Black Tennis Pros

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Originally published by Black Enterprise Magazine, this article perfectly shines the light on Zina Garrison who will serve as coach to the 2008 U.S. Women's Olympic team. Makes me proud to spell my name W - O - M - A - N!!

Long before the Williams sisters hit the pros, Zina Garrison was paving the way for African American women on the tennis courts. An impressive 15-year career, her record, which boasts 37 titles (14 singles, 20 doubles, and three mixed doubles), is proof of her ability to tear up the courts.

Garrison began playing tennis at age 10, on the city courts in her hometown of Houston. Her brother's girlfriend in high school had introduced her to tennis and at the time, Garrison had absolutely no knowledge of the sport. Sitting on the benches of MacGregor Park, she picked up the basics of the sport. Garrison began to understand the power behind the tennis racket when she hit her first ball over the fence. From here she learned about "choking up the racket" and keeping the ball inside the court. The high light of her childhood moment was when Bill Cosby came to Houston for a tennis clinic and picked a young Garrison out of the audience to play against him. She would compete in her first tournament at age 11.

Unafraid of being watched by spectators, Garrison's technique on the court grew quickly. During high school, her skill level exceeded most of the other students on the team. Her senior year in high school would be an intense one when she became the No. 1 junior player in the state by the time she turned 17 years old, and the first African American woman to be ranked No. 1 in Texas. That same year, Garrison became the No. 1 junior player in the world and would travel to Japan to play in her first international tournament. Garrison was 18 when she played at Wimbledon for the first time.

"There were other black women at Wimbledon and the competition was very stiff. It was a very humbling experience," Garrison remembers. "The biggest challenge that black women faced in achieving excellence in sports, or at least those that I've experienced, was that it was often more difficult for us to garner the respect of the larger community and transcend racial overtones," says Garrison.

With Billie Jean King serving as her mentor, Garrison understands more than anyone else the importance of determination and hard work in achieving your goals. Serving as assistant coach to Billie Jean King, Garrison helped guide Venus Williams to Olympic gold-medal performances in women's singles. Garrison received the same opportunity in Sydney, Australia. She credits Billie Jean King with helping her become a great athlete.

"Billie Jean King taught me how to be a strong woman and how to fulfill my dreams," Garrison explains "She helped me discover my passions even though I was shy and a bit of an introvert, t tended to stay behind the scenes, and she taught me to step out of that mold and go for things I really wanted." Through Billie Jean King, Garrison also learned that what defines an amazing athlete is what is in his or her heart. "You can have all the ability in the world, all the discipline and concentration, but you need to have a heart in order to succeed."

Garrison turned pro in 1982 and first appeared No 29 in the world rankings. She reached her career high seven years later when she ranked No 4. Garrison was the first African American to win an Olympic tennis medal when she struck gold at the 1988 summer games in Seoul, Korea, with Pam Shriver. Her hard work paid off when she became the first black woman since Althea Gibson to reach a Grand Slam final in 1990. Retiring from a long career on the pro tour in 1997, Garrison wasn't finished with tennis just yet. There was still work to be done.

This year, Garrison was the first African American to be appointed as Fed Cup captain She accepted this role as the only African American to hold the title in the 40-year history of the women's international competition. Her most recent accomplishment happened on February 18 of this year when Garrison was chosen to head the women's U.S. Olympic tennis team. She will head to the 2004 Olympic Games, traveling in Athens, Greece, with the tennis competition being staged at the Athens Olympic Tennis Center.

"All the women will have an opportunity to win a gold, silver, or bronze medal. Far me, it's going to be very challenging when it comes time to [decide who will] make the team for both singles and doubles, because I will have so many great players to choose from," explains the 41-year-old tennis ace training individuals who have different personalities and playing styles and getting them to work together as a team is a challenge that she is looking forward to. "The individuals who are chosen for the Olympic team are perfectionists. After all, they are the best in the country. But they are also very professional."

Besides her high-profile career as a tennis champion, Garrison has not forgotten her roots and continues to give back to her community. It was her lifelong dream to open her All-Court Tennis Academy, which opened its doors in 1991. The Zina Garrison All Court Tennis program is her way of giving inner-city children the opportunity to learn about themselves through the game of tennis and to help build self-esteem.

