Tennis has a ways to go to be representative

Ben Shelton understands representation has mattered in his family’s tennis trajectory. (Image: Kathryn Reed)

Representation matters. Seeing people who look like you matters.

It’s hard to grow up dreaming you want do something when you don’t see other people like you doing it. Whatever it is.

That’ why this year’s U.S. Open tennis tournament that ended last Sunday was historic. Kinda sad, though, that it’s 2026 and we are making this kind of history. But progress is still progress.

Historically, tennis has been a sport for white people with a certain income level. I grew up playing on public courts; mostly at the local high school. While my parents were middle class—not upper—I had the privilege to take private lessons. I didn’t know it was a privilege at the time.

As a kid, I saw women playing tennis on TV at the highest echelons. I thought it was normal that women competed at this level and were on TV. As a white girl, I was represented.

I also remember seeing Arthur Ashe, a Black man, play. I remember Yannik Noah and Zina Garrison, and later Chanda Rubin and Michael Chang.

I know I gave it zero thought about how few people of color were playing at this level or my level.

Taylor Townsend last weekend became only the third Black woman in the whole world to complete a career grand slam in women’s doubles. The other two are Venus and Serena Williams. This means they have each won the four grand slam tournaments.

When Ben Shelton walked onto Arthur Ashe Stadium on Sept. 13 he was the first Black American man to play in the singles finals since Ashe did so in 1972. In fact, Shelton is the only male Black American to make it to any grand final since 1996 when MaliVai Washington was in the Wimbledon finals.

Shelton after his semifinals win credited Ashe for paving the way for his dad, Bryan, to play, and therefore for himself to be where he was that day.

That semifinal against Francis Tiafoe was also historic. It was the first time two Black American men played in a U.S. Open semifinal.

Ashe won the U.S. Open in 1968. The stadium was named after him in 1997. It is the largest tennis-only venue in the world. Ashe died in 1993 before he could see his name on the tennis facility. He died from AIDS-related pneumonia in 1993 after contracting the disease from a blood transfusion.

No other Black man—not just an American Black man—besides Ashe has won the men’s singles titles at the U.S. Open or Australian Open or Wimbledon.

If you don’t think representation still matters, then maybe you should consider yourself privileged—and ignorant.