Black Tennis Pros

SCHEDULED:

Serena Williams, USA (7) vs. Aravane Rezai, FRA

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, FRA (12)  vs. Go Soeda, JPN

James Blake, USA vs. Marcos Baghdatis, CYP (32)

Heather Watson, GBR vs. Mathilde Johansson, FRA

Stephanie Foretz Gacon, FRA vs. Andrea Petkovic, GER (11)

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LONDON: French star Gael Monfils reached the Wimbledon second round on Monday and dedicated his victory to a cancer-stricken friend who has slipped into a coma.

Ninth seed Monfils said he found it hard to concentrate on his opening match, which resulted in a 6-4, 7-6, 6-3 win over Germany's Matthias Bachinger, after his friend and former physio Philippe Manicom was placed in an artificial coma.

"I did the job without playing a great match because I had too much to think about," said Monfils.

"My former physio Philippe Manicom has cancer. I was one of the last people he spoke to before he was put in a coma as he was suffering so much. It's not easy for me." 

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Venus Williams may have only played two tournaments this year but she was quickly into her stride in her bid for a sixth Wimbledon title, producing astonishing tennis to see off Akgul Amanmuradova 6-3, 6-1.

Williams, who turned 31 on Friday, took exactly an hour to sweep aside the unseeded Uzbek, who simply had no answer for the American's powerful baseline game. Apart from Eastbourne last week, Williams had not played a tournament since the Australian Open at the start of the year. There she was forced to retire in the third round with a right hip injury against Andrea Petkovic.

The lack of action had led her to tumble down the rankings and arrive at Wimbledon as the 23rd seed, an unusual position for one of the two sisters who have dominated the Championships over the past decade and more.

But despite that less than perfect preparation, Williams remains among the favourites for the ladies' singles crown and, as she opened the tournament on No.2 Court, it was clear to see the American was enjoying every moment of being back in the Wimbledon limelight. Her opening service game to love was perhaps an early indicator of the way the match would pan out and she could not help but smile as she quickly found her feet on the lawn she loves so much.

As usual there was equal interest in what one of the sport's enduring superstars was wearing and Venus - always with one eye on entertaining the fashionistas in the Wimbledon crowd - did not disappoint, with a rather unique, chic chiffon playsuit.

The outfit's delicate appearance was the polar opposite of her game as she employed her trademark aggressive play, drilling winners down the line and cross court. Serves were hammered down at 117mph. There was certainly no sign of the abdominal injury that forced Williams sister to miss 2011 Roland Garros - the first major she had been absent from since the 2007 Australian Open.

Williams reached the quarter-finals of Eastbourne last week, where she lost to Daniela Hantuchova and that timely run of grass court matches had clearly helped her on her way to the sparkling tennis she can so readily produce once she strides on to the lawns of the All England Club.

Williams brushed aside her opponent - ranked 97 in the world - with ease and the spectacular serving she employed at the start of the set continued throughout the match. By the ninth game, two aces and another 117mph serve helped her pocket the first set in 35 minutes.

This form continued in the second and while her opponent had been working hard to stay in the rallies early on, her game slowly began to fall apart. Williams made only five unforced errors throughout the entire match, hit 23 winners and fired down seven aces.

But is it possible for a competitor to win the tournament despite deing seeded as low as 23rd? Williams should know: she arrived at the 2007 Championships with the same seeding after another injury-affected year and finished as the champion. For some true competitors, it's not where you start that matters, it's where you finish.

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Dale G. Caldwell began serving a first two-year term as a Director at Large on the USTA Board of Directors in January 2011. He is the Chair of the Strategic and Creative Planning Committee and serves as the Board Liaison to the Opportunity and Education Council.

Previously, Caldwell served in numerous capacities for the USTA Eastern Section, including as the section’s President, 2006-08, and Delegate, 2009-10. Nationally, he served as Chair of the Tennis On Campus Committee, as Vice Chair of the Tennis Innovation Committee, and as a member of the Section Leadership Team and the Schools Committee.

Caldwell has enjoyed a long association with tennis. He was the No. 1 player on his high school team in New Haven, Conn., and played on the Princeton men’s tennis team, where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in economics. Caldwell earned his certification as a Level 1 USPTA teaching professional in 1985 and garnered a men’s singles ranking in the Middle States section while earning his M.B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business.

In addition to his work with USTA Eastern, Caldwell has held numerous senior management positions in the public, private and nonprofit sectors. He is currently the President and Chief Executive Officer of Tempus Management Consulting, LLC, providing strategic, financial and operations consulting advice to senior executives. Previously, Caldwell served as the Executive Director of Strategic Partnerships for Scholastic, Inc., the Deputy Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, the Executive Director of the Newark Alliance and as Senior Manager at Deloitte Consulting. He has also authored the book, "School to Work to Success," and written chapters in several other books, including "Chicken Soup for the African-American Soul."

