Black Tennis Pros

Monday, February 22, 2010
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Wednesday, February 24, 2010



Thursday, February 25, 2010


Tonight was a battle. And I played a very worthy opponent. I had never heard of her before, but it was intense. I was having a hard time adjusting to the clay from the hard, and the courts here are playing very particular too, and then there was her game... It was one of those matches I'll be talking about for a while.

The crowd was extremely supportive. I've never had that support - EVER. Not even at Fed Cup or the Olympics. It was insane. I couldn't believe it. It was so nice! I find wherever I play, people root for the underdog, hoping that player will come up with something special. Maybe this time I was the underdog? She was a true clay courter and I was forced to adjust. When you're one game away from losing you have to find something... I got a game, then another, and finally when it was 5-3, I felt I had momentum. I started playing more aggressively from there.

These kinds of matches are fun (especially when you win them!)

Earlier, I forced myself to go to sleep. I knew it would help me in the match. So I slept. No multitasking, no brochure editing... Although I did wake up first thing in the morning to finish editing some marketing materials. Who knows, tomorrow I may crack open a book... but no one can be sure ;) The Make A Wish event raised $10,000 - which is very exciting! There are three big galas we do in my area in the year and this was one of them. I wish I could have been there...

Well... it's Friday and my mom hasn't made it. I doubt she'll come. She won't rush to another final. Maybe she's just relaxing at home...

One last thing... I want to say a huge thank you to all of my Mexican fans for tonight. I've never, ever felt that before. It was wonderful. Hopefully I never find myself down 1-5 in the third set - but if I do, I hope it happens in Mexico :)

Venus

How do you feel about this tournament? Evelyn

I've had some good wins here. I don't know why I play so well here. Last year and this year... even when I'm not playing my best, I've found a way to win the match. I'm going to have to channel this determination at the French! Crazy... I guess I'll have to make this a regular stop. I should have played here before last year. Now I know. I'll have to keep coming back.

Friday, February 26, 2010


Hi everyone. How are you?

Tonight I played another tough player who was on her game. Very impressive. After I lost the second set, I knew I had to make a few more shots. Missing doesn't really help my cause! She played really well though, I have to give her credit. I feel like I'm improving with each match. It was very exciting not to be down 1-5 in the third. I'll always remember that, but hopefully won't repeat it!

Before matches I eat just enough so I won't get tired. There's a certain amount and I have a numbering system. Whenever I feel I've had as much as I need, I stop. But I don't eat pasta after the match anymore. I'm done this lifestyle.

I didn't work on anything during the day, I just rested. And watched Smallville. My older sister is a huge fan of it too. We could talk about it for years. I would always tease her before for watching it... but now look at me.

I just love things that can't happen in real life I guess. Amazing things happen in Smallville. I love that. It's too early to tell who my favorite character is on the show, though. It always changes for me, because some characters annoy me, and so on. I only just finished Season 1, too. I also didn't crack open any books... It's just not going to happen this week - I'll start when I go home...

There were these little girls outside my court today looking through the fence. Now I don't speak Spanish but I know a little, and one girl said 'My name is Venus too!' It was so sweet. I don't know if that was her name or not. Actually, I doubt it. But I guess she wanted to be a tennis player, it was so cute.

I'll talk to you all after the final. Have a good night!

Venus

What did you do with the sombrero you won last year? Raymond

I gave it to my dad! He loved it so much. He saw pictures of me with it on and told me he loved the hat, so I gave it to him, and I haven't seen it since. But I'm hoping to have a doubles partner for it soon ;)




Saturday, February 27, 2010



Well I played a very worthy opponent today. She really played so well. I made a few errors in the first set and there was no room for that, because she made none and was playing aggressively. I had to turn it around in the second. So I started working on getting the win, and I'm happy I was able to do it.

The thing about me... I never feel pressure to defend titles. I think that makes me better at defending titles, because whenever I return to a tournament, I usually do pretty well. I guess Dubai and Acapulco is one of my specials...

As for the sombrero... this one's mine :)

I've been informed that this title ties me for No.10 for all-time titles with Martina Hingis. That's great! I guess I'll be passing her soon... I have the advantage because I'm still playing :) I'll be working on getting further into the Top 10.

Next for me is the Billie Jean King Cup in Madison Square Garden. That's hopefully another two matches for me on Monday. Last year I had a great time playing and hopefully it'll be even better this year. Last year there was a blizzard there... and I hadn't been in snow before. Well, I had landed places with snow already on the ground and a few flurries, but never where it was REALLY snowing. I thought people didn't go out in that kind of weather. It was so funny, like something out of a movie - one day when I was leaving the hotel, the coldest rush of wind came and I ran back inside... I thought, 'Are you serious?' I'm not used to that in Florida. We chase the Sun...

