I must admit, I have never really been a fan of tennis, but recently my bae sat down and explained the game to me and now that I understand how things work and now that I can follow the game I actually enjoy watching it. Another thing that has me checking tournament schedules and sitting in front of the TV is all of the #BlackGirlMagic I see on the screen. So now we don’t only have to watch Venus and Serena we have so many more talented tennis players to watch.
Venus and Serena are not the only two faces we see in tennis that look like us. I love watching the Williams sisters play, their strength, power and control are bar none. They show with each and every match they play that their star status was not given to them that it was earned. And while they are aging out in tennis years, they have blazed a trail that is being followed by a new batch of strong, dedicated and winning African American girls and girls of color. Not only are these talented young ladies following this trail they are paying homage to the two sisters from Compton, California that made more girls like me take a notice to the game of tennis.
So if you are not a tennis fan, I encourage you to get to know the game or if nothing else watch these rising stars as they take their place among the tennis elite.
Sloane Stephens Sloane just won the Miami Open a few days ago and she is definitely one to watch. A native of Plantation, Florida this young woman is a tennis star on the rise. Sloane also won the US open last year (2017) and has at least 6 singles titles under her belt. Her athleticism and power during her matches make her great to watch. She is definitely going places and will be winning more titles in her career.
Sachia Vickery Another Florida native, Sachia Vickery is just as enjoyable to watch as the Williams sisters and Sloane Stephens. Vickery admits that Serena Williams is one of her idols as well as tennis great Martina Hingis. My first time watching Sachia was during the Indian Wells Tennis tournament and she was powerful as she took out the third seed to advance. She did not win the tournament however she did give an amazing performance.
Naomi Osaka Osaka, born in Japan won the Women’s Division of the Indian Wells tournament. Osaka the daughter of a Haitian father and Japanese mother was a silent threat. You can tell by her demeanor that she is shy, but she is not shy on the tennis court. She was able to advance through each round, even taking out Sachia Vickery at the Indian Wells BNP Paribas tournament to win the title. The 20 year old was able to walk away with the largest amount of prize money in her career. There is so much more to be seen from this talented powerhouse.
Madison Keys Rounding out this list of #BlackGirlMagic tennis players to watch is Madison Keys. Madison is from Illinois (yaaa for a homestate representative) and she is just as dynamic on the tennis court as Sloane, Sachia and Naomi. Madison’s tennis idol is Roger Federer and he is definitely a great person to admire. Madison is coached by former tennis great Lindsay Davenport and is ranked in the top 10 of players in the Women’s Tennis Association. I haven’t yet seen her play but I am looking forward to it.
The best thing about each of these young women is that there are at the beginning of their tennis careers and they have a long was to go. I look forward to many more years of watching them play and watching them keep the mantel that Venus and Serena created. The strength, power and professionalism of these young women make them great already with only greater things ahead of them. Look out WTA, #BlackGirlMagic on the rise.
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This Single Sole 