Showing posts with label tennis. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tennis. Show all posts

Monday, May 29, 2023

Sloane Stephens says racist abuse of athletes has 'only gotten worse'

Racist behavior directed at athletes is getting worse, and even software designed to protect them from it has little impact, tennis player Sloane Stephens said Monday while participating in the French Open. Watch her comments below.

Monday, September 05, 2022

Coco Gauff advances to U.S. Open quarterfinals for 1st time

Coco Gauff reached the quarter-finals of the US Open for the first time on Sunday with a 7-5, 7-5 victory over China's Zhang Shuai.

The 18-year-old 12th seed from Atlanta advanced to a last eight meeting with France's Caroline Garcia after prevailing in 1hr 57minutes.

Prior to this season, Gauff had never gone further than the third round at the US Open.

In the last eight she will face one of the most in-form players in the draw in 28-year-old Frenchwoman Caroline Garcia.

Saturday, September 03, 2022

Watch Tennis Icon Serena Williams Final On Court the 2022 US Open

Watch tennis icon Serena Williams on court interview following her loss to Ajla Tomljanovic in Round 3 of the 2022 US Open in what was possibly her last match.

Thursday, August 25, 2022

New York City honors tennis legend Althea Gibson with street renaming

New York City is honoring tennis legend Althea Gibson with a street renaming on what would have been her 95th birthday. West 143rd Street between Malcom X and Adam Clayton Powell Junior boulevards in Harlem will now be known as Althea Gibson way.

Watch the story below:

Thursday, June 02, 2022

Coco Gauff reaches first Grand Slam final at French Open

American Cori "Coco" Gauff clinched her first appearance in a Grand Slam final with a straight-sets victory over Italian Martina Trevisan in a women's singles semifinal Thursday at the French Open

18-year old Coco Gauff has become the youngest woman to reach the final of a Grand Slam tournament since Maria Sharapova did it at 17 years old in 2004.

Gauff, the No. 18 seed, will battle No. 1 Iga Swiatek of Poland in the final Saturday in Paris. The 18-year-old from Delray Beach, Fla., failed to advance past the quarterfinals in her previous 10 main-draw Grand Slam appearances.

"I think I'm in a bit of shock right now and I didn't know how to react at the end of the match," Gauff said following her semifinal victory. "I have no words to describe how I feel."

Saturday, January 08, 2022

Naomi Osaka withdraws from Australian Open due to injury

Defending Australian Open champion Naomi Osaka withdrew from her semifinal match Saturday at a WTA tournament with an abdominal injury, allowing her opponent Veronika Kudermetova to advance to the final on a walkover.

Osaka released the following statement on her withdrawal via Twitter:

Sunday, August 15, 2021

Naomi Osaka will donate prize money to Haitian earthquake relief efforts

Naomi Osaka has pledged to donate her earnings from next week's Western & Southern Open to support earthquake relief efforts in Haiti, the Caribbean nation her father hails from.

Friday, January 24, 2020

Coco Gauff upsets defending champion Naomi Osaka at Australian Open

American Coco Gauff became the youngest player in the professional era to eliminate the reigning women's champion at the Australian Open, beating former No. 1 Naomi Osaka 6-3, 6-4 in the third round at Melbourne Park on Friday.

After the match, during her on-court interview, Gauff turned into a rather typical teen, joking about wanting to take "a selfie for Instagram" with Rod Laver, the 11-time major champion after whom the stadium is named.

"Honestly, like, what is my life? Like, oh, my gosh!" Gauff told the crowd. "Two years ago, I lost first round in juniors and now I'm here. This is crazy."

She is also the youngest player to beat a top-five opponent in a women's tour-level match since American Jennifer Capriati did it at 15 in 1991.

[SOURCE: ESPN]

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Coco Gauff wins first WTA tour title

American teenager Coco Gauff won her first WTA tour title by beating Jelena Ostapenko 6-3, 1-6, 6-2 on Sunday to lift the Linz Open trophy.

Gauff entered the tournament as a lucky loser, replacing injured sixth seed Maria Sakkari, having initially failed to make the main draw after suffering a straight-sets defeat to Germany's Tamara Korpatsch in qualifying.

"I'm still overwhelmed and shocked," Gauff said after her victory on Sunday.

"I guess it's crazy to say it's my first WTA title.

"This was definitely not on the calendar at the beginning of the year, because I didn't think I'd have a chance to get in, and now I'm the champion, so it's crazy.

"It's just literally insane that I got in as a lucky loser and now I'm the champion. My dad told me when I got in, before the first main-draw match: 'You can't lose twice in the same tournament!' I'm sure he never thought it would come this far, to being the champion, but I guess he was right."

[SOURCE:ESPN]

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Althea Gibson sculpture unveiled on Day One of the 2019 US Open

In a long overdue tribute to the first African American to break international tennis' color barrier, a new statue of Althea Gibson was unveiled at the opening day of the U.S. Open.

The statue is comprised of five granite blocks and created by American sculptor Eric Goulder. It sits outside Arthur Ashe Stadium at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens, New York.