I had fun doing the blog again! I look forward to doing it again soon. I'll see you all in New York at the Billie Jean King Cup... Stay tuned! And visit my Facebook and Twitter pages, and my website too...

Until next time!

Venus

You never seem angry on the court. How do you do it? Olivier

It kind of follows my attitude off the court. Nothing ever bothers me. It helps on the court to think clearly, without emotions. It's just harder with emotions. I have been emotional before... but for the most part I'm a cucmber.

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The doubles team of American Mashona Washington and Canadian Sharon Fichman were defeated in the quarterfinal round of the Abierto Mexicano TELCEL by the Czech Republic's team of Vladimira Uhlirova and Renata Voracova 7-5, 6-1.

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Part I - The Beginning
Part II The Emergence Of A Black Champion

At the end of Althea’s career, Dr. Johnson realized that his dream of helping to produce a world champion was successful. But, he had something else up his sleeve… For the past several years, he had been grooming other talented youngsters at his home in Lynchburg, Virginia. Each summer, a group of the most talented minority youth from across the country would gather at his home to train and play tournaments. I was selected as the northeastern candidate and this is how I met the next world champion, Arthur Ashe. We were a talented group but it soon became clear that Arthur was something special. He was a quiet, determined youngster and was developing a formidable tennis game. In Dr. Johnson’s opinion, Arthur was perfect to lead the charge because he was unflappable. Insults, flagrant cheating and verbal abuse would roll off of Arthur’s back without effect. The mission was clear; win quietly and respond to nothing but the tennis ball. It was further made clear that any of us that reacted to the bad calls; any of us that argued; any of us that responded to the verbal slurs or challenged the fairness of the situation, would be sent home immediately. Although none of us were sent home for violations of these rules, those of us from the big, northern cities had to bite our tongues. Arthur, on the other had was born and raised in the segregated south. His father was the public park attendant at the tennis courts across the street from his home and he couldn’t play on those courts because he was black. He seemed to understand that he was destined for greatness and that his icy-cool demeanor was a key to success. We were made to understand that an outburst by one of us, would be seen as a negative characteristic of the entire group. Tournament directors would be able to say, “See, I knew they’d act that way if we let them into the tournament!” There were many youngsters placed in that situation over the years, but, none of us ever allowed those words to be uttered.

After civil rights legislation was enacted in 1964, history would show that the black elite moved to exclusive, suburban communities. Some people believe that this suburban exodus was the beginning of the decline in the growth of black tennis as well as a slowing of the positive growth in the black community. Others believe that the ability to live beside and emulate positive role models, along with the forced creation of a homogeneous community, were positive aspects of segregation. Black businessmen, both legitimate and otherwise, were guaranteed to be successful - as a direct result of segregation. Any Black that opened a grocery store, produce stand or repair store was certain to capture the business of the local constituency, because those customers were not permitted to patronize white-owned stores. This environment provided fertile ground for entrepreneurs; legitimate businessmen and hustlers alike.

It is into this era that Arthur Ashe emerged as a standout tennis player. In some ways, Arthur was a most unlikely role model and world champion. He was slender, almost frail looking. He was mild-mannered; always appearing to be passive, unemotional and reserved. Did he possess the strength, focus and determination to overcome the alienation of segregation, along with the rejection and degradation that was sure to be in his future? Wouldn’t someone from the north - someone with a more aggressive personality - someone who would defy the system have a better chance to overcome the odds? History would show that Arthur was the perfect candidate. He was simply better than the rest of us. He was a likeable young man and if you were not a hard-core racist, you would find Arthur friendly, personable and non-confrontational. Even in his memoirs, “Days of Grace”, one can sense his absence of anger. Concerning his inability to play tournament tennis in his hometown of Richmond, Virginia, Arthur said: “I remember the kindly white tennis official, Sam Woods, who would not allow me to play in municipal tournaments in Richmond, and all the other not-so-kindly officials who barred my way so that I finally played in only one official tennis tournament while I was a junior in Virginia.”

