Black Tennis Pros

This beautiful and very spirited award, "The Emblem of the Helping Hand," was created and bestowed upon me by SjP Of Sojourner's Place. Thank you SjP! In creating the award SjP says:

"I wanted to do something special to say Much Obliged and to celebrate reaching this personal milestone. Because I have committed my life to "leaving the pile higher than I found it," I wanted to "pay that help and support forward" to those new to the blogsphere. As such, I have created this "emblem of the Helping Hand" as a token of my appreciation for my blog mentors and a source of encouragement for those who are up and coming."

Much to my surprise, this is my second awarding of the Arte y Pico Award. This honor comes from Ada at Scramories. Thank you Ada! She had this to say about the award:

"In keeping with the spirit of Arte y Pico, there are more than 5 blogs that I find inspiring, creative and contribute positively to the blogsphere, and would like to share this award with these inspiring blogs."

The rules for the "Emblem Of The Helping Hand Award" are as follows:

1. Select 10 bloggers: 5 you consider your blogging Helping Hand then "Pay It Forward" by extending your "Helping Hand" to 5 additional bloggers in support and encouragement for their efforts.
2. In passing on the Emblem, each recipient must provide the name of blog or blog author with a link for others to visit.
3. Each recipient must show the Emblem and put the name and link to the blog that has given it to her or him.
4. Link the Emblem to this post: Helping Hand: Much Obliged and Paying It Forward so that others will know it origin and impetus.
5. If you have not already done so, show your recipients some love by adding them to your blog roll, Technorati Favorite list, or in any other way to further let them know that their blog voice is important to you and being heard.
6. Add your name to The Helping Hand meme at my new blog entitled The Emblem of the Helping Hand and don't forget to leave a comment as a permanent record of all Helping Hand recipients.
7. Display the rules.

Deemed "blogging mentors, " by SjP, I received this award along with the following sites:

African American Opinion
Black Perspective.net
Electronic Village
Francis I. Holland Blog
Mrs. Grapevine
New Black Woman
Regina's Family Seasons
The Black Factor
The Marvalus View
Vanessa: Unplugged and On The Black Hand Side

SjP then "payed this award forward" to the following sites:

Hagar's Daughter
Coffee Stained News
Black Women Blow The Trumpet
Black On Campus
From My Brown Eyed View
Notes Of This Native Son
Underground Railroad Tribal Alliance

Congratulations to each of them!

Of great mentorship to me and serving as a blog "helping hand," I'd like to acknowledge the following sites:

Black In Business
Colored Girls Who Have Considered...
Electronic Village
Chessnoid
Cook. Eat. Drink. Blog. (Cooking With Corey)

In paying it forward, I'd like to acknowledge the following sites:

Shae-Shae's Blog
Bittersweet Collide, Alexis Meets Aidan
Between The Waking and The Dream - Photography by Jon Miller Whitney
People You Need To Know
The Sports Diva Magazine


At Scramories, I received the Arte y Pico Award along with these fine sites:

Gourmeted.com
Pixel Shoppe
Live Passionately
Sweet Resistance

Venus Williams, 28

Venus Williams made history when she won her fourth Wimbledon last July: She became the first woman in the 123-year-old event to earn the same prize money as the guys. (The year before, the pay gap was nearly $60,000). Williams, who had been seeded twenty-third in the tournament, was thrilled. "It wasn't about the money," she says. "It was just about being treated as equals." Heading into Beijing, she's playing as strong as ever--last year she set a new record with a 128.8 mph serve. "I'm glad I never had to play Venus," tennis legend Martina Navratilova once said. "She's just too long, too fast."


Allyson Felix, 22

Allyson Felix can run 200 meters in 21.81 seconds--that's about 20 mph. Though she's a two-time world champion at that distance and is widely considered the favorite to win gold in the event, insiders' real hope for her is that she will help redeem track and field. The sport stumbled badly after the Marion Jones steroid scandal and subsequent reports of rampant cheating. Felix is "best positioned to save track," Sports Illustrated said when it nominated her for its Sportsman of the Year award in 2007, and she has no problem with these high expectations. "We can't get so wrapped up in winning that it becomes the only thing we're about," Felix says. "I want to give younger people someone to look up to."


Serena Williams, 26

She's won eight Grand Slam titles and an Olympic gold, but Serena Williams believes she hasn't "accomplished all that much" in tennis. "I feel like I'm just getting started," she says. After an injury forced her to pull out of the 2004 Olympics, she publicly vowed not to miss Beijing. But by 2006 her ranking had plummeted due to injuries. Still, Williams never gave up. Now she's ranked fifth and headed to Beijing. "What defines a person's character is not how you are when you're on top. It's how you are when you're on the bottom and working your way back," she says. Besides, she adds, "I love proving people wrong."

The Washington Kastles first Head Coach is Thomas Blake, former US Open participant and doubles partner of his world no. 8 brother James Blake. Thomas is coaching Serena Williams and teammates Justin Gimelstob, Scott Oudesma, Sacha Jones, and Mashona Washington in the Kastles’ inaugural season.

Thomas, who attended Harvard University, earned All-American honors in both singles and doubles. After graduating in 1996, he turned professional.

According to the Washington Post, although The Kastles lost to the Boston Lobsters (22-19), no one really cared because all the pros hung around to sign autographs for every fan 15 or younger. Then all the beautiful people headed off to the Park nightclub to unwind. (Except Williams, who showed up at Blue Duck Tavern in a flowery summer dress with a large group of pals.) Highlights: Kastles Head Coach Thomas Blake, older brother of tennis pro James Blake, looked even better up close -- the 31-year-old bachelor is "completely, unattached, single"; a girl got too close to a candle and her hair caught on fire (she's fine, just a little singed), and we found Ein (team owner) -- nursing a Heineken, tie finally off -- looking pretty pleased. "So far, so good," he said with a grin.

