2019 FED CUP: Madison Keys Excited To Join Team USA As Fed Cup Kicks Off This Weekend
Thursday, February 7, 2019
Posted by Shelia Labels: 2019 Fed Cup, Danielle Collins, Kathy Rinaldi, Madison Keys, Nicole Melichar, Sonya Kenin, Team USA Tennis Email this post
BLACK TENNIS HISTORY: The Black Tennis Hall Of Fame
Tuesday, February 5, 2019
Mission Statement
The Black Tennis Hall of Fame is a non-profit, privately funded organization dedicated to preserving the history of African American tennis and honoring those who made exemplary contributions to the sport, with special consideration extended to those who overcame racial barriers.
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| Dr. Dale G. Caldwell, Founder |
The BTHOF honors individuals who have broken through the barriers of race and class to achieve success in the wonderful sport of tennis.
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| Robert Davis, Executive Director |
For over fifty years prior to Gibson’s victories, blacks had been competing in club and regional tournaments. Banned from entering segregated events, African American tennis enthusiasts in 1916 formed their own organization, the ATA, to provide blacks with the opportunity to play competitive tennis on a national level. Their struggle to gain equal access to tennis paralleled the struggle of all blacks to gain equal access to American society.
Presiding over the BTHOF is one of its own inductees, Mr. Robert Davis. If not for Davis, much of the early history of blacks in tennis (Black Tennis History) might have been lost. He has been relentless is preserving the history and the photos of the men and women who played the sport ... and fought for that right. And maybe the BTHOF might not be where it is today if not for the nurturing by Davis, who now serves as executive director. In this capacity, he has managed the day-to-day operations of this organization dedicated to recording and promoting tennis history. However, Davis could certainly play the game. He was a two-time ATA national champion and winner of numerous other titles. But it is what he has done in the background that has made the biggest impact. In more than 40 years dealing in the business end of the sport, Davis has a long history of working with children to provide guidance and opportunity in the game of tennis. He helped create, and served as National Program Director for the Ashe/Bollettieri “Cities” Tennis Program. A driving force of the program, and what later became known as the Arthur Ashe Safe Passage Foundation, Davis was instrumental in introducing more than 20,000 inner city children to tennis.
The Black Tennis Hall of Fame (BTHOF) was founded to honor the achievements of those individuals who achieved success in tennis and life in spite of the many barriers that they faced, as well as those who helped them achieve those successes. We honor these individuals by permanently inducting them into the Black Tennis Hall of Fame.
Source(s)
Black Tennis History
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INSTAGRAM: USTA Spotlight On Fourteen-Year-Old Coco Gauff
Posted by Shelia Labels: Coco Gauff, Fourteen-Year-Old, Instagram, Spotlight, USTA Email this postTWITTER: Princeton African American Studies Acknowledges Serena Williams In "Celebrating 28 Days Of Black Excellence"
Sunday, February 3, 2019
Serena Williams is an American Tennis Player and arguably one of the best athletes in the world. Throughout her 20 plus year career, Serena has overcome accusations, personal attacks, and criticism and continues to achieve success on and off the court. pic.twitter.com/CzR3GNfbEQ— Princeton African American Studies (@PrincetonAAS) February 3, 2019
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TWITTER: Canadian Compatriots Félix Auger-Aliassime and Denis Shapovalov Give Thanks, And Laughs, For Davis Cup Support
A message from our 🇨🇦 @DavisCup heroes, @denis_shapo & @felixtennis : 👇 pic.twitter.com/M5ey6fqqmV— Tennis Canada (@TennisCanada) February 2, 2019
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BLACK TENNIS HISTORY: The American Tennis Association (ATA)
Friday, February 1, 2019
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Dr. Walter R. (Whirlwind) Johnson
Coach of Althea Gibson, Arthur Ashe and many others.
