short, I try to hit it and come to the net,” he surmised.


Heather Watson became the third British player to reach round two with an impressive straight-sets win over Ajla Tomljanovic of Croatia at Wimbledon.

Watson came through 6-3, 6-2 on Court Three to follow up Monday's victories by Andy Murray and Naomi Broady.


Victoria Duval’s sugary manner and broad smile was understandable given she had won her debut match at Wimbledon, defeating 29th seed Sorana Cirstea 6-4, 3-6, 6-1.

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We all know that Colin Kaepernick can pass, Serena Williams can serve, and Gabrielle Douglas can stick a landing. But did you know these athletes are working with First Lady Michelle Obama on a new program within her Let’s Move! initiative: Let’s Move! Active Schools? These athletes teamed up with First Lady Michelle Obama on the July cover of Sports Illustrated for Kids to promote bringing physical activity back to American schools and inside, First Lady Michelle Obama discusses her passion for helping the next generation grow-up healthy and active.

Joined by some of the sport industry’s most influential stars, Michelle Obama launched the Let’s Move! Active Schools initiative in February of this year. With less than 10% of U.S. public schools offering daily physical activity, this initiative seeks to remind the country of the crucial role that exercise and physical activity play in children’s educational development. Obama explained further, saying:

There are a lot of kids who shy away from activity because they think, "Well, I'm not coordinated." But the truth is that movement is pumping your arms, it’s dancing, it's touching your toes, it's identifying your physical strengths and not comparing yourself to your classmate, because we are all different. So we want to make activity fun again for kids in schools. Let's Move! Active Schools is an initiative to find champions throughout schools.

Be sure to help make your school a part of the Let’s Move! Active Schools movement by signing up now at http://www.letsmoveschools.org! You can be a crucial part of getting you and your classmates active, and you might even learn a game or two along the way. Also, check out the full Sports Illustrated Kids article here!

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