NEW YORK — The large signage that is on the front of the world’s biggest tennis stadium at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows should tell you all you need to know about the impact of the man whose name it bears; who meant so many things to so many people during his short time on this Earth.
Arthur Ashe not only shattered barriers, he made sure that glass would never be repaired. He wanted the next generation, especially young Black Americans, to have a place in the game he loved so much.
So, when Frances Tiafoe and Ben Shelton take the court Friday night in the second US Open semifinal, it is not only a triumph for Black Americans but also for the sport of tennis.
The winner of the match will be the first Black
American man to reach a US Open singles final since Ashe in 1972, and the first Black American man to reach a Grand Slam singles final since MaliVai Washington at Wimbledon in 1996.
"I think it’s an exciting time," Washington said to USA TODAY Sports. "If one of them goes on to win the US Open, it will be the greatest sports story certainly of this year, and certainly of this decade. I think it shows how the growth and progression of tennis is going in the right direction. They are two great representatives of what tennis can be and what American tennis can be.
"This match and the finals will likely be the two most watched tennis matches in a long, long time."
Coco Gauff, the 2023 US Open champion who lost her 2026 semifinal matchup to Elena Rybakina, understands the impact that Black women, beginning with the venerable Althea Gibson, have made on the sport.
Gauff said it was a shock to see Shelton and Tiafoe playing for a chance at winning their first Grand Slam title.
"Especially on the men’s side, I never thought I’d have the chance to see an all-Black semifinal between the guys in my lifetime," Gauff said. "Even growing up, just look at who was playing. I just never thought that would be able to happen. To have also me in the semis, I think it’s really cool. I have so much respect for both Ben and Frances. I’m just rooting for a good match. Hopefully, whoever wins can bring it home."
Seeing two dynamic players and personalities such as Tiafoe and Shelton has been long overdue.
Even Ashe, who won the 1968 US Open, the 1970 Australian Open, and Wimbledon in 1975, thought more Black players were on the horizon after his triumphant career ended when he retired in 1980 due to heart issues.
"What we need is an American Yannick Noah," Ashe said to the Los Angeles Times in 1988, referring to the French star who won the 1983 French Open. "In many respects, I wasn’t a very good role model. We need someone who’s got flair and can play in-your-face tennis. And he should comport himself like Julius Erving."
That next breakthrough did not come quickly. It wasn't until Washington made his 1996 Wimbledon run that the prospect of taking the baton from Ashe was even possible. Black women soon moved to the forefront with Venus Williams, who turned professional in 1994, reaching the US Open final in 1997. Her sister Serena Williams, who turned professional in 1995, soon followed her onto the sport’s biggest stages.
Washington eventually lost that Wimbledon men's singles final to Richard Krajicek 6–3, 6–4, 6–3. He says that whatever the outcome of Friday’s semifinal, it isn't enough.
"I don’t believe that just one match or one final or even this occasion, all of a sudden you are going to see this flood of players coming on to the tour," Washington said. "To come on to the tour, it’s a 15-year process. If there is not an infrastructure to bring up these young players, to encourage and to impact these young players for an extended period of time, there will not be an increase of interest in the sport."
Washington, now 57, says much more goes into creating champions at the junior, college and professional levels.
"Though this match is extremely significant and it plays a role and it will be very positive for getting Black kids, but not just Black kids, but white kids, Hispanic kids, Asian kids, Native kids, it will play an important role in just getting more involved and interested in the sport," he said.
Washington, who picked up a tennis racket at age 5, made it to the tour in 1989 and scored his first upset the next year by beating No. 2-ranked Ivan Lendl at the Volvo International. His next match in that tournament, a three-set loss, was against Bryan Shelton, who is Ben’s father.
Washington and Tiafoe say that even though barriers exist to getting a foot in the door, especially for young Black players, there are ways to make an impact and possibly become a professional. Numbers don’t match the interest as it does with football and basketball. Those sports are more accessible because of how they're played, especially basketball, where hoops are in abundance across cities and plenty of people are available to practice and play pickup games if necessary.
"Try to reach out to one of the local clubs where they give you a chance to play," said Tiafoe, who attended Junior Tennis Champions Center in College Park, Maryland, to hone his skills when he was a teenager. "And then once you get in that door, man, just come in there hungry, especially when you're young. You gotta be obsessed with this thing, man, because tennis is such a repetitive sport. You gotta really get them reps in. But mostly, you have to love it."
Martin Blackman, Junior Tennis Champions Center CEO, said the key to bringing more kids is doubling down on the structure in place before the coronavirus pandemic hit in 2020. That's when kids were brought in from local, regional and national camps, exposing them and their families to what good, sound training is while making sure they have their fundamentals in place by the time they are 12 or 13 years old.
Blackman also says that Friday night's match will do much more for the sport with Shelton and Tiafoe at the forefront of a possible boom in popularity.
"It’s something to celebrate: two amazing players, two amazing representatives of sport. But it’s two guys who will inspire thousands of kids to pick up rackets and try our sport. It's a watershed moment," said Blackman, who is the former senior director for talent identification and ddevelopment for the United States Tennis Association.
Washington, who achieved a top ranking of No. 11 and won four career singles titles, adds that the key to success is having constant discipline over an extended period of time.
"You can work your but off for years, and that doesn’t guarantee you will become a professional tennis player," he said. "You have to have the infrastructure and the passion. A lot of things go into it, you just have to give yourself the best chance."
Perhaps the tennis world should take heed of what Ashe told the L.A. Times about what the sport will look like in a few years.
"For some people, the future is next year," Ashe said. "But for me it’s this afternoon."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ben Shelton-Frances Tiafoe US Open semifinal carries Arthur Ashe's legacy