His success as a Davis Cup player and his U.S. Open and Wimbledon titles are legendary. But, his recognition at tennis became the tool that he would use to challenge society to end the racial injustice that plagued the planet. He made several trips to South Africa (against the wishes of many Black leaders in America) to pressure the government to end apartheid. He marched on Washington in support of the fair treatment of Haitian refugees. His life was dedicated to the elevation of his people. He focused a great deal of his attention on education. He encouraged youngsters to become doctors and lawyers. He wanted youngsters to attend and graduate from college instead of putting all of their energy into athletics. He realized that less than 1% of varsity athletes ever signed a professional sports contract. At the same time, he made many attempts to create a system that produced a pipeline of young black players that could use tennis as a vehicle to take them to college. One such program was a collaboration with Nick Bollettieri. The Ashe-Bollettieri “Cities” Tennis Program (ABC) taught tennis to more than 10,000 children. The program attempted to impress upon them the value of preventive health education and the importance of staying in school. Hundreds from this program (which later became the Arthur Ashe Safe Passage Foundation) went on to college on either academic or athletic scholarships. It was one of the programs that made Arthur most proud. Before Arthur died, he got a glimpse of Venus and Serena Williams, two young girls that would, for a short time, take over the reins of leadership after his voice was silenced. But, Arthur would not live to see the emergence of James Blake. James possessed many qualities that would enamor him to the tennis community at large. He is handsome, articulate and Harvard University educated. More importantly, he is thoughtful, non-confrontational and non-threatening. James, if he is so inclined, will be the heir-apparent to Arthur’s throne; the voice of Black tennis. Because, you see, like Arthur, the voice of James Blake is the only one that is likely to resonate with the powers that be.



The author, Bob Davis, currently owns and operates Coastal Tennis and Sports, LLC in Bradenton, Florida.

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At the Delray Beach International Tennis Championships on Thursday, American James Blake, who has reached the finals here twice, advanced to the quarterfinal round after a 6-3, 6-1 defeat of Robin Haase of The Netherlands. Blake's next opponent is Croatia's Ivo Karlovic.

After his win over Haase, the 30-year-old American hit the main stadium court for a first-round evening doubles match, teaming with Robert Kendrick to defeat fellow Americans Eric Butorac and David Martin 6-3, 6-4 on a chilly night in South Florida. They next meet Philipp Marx and Igor Zelenay, who earlier upset the No. 3-seeded team of Ross Hutchins and Jordan Kerr in three sets.

In his first round match, Blake defeated fellow American Taylor Dent 6-1, 3-6, 6-3.


Atlanta Tennis Championships Inaugural Tournament

Committed to playing in the inaugural Atlanta Tennis Championships is James Blake, the long-time American tennis star who has been ranked as high as No. 4 in the world. Blake has won 10 ATP titles, including the 2006 Indianapolis tournament, which the Atlanta tournament is replacing. He started his career in 2000 and has been a Davis Cup stalwart for the American team.

The Atlanta event, owned and operated by USTA Southern, will serve as the kick-off to the 2010 Olympus US Open Series.


Caesars Tennis Classic Inaugural Tournament

A match between Pete Sampras and James Blake has been added to the inaugural Caesars Tennis Classic at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City on April 10.

The event, being hosted by Venus Williams, has three matches in a team format.

The first features Ivan Lendl, in his first match since his 1994 retirement, against Mats Wilander in a one-set no-ad scoring match.

The second match has Andy Roddick, currently the top-ranked American men's player, facing Marat Safin in a best-of-three-set match. This match will also be no-ad scoring and will be decided by a super tiebreaker (first to 10 must win by two) if necessary.

The third match has Sampras, 14-time Grand Slam champion, against Blake in a best-of-three-set match. This match will also be no-ad scoring and will also be decided by the super tiebreaker, if necessary.

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ACAPULCO, Mexico, Feb. 25 (UPI) -- Venus Williams had to stage a major rally Thursday to down unheralded Spaniard Laura Pous Tio and post a quarterfinal win at the Mexican Open.

Williams, the defending Acapulco champion, was trailing 5-1 in the final set after losing the first frame to Pous Tio 4-6 and taking the second set 6-3. But she broke her opponent's serve three times before finally finishing the match on serve by holding at love and winning it 7-5.

With the win, Williams will go on to face Romanian Edina Gallovits in the semifinals. Gallovits gained the spot by dispatching Canadian Sharon Fichman 7-5, 6-2 on the clay courts.

Venus Blogging

Monday, February 22, 2010
Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

To ask Venus a question, visit the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour site here.



It's 1:15 in the morning. I tried laying down but I guess I don't like going to bed!

I had a pretty late match today. Afterwards I did press and then all my routines to get the body up and running again, and now I'm eating more. Today it was chicken and rice. No pasta... there's a limit of how much I can torture myself.

