Dr. Robert Walter “Whirlwind” Johnson was the force behind the integration of African American tennis. A coach to two African American grand slam champions, Althea Gibson and Arthur Ashe, Dr. Johnson disrupted the tennis landscape and made space for generations of Black athletes to train...
Tournament Partner - EDWARDSVILLE — After a year off due to the coronavirus, the Tiger Classic returned for its 26th edition of the tournament and crowned 10 champions. Played on Saturday and Sunday at the EHS Tennis Center, the tournament allowed area players a chance...
For at least one day, Nathaniel Jackson achieved a greatness that had been denied him. So the story goes, that's the day when Jackson, a Black singles and doubles champion in the 1930s on the segregated American Tennis Association circuit, defeated white British tennis great Fred...
Lenny Simpson stood on the tennis court at 1406 Orange St. in Wilmington where, 67 years earlier, he'd peeked through the bushes to get a glimpse of legends. Simpson's childhood home, which still exists, was a block away on Ann Street, across what used to be...
Arthur Ashe might be the perfect example of an athlete whose impact was just as great off the court. Despite being one of the best tennis players in history, the things Ashe did for social justice and AIDS awareness are just as incredible. Attached to...
The world of men’s tennis is full of legendary figures. Two of them—Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal—are still very much in the midst of their playing careers. Others like Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, and Bjorn Borg have seen their reputations grow even in retirement. The...
Lange Johnson has big dreams for his grandfather’s home on Pierce Street — almost as big as the dreams Walter Johnson nurtured there decades ago. The simple circa-1911 American Foursquare house, with its white clapboard and wood-shingled second facade, sits boarded up, waiting for an infusion...
Howard County High School’s Corinne Chau earned the United States Tennis Association Mid-Atlantic Sectional ServeItForward Youth Leader Award after spearheading a fundraising drive to showcase the legacy of those who broke tennis’ color barrier. Chau, who is also a successful volleyball player, received the award for...
Arthur Ashe, the first black tennis player to overcome all manner of discrimination to win the US and Australian Open titles as well as Wimbledon, which he did in 1968, 1970 and 1975 respectively, is the subject of a major new Hollywood movie that is...
In a memoir published a few months after Arthur Ashe’s death the tennis champion reflected on one of the most famous demonstrations in sporting history. Tommie Smith and John Carlos made their Black Power salute at the Mexico Olympics in 1968, the year that Ashe...