In 1947, Gibson broke into the elite ranks of the tennis world winning the first 10 consecutive American Tennis Association women's titles. (The ATA was the tennis equivalent of baseball's Negro Leagues.) At the age of 23, Gibson became the first African American player to compete in the U.S. Nationals, the precursor to the U.S. Open, in 1950.

Between 1956 to 1958, Gibson made her mark. She won 11 majors, and was the first black player to win the French Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Nationals. When she retired in 1958, she was the top-ranked woman in tennis having won more than 50 singles and doubles championships.

Read more: New Statue At U.S. Open Honors African American Tennis Pioneer Althea Gibson

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Historic marker to honor African American tennis club

A tennis club for African American players that hosted International Tennis Hall of Famers Althea Gibson and Arthur Ashe is being honored with a historic marker.

The North Carolina Highway Historical Marker will be dedicated Thursday at the site of the Algonquin Tennis Club, which was created in 1922 by the American Tennis Association. The association was formed to support African American players who were then banned from the U.S. Lawn Tennis Association.

The members met in private homes for 12 years before the Algonquin Tennis Club House was purchased in 1934.

The club closed in 1964, and its historic clubhouse burned down several years later. The ceremony will be held at the W.D. Hill Recreation Center, located in the same area.

The Durham Committee on Negro Affairs was formed at the club in 1935 and remains active today as the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People.

[SOURCE: AP NEWS]

Monday, July 01, 2019

15 year-old Cori Gauff defeats Venus Williams at Wimbledon

Fifteen-year-old American qualifier Cori Gauff caused a stunning upset by defeating five-time Wimbledon champion Venus Williams in the first round.

World number 313 Gauff beat Williams - 24 years her senior at 39 - 6-4 6-4.

Fellow American Williams had won four Grand Slam titles - including two at Wimbledon - before Gauff was born.

"It's the first time I have ever cried after winning a match," said Gauff, who previously said Venus and sister Serena were her "idols".

"I don't know how to explain how I feel."

Williams turned professional 10 years before her opponent was born, with Gauff being the youngest player to qualify for the main Wimbledon draw since the Open era began in 1968.

"I definitely had to tell myself to stay calm, I had to remind myself that the lines are the same lines, the courts are the same size and after every point I told myself 'stay calm'."

"Venus told me congratulations and keep going, she said good luck and I told her thanks for everything she did," Gauff added.

"I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for her - I told her she was so inspiring and I've always wanted to tell her that but I've never had the guts to before.

"My parents will be super happy, my dad was jumping up every time I won a point. I'm so happy they spent all their time on me and my brothers and making sure we're successful.

"I never thought this would happen. I'm literally living my dream right now.

"I'm really happy Wimbledon gave me the chance to play, I never thought I would get this far."

[SOURCE: BBC]

Sunday, June 30, 2019

15 year-old Cori Gauff youngest to qualify for Wimbledon

[Related story: 15 year-old Cori Gauff defeats Venus Williams at Wimbledon!]

Fifteen-year-old Cori Gauff of the United States made history by becoming the youngest player to qualify for Wimbledon.

African-American Gauff will also be the first 15-year-old to compete in the main draw since Britain’s Laura Robson in 2009 after defeating 19th seed Greet Minnen of Belgium 6-1, 6-1.

“I can do anything I put my mind to,” said the 301 world-ranked Gauff who was playing in qualifying on a wild card.

Born 13 March 2004, Gauff started playing tennis at 7.

Although she grew up in Atlanta, she moved to Florida to have better opportunities to train in tennis.

Her father Corey played basketball at Georgia State University and her mother Candi was a track and field athlete at Florida State University.

Gauff made her ITF debut in May 2018 as a qualifier into the $25K event at Osprey, where she won her first professional match. She has a WTA ranking of 874th.

Sunday, April 29, 2018

Althea Gibson to be honored with a statue at U.S. Open Site

The United States Tennis Association has announced that Althea Gibson, the first African American tennis player to win a Grand Slam singles title, will be memorialized with a statue in her honor on the grounds where the U.S. Open is played.

Gibson, an inductee into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1971 who died in 2003, won the 1956 French Open to make history and the next year she won the women's singles titles at Wimbledon and the U.S. Nationals, the precursor to the U.S. Open. She repeated the Wimbledon-U.S. double in 1958. Overall, she won a combined 11 Grand Slam titles in singles, doubles and mixed doubles during her illustrious career.

“It’s simple. She’s the Jackie Robinson of tennis; she deserves it,” USTA chair and president Katrina Adams said in a statement. “By breaking the color barrier, she made it possible for every person of color after her to have a chance to achieve their goals in the sport.”

The Gibson statue will be the second to commemorate a groundbreaking tennis icon and the third to honor an American tennis legend at the home of the U.S. Open in Flushing, N.Y., joining Arthur Ashe, whose statue was unveiled in 2000 and anchors the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, and King, for whom the tennis center was renamed in 2006.