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African-American universities, including Tuskegee and Howard, offered tennis to students from the 1890s. Beginning in 1898 at Philadelphia’s Chautauqua Tennis Club, African-American tennis players from the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast competed in invitational tournaments. When the USLTA issued a policy statement formally barring African-American tennis players from its competitions, the Association Tennis Club of Washington, DC, and the Monumental Tennis Club of Baltimore, Maryland, conceived the idea of the American Tennis Association (ATA).
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| Tally Holmes First ATA Singles Champion,1917 |
In August 1917, the organization held its first ATA National Championships, consisting of three events (men’s and women’s singles and men’s doubles), at Baltimore’s Druid Hill Park in August 1917.
Knowing that large groups of blacks would not be accommodated at most hotels, especially in the south, the early ATA National Championships were held at various Historically Black Colleges and Universities, including Hampton Institute (now Hampton University), Morehouse College, Central State and Lincoln University. These black campuses provided tennis courts and sufficient housing space. The college administrators were delighted to have so many prosperous and potential donors, affiliated with their campuses. The ATA national soon became one of the most anticipated social events of the year in the black community. Formal dances, fashion shows and other activities were planned during the week of play.
The wall of segregation in tennis began to crumble when white player, Don Budge, who became the first American to win the “grand slam” of tennis (French Open, Wimbledon, U.S. Open, and Australian Open) in 1938, competed at the ATA-affiliated Cosmopolitan Tennis Club in New York City on July 29, 1940. Budge played and won a singles match against Jimmy McDaniel, the ATA champion. He then paired in doubles with Dr. Weir against McDaniel and Richard Cohen. Weir again made history in 1948 when he competed in New York at the U.S. Indoor Lawn Tennis Championship.
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| Dr. Reginald Weir First Black Man to compete in National USLTA Event |
During her first match a bolt of lightning struck and knocked a concrete eagle off the top of the stadium. Gibson thought, “It may have been an omen that times were changing.” Two years later, Reginald Weir and George Stewart would be the first African-American men to play at the U.S. Open at Forest Lawn, on August 29, 1952.
Between 1956 and 1958, Althea Gibson was the world’s dominant woman player. She won on clay at the French Open in 1956, as well as the All-England Lawn Tennis Women’s Single’s championship in 1957 and 1958 and the U.S. Open in both 1957 and 1958. She was also a finalist in the 1957 Australian Open.
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| Henry Freeman (L), Tally Holmes (R) |
Dr. Walter Johnson was credited with founding the first formalized ATA Junior Development program designed to train talented young African American players at his home in Lynchburg, VA. Each summer, a group of the most talented minority youth from across the country would gather at his home to train and play tournaments. One of those outstanding players was Arthur Ashe. Dr. Johnson immediately recognized Ashe as the next equivalent to Althea Gibson. Ashe’s quiet and cool demeanor allowed him to stay focused on the game and not be distracted by insults, bad calls, cheating and verbal abuse.
Ashe’s 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.
The ATA has produced several of the world’s top players and coaches. Althea Gibson and Arthur Ashe, the first African Americans to be ranked No. 1 and to win Grand Slam titles, were sponsored and groomed by ATA officials and coaches.
Most African American professional tennis players were trained by ATA Clubs and played ATA Tournaments before turning pro. The list includes such greats as Zina Garrison, Leslie Allen, Lori McNeil, Chandra Rubin, Katrina Adams, and Mali Vai Washington to name of few.
Today the ATA continues its rich history of developing young tennis players and providing ATA members with the opportunity to compete in our National Championships. Plans are underway to develop a permanent home for the ATA that will serve as a National Training Facility and will house the ATA Tennis Hall of Fame.
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INSTAGRAM: Sloane Stephens Offers Congratulations to No. 1 Naomi Osaka With Photo Showing The Two All Glammed Up
Thursday, January 31, 2019
Posted by Shelia Labels: 2019 Australian Open, Glam, Instagram, Naomi Osaka, No. 1, Sloane Stephens Email this post
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