No matter who won Tuesday’s US Open quarterfinals match between Frances Tiafoe and Ben Shelton, history would be made: two Black men squared off in the contest for the first time.
Shelton won the historic match, defeating world No. 10 Tiafoe 6-2 3-6 7-6(7) 6-2 and advancing to the semifinals against 23-time grand slam champion Novak Djokovic.
It was also the first time two Black men faced off in Arthur Ashe Stadium since 2008. It has been over two decades since an American guy has won the US Open in tennis. While most of the attention has been on whether 2023 will be the year that the drought ends, tennis fans are taking a time to appreciate this historic event.
“This is something special, a cosmic event,” Art Carrington, a former professional tennis player turned coach, told CNN before of the match.
The personalities of Tiafoe and Shelton, he continued, “are going to enrich the game.”
The showdown between the two budding tennis stars has also refocused attention on Black guys who play tennis. Tiafoe, 25, and Shelton, 20, squared off at a stadium named for the Black tennis hero who broke through boundaries in the game.
He was also the first African-American to play for the United States in the Davis Cup.
Carrington, who used to be Ashe’s practise partner, told CNN that seeing Black guys win at tennis is crucial for future generations.
“We have to have tennis where people can see the (Black) people who are playing,” he remarked.
“We just don’t hear enough family stories about African American men,” he said, referring to the narrative of Venus and Serena Williams’ paths to tennis. This is a watershed moment.”
Tiafoe, the son of Sierra Leonean immigrants, grew up in a junior tennis champion centre where his father worked in maintenance. He enrolled in a tennis clinic at the institution a few years later.
He became the first Black American male to reach a US Open quarterfinal since Arthur Ashe in 1972 in 2022.
Shelton is following in the footsteps of his father, Bryan, a two-time professional tennis champion who competed on the Association of Tennis Professionals Tour.
Shelton’s father retired from teaching at the University of Florida earlier this year to train his son in professional tennis.
Carrington believes that exposure to tennis is critical for young Black Americans. He believes it is up to the elder generations to pass on their passion of the game.
Carrington, though, remarked ahead of Tuesday’s encounter that if he were coaching Tiafoe and Shelton, he would encourage them not to concentrate on the significance of this historic event.
“Try to enjoy yourself,” he said. “Don’t experiment with stress. Let go of the tension.”
More in Sports: https://buzzing.today/sports/
Photo Credits: https://commons.wikimedia.org/