The U.S. Fed Cup team was swept 3-0 in live play in the semifinals this past April, but the USTA is hoping the loss, and a new-look line-up, will kick-start a new generation of U.S. women players.

When the Williams sisters took a pass on the tie and Lindsay Davenport was still recovering from an illness, captain Zina Garrison and coach-and-future-captain Mary Joe Fernandez decided to go with the rookie singles squad of Vania King and Florida's Ahsha Rolle, both ranked outside the Top 100. The deep Russian squad, led by former US Open winner Svetlana Kuznetsova (Maria Sharapova was not called to duty), moved fairly easily into the final, but not before some bright spots for the U.S.

King, with a 1-2 career win-loss record in Fed Cup for the U.S. entering the tie, stretched Anna Chakvetadze in 6-4, 7-5 loss, then gave Vera Zvonareva a scare before succumbing 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.

Rolle lost 6-2, 6-1 to Kuznetsova in her Davis Cup debut, but then in the "dead rubber" fourth singles match defeated Elena Vesnina in straight sets.

Rolle, a 23-year-old Miami Shores resident, employs an exciting all-court game, which can take longer to mature than the typical baseline basher.

"I think it's 'cause I have so many things in my game, like I have a one-handed backhand, I can slice, I can come to the net," Rolle says. "There's so many things that I have that I can do on each ball, whereas the girls that are young are pretty much just big hitters, they know what they want to do with each ball. I think it's taken me longer to develop my different shots and just how I want to play each point."

Rolle also has a Howitzer of a serve which benefits her on any surface, as it did during her win on the red clay in Russia.

"Ahsha served unbelievably well and I think it was amazing that she was able to keep her serve on that level for the whole match," Garrison said. "That kind of serving is a high level for anyone and is Grand Slam material."

Last year Rolle compiled her best season since turning pro in 2004. She qualified into the main draw at the Australian Open, and beat countrywoman Meghann Shaughnessy en route to the third round at Indian Wells. She then caught fire toward the end of the year with a runner-up effort at the Bronx Challenger, and defeated Tatiana Golovin en route to the third round at the US Open.

At the end of 2007 she was working toward putting an ankle injury and also some anger issues on court behind her.

"I was working with a sports psychologist for a while because I was just getting angry, then I'd lose," Rolle said at last year's US Open. "So it wasn't good. But I think I'm starting to control my emotions a little bit better. But I'm an emotional person, especially on the court. I'm competitive. So when I lose a point, then you're probably going to know I lost a point. But I'm trying to hold it together a little bit better."

She has held it together thus far in 2008, approaching the Top 100 once again (after reaching a career-high No. 82 last year), and substantiating the hundreds of thousands of dollars her parents have put behind her and her younger sister, Tiya, even tapping into their retirement fund.

For now it looks like the USTA has committed to Rolle, King, and the next generation of U.S. players for Fed Cup. It's a formula that was successful when the USTA first employed it in 2001, when new Davis Cup captain Patrick McEnroe took a chance with rookies Andy Roddick and James Blake. Six years later the same crew, along with the Bryan brothers, brought home the Davis Cup and have been readily on-call for the international competition ever since � a fact not lost on Garrison and Fernandez, who could not get either Venus or Serena Williams to play in 2008.

"Mary Joe Fernandez and I talked about it and we decided to take this direction since she is coming in next year as Fed Cup captain," Garrison said. "I wanted to make sure that Mary Joe had input, as they are players she will be working with next year."

This article appears in the June issue of Play Tennis Florida magazine, Official Magazine of USTA Florida, www.PlayTennisFlorida.com

American Venus Williams visits the Bloomingdale's Atrium at the King of Prussia Mall for a press conference prior to playing World Team Tennis.


Venus stretches during warmup prior to playing doubles with the Philadelphia Freedoms against the Delaware Smash in a World Team Tennis Match on July 9, 2008 in King Of Prussia, Pennsylvania

"I have fun and I like being on a team. It gets the young kids out here playing, making tennis fun. [The atmosphere] is less restrictive. You can cheer and the other innovative things [are positives], especially when we're competing with other sports.

"I want to win, no matter what I compete at. I also want people to be entertained."

Last night, Venus won in women's doubles (with Lisa Raymond), mixed doubles (with Travis Parrott) and singles matches as the Freedoms defeated the Smash, 25-15.

Venus and Philadelphia Freedom teammates.

Serena Williams talks with a fan then warms up prior to her debut as a member of the Washington Kastles of World Team Tennis in Kastles Stadium at the City Center DC on July 8, 2008 in Washington, D.C. where they lost to the Boston Lobsters.

The Wednesday Coaches Corner will no longer appear weekly. Suffice it to say that I was a bit ambitious thinking that I could schedule and conduct the interviews necessary to produce these pieces weekly in addition to all else that is on my plate - NOT.

I really like the Coaches Corner and want the articles that I produce for it to maintain a high quality. To do this, the Coaches Corner will now appear only on the first Wednesday of each month.

Venus Williams could be reveling in the fact that she just won her fifth Wimbledon title - and seventh Grand Slam championship.

But tonight, her focus is on future tennis stars in Delaware who are inspired by her achievements.

Just being able to watch Venus Williams play is a treat for many of the local kids gathered here.

But to have some one-on-one time with the newly-crowned Wimbledon champ is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

"I'm just happy to be here, to be able to hit with her. It's really exciting," said 17-year old Serena Walker.

The kids were part of a youth tennis clinic at the duPont Country Club led by Venus Williams.