I was much more productive today - I didn't watch much TV. I was working on some marketing for V Starr Interiors (my interior design company). I have a charity event tomorrow for Make A Wish. I won't be there but I'm excited about that. I also need to be working on some designs... I've had a lot of problems: I'm taking a class but I've been extremely unsuccessful in opening my books this year. I really need to get rid of my TV programs! I always have to multitask because I get bored if I don't. Even when I'm watching Smallville, I have to be doing something at the same time. It makes me happy.

You may have seen my Facebook or Twitter pages by now. When I was younger, I wasn't very cool and didn't really have any friends. I always thought Facebook was where you could connect with people you used to know, and all I ever did was read a lot of books, so I figured it wasn't for me. I was a nerd. But recently I found out someone started a Facebook fan page for me and so I took it over. And I really like it, it's fun. Everyone likes Twitter and Facebook. I don't have any childhood friends on there though... it took me 25 years to get cooler.

Tomorrow I play an opponent I haven't played before, so I'm looking forward to that. Also, my mom is coming here hopefully, as I mentioned she has been threatening to come. I got her some earrings in Dubai but I like them so much I'm wearing them now! I can rationalize it. She always loses an earring. One always comes out of her ear, and she'll come around asking, 'Did you see my earring? It fell out!' She's always wearing just one.

Have a good night... talk to you tomorrow!

Venus

P.S. I've attached a picture of me and my sister, Isha :)

What is Harold up to? Jake
He's very happy. The little guy's growing up but he'll always be my little son. I miss him. Special little guy. I picked a really good one... I don't know how but I did! He has a habit of stealing my pillow. Every time I come back he has stolen it, so naturally I just move over and take another one. He's back in Florida right now. I can't wait to get back and see him stealing those pillows.

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In an upset during the night session at the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships on Wednesday, Croatian veteran Ivan Ljubicic fired 15 aces and dropped just four points on his first serve in a 7-5, 6-3 defeat of fifth-seeded Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

Ljubicic, who did not face a break point, next faces defending champion Novak Djokovic.

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MAKUENI, Kenya - Just over a year after visiting Kenya to open the Serena Williams Secondary School in Matooni, Kenya, Serena Williams returned to the country to follow up on her humanitarian efforts. Williams arrived on February 22 for a three day charity mission where she will inaugurate the Wee Secondary School in Makueni, Eastern Province, Kenya.

The new school lies roughly 50 kilometers from the first one. While in the country, Williams will follow up on the progress of the Matooni school and will hold a tennis teaching session with the students at both schools.

Williams has partnered with technology giant Hewlett Packard and the Build African Schools initiative. She is a global ambassador for the firm and has also worked with the Starfishgreatheart Charity for orphans in South Africa.

Hewlett Packard will equip the school with computers, printers and internet connectivity, while facilitating the training of the local teachers and students.

Ken Mbwaya, Hewlett Packard's managing director for East Africa, said: "As our ambassador, Serena was touched by the plight of children from these areas. This has made many keen to learn, even with daily challenges and limitations. Education is the best platform to invest in as it empowers whole communities.

"Sixty-two percent of Kenyans live in absolute poverty, which means that some very bright children are hindered from achieving their potential. This is an actual impediment to the realization of Vision 2030 and we need to tackle this before we seek IT penetration into rural Kenya. Education is the best platform to invest in as it empowers whole communities."

While in Kenya Serena visited Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka who lauded Serena's efforts in setting up Kenyan Schools.

Musyoka said her partnership with leading Computer manufacturer Hewlett-Packard (HP) and Charitable organization - Build African Schools, is set to transform rural communities by equipping them with school facilities as well as helping them attain computer literacy.

He made the remarks in his Jogoo house when the tennis superstar paid him a courtesy call.

The Vice President, who invited her to also partner with his Kalonzo Musyoka Foundation to provide scholarships to needy students, proposed that Ms Williams would be a worthy beneficiary of the proposed dual citizenship under the new constitution.

"She has definitely touched many Kenyan lives and is therefore worthy of such recognition if she so wishes,'' he said.

Ms Williams said she will continue to not only open and support schools in Kenya but also build and provide computers to other countries, in Africa.

She added that she was committed to contribute towards "putting a smile" on the faces of many unfortunate members of the society.

With a light touch, the champion welcomed the dual citizenship proposal, adding that her only problem would be the confusion at the International Airports on whether to fill her forms as Kenyan or American.

Ms Williams opened Wee Secondary School in Matiliku Location in Makueni district on Tuesday.

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