A few years later, he enrolled in a tennis clinic at the center. This is a high point.”īoth Tiafoe and Shelton were surrounded by the sport at a young age.Ī child of Sierra Leonean immigrants, Tiafoe and his family lived at a junior tennis champion center where his father worked in maintenance. He also said while people know the story of Venus and Serena Williams’ path to tennis, “we just don’t hear enough family stories about African American men. “We got to have tennis where it’s visible, where people can see the (Black) people that are playing,” he said. He was also the first Black American to play on the United States Davis Cup team.Ĭarrington, who was once Ashe’s practice partner, told CNN it is important for younger generations to see Black men excelling at tennis. 1 in tennis and the first to win numerous titles in the sport, including a singles title at the US Open, Australian Open and Wimbledon. Tiafoe, 25, and Shelton, 20, faced each other at a stadium christened after the Black tennis legend who broke barriers in the game.Īrthur Ashe was the first African American man to be ranked No. The match between the two rising tennis stars has also renewed focus on Black men playing tennis. Tiafoe and Shelton’s personalities, he said, “are going to enrich the game.”
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“This is something special, a cosmic event,” Art Carrington, a former professional tennis player who now coaches the sport, told CNN before the match. And while much of the focus has been on whether 2023 will be the year that drought finally ends, tennis fans are taking a moment to savor this historic match up. It’s been nearly two decades since an American male has won tennis’ US Open. It also was the first time since 2008 that two Black men played each other at Arthur Ashe Stadium. 10 Tiafoe 6-2 3-6 7-6(7) 6-2 and booking a semifinal clash with 23-time grand slam winner Novak Djokovic. Shelton came out on top in the milestone match, upsetting world No. No matter who was to win Tuesday’s US Open quarterfinals match between Frances Tiafoe and Ben Shelton, history was going to be made: For the first time, two Black men faced off in the match.
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