Caldwell has also been an active volunteer inside and outside tennis, particularly focusing on educational causes in New Jersey. In 2006, he served as the volunteer curator for the International Tennis Hall of Fame’s "Breaking the Barriers" exhibition representing the important history of blacks in tennis.

Caldwell has been recognized in all fields during his career. He was named the USPTA Eastern Division New Jersey Volunteer of the Year, the New Jersey Pride Award winner in the category of education by New Jersey Monthly and received the Business Leaders of the Future Award from Minority MBA magazine. Most recently, Caldwell was named the New Jersey School Board Member of the Year (2009).

Caldwell lives in New Brunswick, N.J., with his wife, Sharon, and daughter, Ashley. He is a member of the USTA Eastern Section.

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American Donald Young, Jr. was not able to capitalize on Day 1 of his 2011 Wimbledon Championships experience, losing to fellow American Alex Bogomolov, Jr. 7-5, 4-6, 6-3, 6-1. Donald was certainly not alone, he left in the good company of all the other first round loss victims. The difference between them and the twenty-one-year-old Donald? They haven't recently taken to Twitter and unleashed a very, how shall I say... expressive opinion of their respective tennis federation.

If you follow tennis, you are well aware of the episode, its genesis, and the opinion of EVERYBODY with a microphone, a sports column, blog etc., as well as that of the United States Tennis Association (USTA). We've all chimed in, and short of being stripped of his citizenship, Donald has taken a very public lashing for the tongue lashing he gave. Accordingly, we all know that Karma is a bitch, and if Donald didn't know, he does now.

All of that said, IT'S OVA!!  There was no loss of life, no one has been deprived of their property, and we've all experienced a case of the oratorical runs, especially in our youth.

Let the Young man move forward; I'm sure if he could untweet that tweet, he would do so quick, fast and in a hurry. Give him a little bit of the Golden Rule, whether you think he extended it or not. Besides, is this how you'd want anyone to treat your barely legal son or daughter? Don't even think about it, you know you wouldn't.

Live and Let Live.

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Former William and Mary standout Megan Moulton-Levy, 26, and Lindsay Lee-Waters of Dunwoody, Ga., qualified for the Wimbledon women’s doubles draw in dramatic fashion.

They won two qualifying matches on grass courts in Roehampton, England, capped by a 6-7 (6-8), 6-4, 8-6 triumph Saturday against Russians Nina Bratchikova and Valeria Savinykh.

The match was supposed to be played Friday but was rained out.

Moulton-Levy, who has concentrated on doubles recently, is ranked 111th on the WTA Tour computer in doubles and has been as high as 103. In part because she has played so few singles tournaments lately, she’s ranked just 1,500 in singles.

One of her best W&M moments came in doubles, when she and Kat Zoricic were the 2007 NCAA tournament runners-up.

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Height: 5'9"
Weight: "I don't step on scales."

People:  When did you realize you're not built like most athletes?

I was 17, playing in the U.S. Open and this one lady said, "You need to wear a better bra." That's when it clicked for me that I was really curvy. A DD chest is not what you normally see in the locker room.

People:  What do you get the most compliments on?

It's all about my butt.  I like Brazilian-cut bikini bottoms in the back. Some people think its too small, but I'm like, "Whatever."


People:  Are you insecure about any areas?

Sometimes my stomach poufs out a little bit, and I feel like my legs aren't as tight as I like them to be.

People:  How do you feel when you're photographed on the beach in your bikini?

In the beginning it was weird, but I'm okay with it. I represent ladies who want to be healthy and not starve themselves.

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"Black Tennis History," is a new website that I am extremely pleased to have the opportunity to share with you. If you are not yet aware of this site, I guarantee that your first visit will enlighten, educate and enrich your knowledge of the history of Blacks in tennis unlike it has been before.

From the website:

"This website chronicles the introduction of Blacks to tennis in 1890 and the creation of the governing body of Black Tennis, the American Tennis Association, which was established in 1916.

The history of Blacks in tennis is a rich and inspiring legacy that must be preserved. It chronicles the emergence of an elite black middle class a mere 40 years after slavery was abolished. This middle class spawned an organization (the American Tennis Association) in 1916 and in less than 50 years, produced 2 world champions in a sport previously unavailable to Blacks. This is one of the most remarkable feats in human history and should be illuminated as a beacon for all people to emulate.”

You will also be able to visit with the standout performers who have been inducted into the Black Tennis Hall of Fame, an organization created by Dale Caldwell, a New Jersey businessman. You can view rare photographs and playing histories of these individuals, including Althea Gibson and Arthur Ashe.

Why is this important? Because, until the lions have their own historians, tales of the hunt shall always glorify the hunter! African Proverb."

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