Black Tennis Pros

According to the Metro.co.uk, Sarah Gronert, who was born with both male and female genitalia, has been cleared to compete as a woman.

I honestly thought that this was one of the most extreme gender cases that I've heard in awhile. Holding this young woman hostage while you 'verify her gender' has been absolutely ridiculous and obscene.

I have a very good friend and former work associate who was born with the same issue; if she had not shared the fact with me, I never would have known. This woman's parents had the surgery performed at a period in her life when when everyone involved believed that they were making the correct determination and she is leading a life in the gender that she believes she was born into. Because her surgery was performed so much earlier, she has avoided the potential situation that Gronert has been victimized by, but feels her pain as we have discussed this many times.

This is such a victory for Gronert, and potentially others like her, especially in light of having to endure situation so publicly.

Sarah Gronert is free to face the world's best players after the sport's governing body ruled there was 'sufficient independent and verifiable evidence' she was eligible to play women's tennis.

The 22-year-old, who had her male genitalia removed three years ago, had to have 'gender verification to determine sexual status' under Women's Tennis Association rules.

Read the rest of this post...........

In preparation for the upcoming European clay court season, including the French Open starting May 24, Serena Williams today arrived at the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy/IMG Academies to train with Nick on the campus’ clay courts.

Williams, who is ranked No. 2 in the world, has worked with Nick in the past and wants to again find the magic on clay that led her to a French Open singles title in 2002.

Nick Bollateri's Tennis Academy Blog

Read the rest of this post...........

Two of the hottest tickets on the ATP World Tour are Frenchmen Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Gael Monfils. As the world rankings shifted on Monday, April 27, these two each bumped up one spot - Monfils to World No. 9 and Tsonga to World No. 10.

Fellow Frenchman Gilles Simon also ascended from World No. 9 to 7. The wind seems to be blowing very nicely towards France.

Read the rest of this post...........

I absolutely LOVE this campaign, it is too much fun!

In this first video you see DSRL coaches Eli and Peyton Manning and Venus and Serena Williams put their 'twist, lick and dunk' coaching skills to work as they develop team strategy. Listen to the hard charging 'DSRL theme song' that's playing - this is serious!





In this video during DSRL activities, the Manning coaches show the Williams coaches that they have a bit of game on the tennis courts too.

Read the rest of this post...........

In a battle of the Frenchmen, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Richard Gasquet played a first round match held over from Tuesday because of rain at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia/ATP World Tour Masters 1000, Rome, Italy.

In close to two hours, Gasquet defeated Tsonga 7-6(2), 6-4.

Read the rest of this post...........

Read the rest of this post...........

On Tuesday afternoon at the Boar's Head Inn, Charlottesville, Virginia, the Boyd Tinsley Women's Pro Tennis Tournament began. American Angela Haynes and Croatian Mirjana Lucic were the marquee match for the first round of this event.

Lucic, a 1999 Wimbledon semifinalist, defeated second seeded Haynes 6-4, 6-2.

Read the rest of this post...........

Italy is hoping the Williams sisters decide to skip the Fed Cup final in November. Either way, though, the 2006 champions plan to host the United States in the best-of-five series on the slowest clay they can find.

"I hope the Williams sisters don't come," Italy captain Corrado Barazzutti told The Associated Press on Tuesday. "If they do come, we'll try to beat them. It's not impossible on clay. (Flavia) Pennetta has already beaten Venus more than once."

The 14th-ranked Pennetta beat Venus Williams twice last year _ including a victory at the French Open _ although Venus won their last two meetings.

Italy beat Russia 4-1 and the United States edged the Czech Republic 3-2 in the semifinals last weekend. The Williams sisters _ Venus and Serena _ skipped the trip to Brno, and Fed Cup rookies Alexa Glatch and Bethanie Mattek-Sands lined up for United States captain Mary Joe Fernandez.

The Nov. 7-8 final immediately follows the season-ending WTA Championships in Doha, and Barazzutti expects the Williams sisters to play there. Italy would like to host the final in the south to play outdoors on slow clay to soften the impact of the Williams sister's fierce groundstrokes.

"We're definitely going to play on clay _ very slow clay _ and if possible, outdoors," Barazzutti said. "First we need to determine if we can play outdoors, then we'll choose the most uncomfortable setting possible. Uncomfortable in the sense that it suits us and not the Americans."

Read the rest of this post...........