Gauff was referring to the great Althea Gibson, who in 1956 became the first black tennis player to win a Grand Slam tournament.And, of course, there are Venus and Serena Williams, who have dominated women’s tennis for the past quarter-century and birthed a new generation of black people A superstar in professional tennis.
Call it the “Venus and Serena Effect.”
It’s not just Goff. 2023 US Open semifinalist Madison Keys calls Serena her “forever idol” and the reason she wanted to pursue a professional tennis career. Sloane Stephens, the 2017 U.S. Open champion, said she has had a poster of the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion on her wall since she was a child.
Before last year’s U.S. Open, four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka said: “I think (Serena’s) legacy is so broad that you can’t put it into words. She changed the game so much.” . She introduced the sport to people who had never heard of tennis. I think I’m a product of what she did. “I wouldn’t be here without Serena, Venus and her entire family here. “
In singles and doubles, the Williams sisters won a combined 60 Grand Slam titles. Serena retired last year, but Venus is still playing – meaning she can still add to that impressive number.
Of course, great people are winners. But legends do more than inspire.They are lanterns, lighting the way forward and driving away the distance Blackness, especially in a country where it’s more likely to denigrate black women than celebrate them. The Williams sisters were as representative to this generation as Gibson was to those who came after her.
After Gibson’s death in 2003, Zina Garrison, who in 1990 became the first black woman to reach the Wimbledon final since Gibson, said: “She knew she opened doors for all of us and she So excited for all the women who follow in her footsteps.”
Sometimes, in order to be it, it helps to see it.
What the sisters Gibson and Williams also do is bring their full authentic selves to every court they play. From the sisters’ signature braids and beaded hair early in their careers to Serena’s celebratory “C-Walk” dance after winning her first gold medal at the 2012 Olympics, they’ve made no secret of their Black identity and culture.
That’s why a similar effect didn’t occur during Tiger Woods’ illustrious career. While Woods influenced white golfers such as Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth, when Woods won the Masters in 1997, the expectation was that the then-21-year-old phenom’s emergence would inspire black golfers and Get them involved in the game.
This might have happened had Woods not been seen as eager to distance himself from black people. (His father is black and his mother is Thai.) In a 1997 interview with Oprah Winfrey, Woods said that as a child he knew a new word to describe himself — “kabrina.” West Asian,” reflecting his Caucasian, Black, Indian, and Asian heritage. Of course, this is his prerogative. But throughout his career, Woods has never found a social or racial justice issue that he was willing to publicly support.
By contrast, Osaka wore seven masks during the 2020 U.S. Open, each bearing the name of a black man killed by police or racist violence “to get people talking.” Or Gauff, who didn’t condemn climate protesters for causing a 40-minute delay in this month’s U.S. semifinals, but later said: “Throughout history, moments like this are absolutely defining moments. I believe in climate change. I really I don’t know what they are protesting about. I know it has to do with the environment. I believe that 100 percent.”
Goff, 19, is the first American teenager to win the U.S. Open since Serena Williams won the U.S. Open in 1999 at age 17. In the past 23 years, four American women have won the U.S. Open singles title nine times – the Williams sisters, Stephens and now Gauff. (Osaka plays for Japan.)
The Venus and Serena Effect are a sacred inheritance of determination, excellence, and black pride. Goff’s rise has proven once again that their legacy and greatness can never be measured or measured in terms of trophies and titles alone.
Renee Graham is a columnist for The Globe. You can contact her at renee.graham@globe.com.follow her @reneeygraham.