Black Tennis Pros

World No. 1 Naomi Osaka consulting with now former coach Sascha Bajin.

Thank you Naomi 🙏🏽 I wish you nothing but the best as well. What a ride that was. Thank you for letting me be part of this.

— sascha Bajin (@BigSascha) February 11, 2019

Major decision making can be necessary as we move forward in life. It appears that World No. 1 Naomi Osaka has done just that. Osaka's announcement today via Twitter, "Hey everyone, I will no longer be working together with Sascha. I thank him for his work and wish him all the best in the future", has sent a slight rumble through the world of tennis.

Osaka and Coach Bajin have collaborated victoriously in the last two grand slams with Osaka earning the World No. 1 spot after the Australian Open. The two have been working together since October 2017 and created a swift, yet incredible journey.

Bajin responded cordially, “Thank you Naomi. I wish you nothing but the best as well. What a ride that was. Thank you for letting me be part of this”.

Now what? Who? We shall see...

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When your sister is one of the greatest tennis players of all time, it can be difficult to get together with her for a little family time. When both you and your sister are world-caliber tennis stars—Olympic gold medalists and past US Open champions—it is nearly impossible. But when Venus, 31, and Serena, 29, find that time, it is filled with silliness and laughter, an easy, familial banter as quick as their on-court volleys. As the US Open approaches, both women are keen to hoist another trophy at center court in Arthur Ashe Stadium while at the same time laying the groundwork for their post-tennis careers, including college degrees, charity initiatives, an interior design company, fashion collections and the rightful ownership of a little dog named Harold—or is that Jerry? 

Read full article at Hamptons Magazine

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The USTA announced the names of eight boys and eight girls who have been offered wild card entries into the 2009 U.S. Open boys’ and girls’ singles championships.

Henderson, Nevada native Asia Muhammad is among them.

The U.S. Open Junior Championships will be played September 6–13 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, N.Y.

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WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. — Defending champion Serena Williams and four other past winners, including her sister Venus and wild-card entry Kim Clijsters, are in the provisional women's field for the U.S. Open.

Ninety-nine of the top 100 women in the current WTA rankings received direct entry Thursday into the hard-court Grand Slam tournament, played Aug. 31 to Sept. 13 in New York. The one missing is No. 88 Nathalie Dechy of France, who announced her retirement this week.

Serena Williams will be bidding for her fourth U.S. Open championship and third major title of 2009, after those at the Australian Open in January and Wimbledon this month. She owns 11 Grand Slam singles titles overall, most among active players.

Clijsters will be playing at Flushing Meadows for the first time since winning her only major title at the 2005 U.S. Open. She is making a comeback after retiring in 2007.

She asked the U.S. Tennis Association for a wild card and was granted one. To prepare for the U.S. Open, the 26-year-old Belgian — who is married and has a daughter — will be playing in WTA hard-courts events at Cincinnati and Toronto.

The other past U.S. Open champions in the field are Venus Williams (2000-01), Svetlana Kuznetsova (2004) and Maria Sharapova (2006). Other Grand Slam singles title winners in the field are Amelie Mauresmo and Ana Ivanovic.

Kuznetsova also won this year's French Open, beating No. 1-ranked Dinara Safina in the final.

Safina is atop the list of 104 direct entries. They'll be joined in the 128-player field by the eight women (including Clijsters) who receive wild cards and the 16 who will earn berths in Aug. 25-28 qualifying.

The provisional men's field was announced Wednesday, led by five-time defending champion Roger Federer.

The winners of the U.S. Open men's and women's singles title will each receive a record $1.6 million.

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You may have noticed American James Blake out of his Nike duds and into Fila clothing during the Australian Open, well it's because sportswear brand Fila has signed the tennis star to develop a collection of men's apparel and footwear, the company has announced.

Fila said Blake would collaborate with its design team to create a co-branded collection which would form the basis for the development of a long-term licensing business for Blake.

The collection, yet to be named, will encompass tennis, golf, fitness and lifestyle apparel, plus footwear and accessories for men. Other product categories will also be explored "as opportunities arise", Fila said.

The collection will be launched with a limited range of tennis and fitness apparel just before the U.S. Open in New York later this year, before its full launch for the spring/summer 2010 season.

Blake will also wear Fila-branded or co-branded apparel and footwear exclusively on court, and will be featured in the company's global marketing efforts.

He has been wearing Fila's Collezione Apparel Collection and the Fila Alfa shoe at the Australian Open.

"We are delighted to have the opportunity to work with an athlete of James Blake's calibre," said Gene Yoon, chairman of Fila.

"We are certain that through our collaboration with James, we will create a range of products that combines the rich style of our historic brand and James' active and sophisticated lifestyle."

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Press Release

Local Author signs book at US Open tennis event.

Author, Bernard A. Chavis, signed copies of his book “The Games of Tennis” An African American Journey at this year’s US Open tennis event.



September 9, 2008: Local Philadelphia area resident Bernard A. Chavis had a successful book signing at this year’s US Open Championships. This event is the largest attended sports event in the United States. Held annually in September at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on the grounds of the 1964 New York World’s Fair, the event draws an access of 500,000 tennis enthusiast during the two week event. Mr. Chavis’s book chronicles his journey of breaking racial and cultural barriers in the sport of tennis. The book goes into the inner workings of the administrative side of the game and the obstacles and resistance to leveling the playing field of diversity in this “sport for a life time.” Mr. Chavis has held many administrative positions at the local, regional, and national levels of the USTA and tennis industry related organizations, including the International Tennis Hall of Fame (ITHF) and the Tennis Industry Association (TIA). He resides in the northwest suburb of Philadelphia in Meadowbrook, PA.

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There's really not much to say here. American Serena Williams took her third U.S. Open Championship Sunday night in the Arthur Ashe Stadium by defeating Serbian Jelena Jankovic 6-4, 7-5. It was a well contested match on both sides.

When asked which title was the most exciting, Serena said "every one is so exciting, believe me. This is cool because I'm at No. 9. I'm pushing the doors closer to double digits, which of course I want to get to."

"I think this title meant more to Serena than any title she's ever won," her father and coach, Richard Williams said.

At the net, Serena said to Jankovic, "I'm sorry I got so excited."

The photos say everything else.

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Tropical storm Hanna has had her way with quite a bit this weekend. One thing in particular is the scheduling of U.S. Open events. The Women's Singles Final featuring American Serena Williams and Serbian Jelena Jankovic has been rescheduled for Sunday, September 7, at 9 p.m. in the Arthur Ashe Stadium.


Since we were not able to watch the final this evening, how about we check out sisters Venus and Serena Williams and their significant others. The ladies know how to prepare for a tournament don't they? Snazzy outfit...check; racquets...check; family members for box...check; significant other...check check; incognito look while with significant other...check check check!

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