"I wanted kids in Houston to have this program because tennis is such a great sport; because you can learn so much about yourself and your character," she says "I wanted to give something back to the inner-city kids and have them take advantage of learning more about tennis. This program helps get these kids to be the best that they can be."

She also introduced the Zina Garrison Foundation, which provides funds and support for the homeless, youth organizations, anti drug groups, and other charitable groups.

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Already low on marquee names because of the Olympics, the Countrywide Classic lost another one Tuesday as eighth-seeded Tommy Haas was beat by 19-year-old Donald Young, 6-2, 6-4, in the first round at UCLA.

It was the earliest Haas has lost at UCLA since 2002. He won the tournament in 2004 and 2006, something Haas said may not have helped him.

"There's always usually a feeling of coming back to a tournament you've won once or even more times like in this case," he said. "You always feel pretty good about your game, so in one way it is surprising for myself but on the other hand maybe you don't want it as bad as winning another title."

Young was the youngest player to finish in the top 100 at the end of 2007 and he rose to as high as 73rd on the ATP tour this year. However, he is coming off consecutive first-round exits at Cincinnati, Toronto and Indianapolis.

"The summer by my standards hasn't been going that well," Young said. "I felt I had a lot more expectations for myself and I wasn't doing that well. To get a win here [and] . . . to beat someone of his caliber is great."

After breezing through the first set, Young broke Haas to open up the second set. Haas responded by breaking Young at love to get back on serve and the two then held serve to 4-4.

"Later in the match, obviously I got really nervous," Young said. "A lot of double faults started to roll in. . . . I have been up on a player like that before, but I hadn't closed it before. It was just different territory for me."

At 4-4, Haas fell behind, 15-40, but rallied to deuce before Young hit a winner at the net to take the game and eventually the match.

Other matches Tuesday included fifth-seeded Marat Safin of Russia beating John Isner, 6-3, 6-4, and victories by Americans Vince Spadea over Frenchman Sebastien Grosjean, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, and Amer Delic over Dudi Sela of Israel, 6-4, 6-4.

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NEW YORK (Reuters) - Bankrupt apparel chain Steve & Barry's LLC can pay tennis star Venus Williams under the terms of her clothing line contract, a U.S. bankruptcy judge said on Tuesday.

Steve & Barry's, which plans to sell itself at an auction later this month, can pay Williams the $250,000 owed to her under a license agreement, provided she makes certain assurances, Judge Allan Gropper said at a court hearing in Manhattan.

Steve & Barry's was seeking to make $625,000 in payments to Williams, professional surfer Laird Hamilton and basketball player Ben Wallace for their license agreements, but Gropper said the company should wait at least two weeks until its sale procedures are approved.

He said the payment to Williams could be made now as she is expected to wear Steve & Barry's apparel while competing in the Olympic Games in Beijing over the next few weeks. Williams wore designs from her Steve & Barry's "Eleven" clothing line when she won the Wimbledon singles title a month ago.

Gropper said he would allow the other two celebrities to submit further proof that they needed to be paid more urgently. He said all the celebrities, including Williams, would have to show that Steve & Barry's would benefit from something other than "amorphous good will" by paying the celebrities now.

Celebrity-licensed clothing at Steve & Barry's accounted for 41 percent of the chain's in-store sales year-to-date, a lawyer for the company, Shai Waisman, said at the hearing.

The company also sells clothing lines created by actresses Sarah Jessica Parker and Amanda Bynes, but neither was a part of the Tuesday proceeding.

The 276-store chain filed for bankruptcy protection in July citing tight credit markets, higher costs and a decline in consumer spending that left it unable to pay its debts.

On Monday the company said Bay Harbour Management had agreed to become the firm's "stalking horse" bidder with an offer to purchase the company as a going concern for $163 million. The bid allows Bay Harbour to make the first offer at the company's auction for its assets later this month.