“Althea Gibson is an American treasure and one of my most important heroes, and I am thrilled she will finally be honored at the National Tennis Center. … Our sport owes a great deal to Althea,” King said.

[SOURCE: Sporting News]

Friday, July 07, 2017

Florida police say Venus Williams entered intersection lawfully before crash

Florida police said on Friday that a newly surfaced video shows that tennis star Venus Williams was acting lawfully when she drove her sports utility vehicle into an intersection before a fatal crash with another car on June 9.

Jerome Barson, 78, who was a passenger in a sedan that collided with the vehicle Williams was driving, was fatally injured. His family filed a wrongful death suit against Williams last week.

A statement from the Palm Beach Gardens Police Department said a video, taken from the entrance to the gated community where Williams lives, indicates she acted lawfully in entering the intersection before the crash.

The statement said the video showed that a car not involved in the collision stalled Williams' progress, causing her to linger in the intersection. When the traffic light changed, an approaching car driven by Barson's wife, Linda, collided with Williams' vehicle.

The initial traffic report said Williams, 37, was at fault for failing to yield the right of way to Barson. But on Friday, Major Paul Rogers of the Palm Beach Gardens Police Department said a fuller investigation began after Barson's death on June 22.

He said police have not made a final determination of fault in the investigation.

[SOURCE: YahooNews]

Friday, May 19, 2017

Shoe company accused of racism towards Serena Williams

Managers for the luxury shoe company Gianvito Rossi called tennis star Serena Williams "disgusting" and refused to give her the same discounts as white celebrities, a former employee claims in a stunning new racial discrimination lawsuit.

Whitney Wilburn, who is black, says she was recruited to work for Gianvito Rossi in 2015 from "another Madison Avenue fashion house" where she'd been for five years.

But once she was hired to run the Manhattan boutique, her boss, Grace Mazzilli, was immediately "hostile to Wilburn based upon her race and age," the suit alleges.

Wilburn, 46, claims in the Manhattan civil suit that her "experience with Mazzilli left no doubt about Mazzilli's racial animosity toward African-Americans."

"For instance, when the world famous athlete Serena Williams, via her staff, asked for a discount on her extensive purchases, Gianvito managers responded with racially disparaging comments about Ms.

Williams which made it clear that the company did not want African-American women to wear its shoes," the suit says.

The managers "referred to Ms. Williams as 'disgusting' and refused to offer any discount," according to court papers.

Read more: Tennis: Shoe company accused of racism towards Serena Williams

Saturday, January 28, 2017

Serena Williams is not the best female tennis player, she's one of the best period!

Serena Williams won her 23rd grand slam title by beating her sister Venus at The Australian Open. Many say she is the best female player ever. Why not say that she is one of the best tennis players ever?

Monday, December 14, 2015

Serena Williams is Sports Illustrated's 2015 Sportsperson of the Year

Sports Illustrated's 2015 Sportsperson of the Year is not Stephen Curry, Lebron James, Tom Brady, Ronda (you got knocked the f*ck out) Rousey, or a damned horse. It's Serena Williams! Long live the Queen!!!

Wednesday, September 09, 2015

James Blake, former tennis star, slammed to ground and handcuffed by NYPD cops

Former tennis great James Blake was slammed to the ground, handcuffed and detained by five plainclothes city cops Wednesday outside his midtown hotel before heading out to the U.S. Open, Blake told the Daily News.

UPDATE: James Blake speaks to local TV station:

The officers, who were all white, mistook Blake for a suspect in an identity theft ring operating around the midtown hotel.

The incident occurred around noon in front of the Grand Hyatt on East 42 St., as Blake, a 35-year-old African-American who attended Harvard before going on tour, was waiting for a car to take him to Flushing Meadows, where he was making corporate appearances for Time-Warner Cable.

"It was definitely scary and definitely crazy," said Blake, who was once ranked No. 4 in the world and was among the most popular U.S. players of his generation. He suffered a cut to his left elbow and bruises to his left leg.

Blake said several other officers rushed up to join the first officer, eventually five cops in all surrounding him. He said he was told he had been identified by two people as someone who had been involved in an identity-theft ring operating in the area for the last week.

After being handcuffed for about 15 minutes, Blake said the last of the five officers realized they had the wrong person and apologized. The first officer who tackled and cuffed him never said anything.

Read more: James Blake, former tennis star, slammed to ground and handcuffed NYPD cops

Sunday, August 30, 2015

Serena chases calendar Slam, history at US Open


World number one Serena Williams feels the pressure of chasing history at the US Open, but she accepts the intensity as the price for dominating a generation of women's tennis.

The 33-year-old American, who captured her first Grand Slam title at the 1999 US Open at age 17, is a huge favorite as she tries to complete the first calendar-year Grand Slam since Steffi Graf in 1988 by winning her 22nd career major title starting Monday on the New York hardcourts.

"I decided I prefer to have that pressure than the pressure of not winning," Williams said. "Not everyone can handle that pressure, but I'm OK with it. I would rather be in this position than another one."

Read more: Serena chases calendar Slam, history at US Open