The next big thing in Black tennis was the great Althea Gibson in the 1940s and 1950s, followed by Arthur Ashe in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. Significantly, the ATA was instrumental in the development of the careers of each of these important players. As Althea was coming into prominence, the ATA kept pushing for … [Read more…]
Black tennis was strong during the 1930s and 1940s, among women as well as men players. Isadore Channels was the leading female player in the early 1920s, winning four ATA national singles championships between 1922 and 1925. She was replaced by Ora Washington, who defeated her in a match in 1925 when Channels was the … [Read more…]
Although she lost in the third round to one of her young admirers, Serena Williams went out like the champion she has been, to the delight of millions of her fans watching the match. She elevated her game and played almost like yesteryear to go down swinging. Serena is considered the best and the greatest … [Read more…]