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NEW YORK -- Evian Natural Spring Water, the official bottled water of the U.S. Tennis Open, will have significant on-site presence when the event begins Aug. 25.

Among other activations, Evian will be the official recycling sponsor of the U.S. Open. Evian recycling bins will be placed throughout the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center and Arthur Ashe Stadium in Flushing, N.Y.

Evian will also feature brand pitchman James Blake, among the top-ranked American tennis players in the world, in person and through marketing support.

Blake will be at the Evian booth, where kiosks will enable fans to access ShopEvian.com. Any purchase made at the Web site will include a complimentary Evian Brumisateur Facial Spray designed by Blake (while supplies last). The bottles currently are for sale at the Web site ($5.50). Visitors to the Evian booth will also have the opportunity to create their own Evian commercial, which they can view online.

Aug. 28 has been named Evian Day, during which about 25,000 of the Blake Brumisateurs will be handed out. In addition, people can win items such as autographed Blake memorabilia, a pair of tickets to the 2009 U.S. Open, gift certificates to a chic New York restaurant or a year's supply of Evian.

Evian added to its roster last month when it signed Canadian tennis pro Frank Dancevic as a spokesman.

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Hello!

One year ago today, out of my sense of frustration with either the lack of coverage of Black tennis players, or the negative coverage, Black Tennis Pro's was born. I sought to create a one-stop shop, if you will, where you could get a good idea of the who, what, when and where on Black tennis players. Since that time a lot has happened in the tennis world as well as on Black Tennis Pro's.

One of the most significant things to happen here is my exposure to Black tennis players internationally. Overall, there's a tendency to think that Black tennis players consist of the few superstars that we have come to know and love i.e., Venus and Serena Williams, James Blake, and now Frenchmen Gael Monfils and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, while there are many more very interesting and talented Black players worldwide.

From simply posting the day-to-day happenings with the players and tournament information, I now have the wonderful opportunity to talk to various players, coaches and media personalities. Each experience has made me appreciate the players and their hard work even more.

The most personal experience that I've had is with those of you who were looking for a place like Black Tennis Pro's before it was ever created. From those of you who wrote to me within the first week that the site came online, to those of you who consistently comment, leave voice messages and share information that you think I may not have yet, it is so rewarding to know that there is such a large audience that feels the same way.

I have no clue where Black Tennis Pro's is going, I can't even believe that one year has already passed. However, I do know that I adore the sport of tennis and want those Black players within it to be as visible and positively presented as all of the other players. Until that happens, I'll probably be around...

~~Shelia

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It's been a sloooow weekend for Black Tennis Pro's. While there isn't anything to speak of on the ATP Tour, South African Raven Klaasen was working it out on the USTA Pro Circuit in the 10th Annual Ursula Beck Pro Tennis Classic in Decatur, Illinois.

Klaasen defeated Tigran Martirosyan of Armenia 7-5, 6-4 and made it to the doubles semifinals of the same event with teammate Ito Yuichi of Japan; they were defeated by Tigran Martirosyan and Korean Daniel Yoo 6-7(7), 1-6.

We haven't had the opportunity to see much of Klaasen, so here are a few shots of him from the tournament, which was covered by the Herald&Review of Central Illinois.

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American James Blake seems to be having a lot better time this week than he has been having over the previous few. Even his stance is more confident. Alright Blake, work it out!

In round 2 of the Western and Southern Financial Group Masters in Cincinnati, Ohio, Blake took out the most-recent-to-rise tennis sensation Gilles Simon of France, 6-4, 6-3. Not only did Blake send Simon packing, he did it with apparent ease in roughly an hour.

"I'm just as surprised as anyone," Blake said. "I figured it was going to be a really tough match."

It was here in Cincinnati in 2007 that Blake made it to the final against Roger Federer. It appears that Blake has reached "his" time of the year.

"This is always the time of year I appreciate most," said Blake, who improved to 24-8 on hard courts. "I've had my best results on this kind of court, getting ready for the U.S. Open. So it fits my game the best, and I feel good and healthy and strong."



Additionally, Blake is also spending a little time with a different sport. He got in a bit of batting practice before a Reds game on Saturday.

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