A showdown of Black American men represents progress, and opportunity, in tennis

Martin Blackman wasn’t thinking about representation or race when he and his family listened to the 1975 BBC radio broadcast of Arthur Ashe upsetting Jimmy Connors in four sets to become the first and still only Black man to win the Wimbledon singles title. But his parents were. “For my parents, I think, understanding how high the barriers were in terms of the lack of accessibility to tennis in the US, they understood what an achievement that was for Arthur. They also understood the gravity of how poised he was in representing himself and opening doors for other African Americans, and I think that was very compelling for them,” Blackman, now 56, told CNN Sports. “I was just a five-year-old listener.” All he knew at that time was that tennis became the family’s sport. Ashe’s success as a Black man on a big stage had played some small role in Blackman’s introduction to the sport that would shape his life. “And then, along the way, I’ve had people open doors and give me opportunities that I never would have been able to afford. So I’m very blessed in that respect,” Blackman said. “That’s why I love doing what I’m doing.” For ten years that meant serving as the general manager of player development at the USTA, where he “tried to be really intentional with that entry-level programming to make sure that we were getting the widest, most diverse cohort of juniors.” But it was before that - during his first stint working at the Junior Tennis Champions Center in College Park, Maryland - that Blackman met Frances Tiafoe. Tiafoe was six when Blackman started as the director at JTCC, already a couple years into a now oft-cited origin story. Tiafoe’s father, an immigrant from Sierra Leone, worked on the construction of the center, moved into a maintenance role, and raised his twin boys Frances and Franklin on and around the courts. When their mother, a nurse also from Sierra Leone, worked night shifts, the boys would sleep in a storage room. “When he was seven, eight [years old], I would see him hitting on the wall whenever he had free time. I would see him watching other coaches give private [lessons] whenever he had free time, just kind of looking and studying,” Blackman said of a young Tiafoe. And sometimes, if a group of seniors was short a player for their doubles match, an elementary-aged Tiafoe would step in. “So you’d see Frances at seven or eight playing with three other 70-year-old guys, who have the worst technique in the world,” Blackman said laughing. “But he’s learning the game from the ground up in his mind.” Ahead of this season, Tiafoe remade that game, returning to the same grounds where he learned it the first time. Blackman is back at JTCC, too, having returned as the CEO. A few months ago, they celebrated together at JTCC when Tiafoe’s charitable fund, which works to provide tennis and academic programs to underserved communities, surpassed a million dollars. It’s a pillar in primarily his own legacy, but also that of the broader initiative to expand the accessibility and, as a result, diversity of tennis. That effort reached a new culmination of sorts Friday night at Arthur Ashe Stadium, when Tiafoe faced off against Ben Shelton – the first time two Black American men played in the semifinals of the US Open and a guarantee that the finals would feature a Black American man for the first time since Ashe himself in 1972. The work on the court had paid off, as well. Tiafoe slimmed down, redoubled his focus, and saw his ranking rise from No. 34 to No. 12 over the course of this season. But on Friday night, he ultimately seemed to be overmatched by the sustained athleticism of Shelton, waning while the younger man outlasted and outserved him. Tiafoe won the first set. Shelton the second. And then, with Shelton up 5-3 in the third set, the two embarked on a 15-minute game that went deuce seven times before Shelton clinched the set on an unforced error. The very next game, the first of the fourth set, went to deuce three times. Shelton won that one, too. The momentum was officially in his favor. It would continue to be a battle from there, but one with Shelton setting the pace, and Tiafoe faltering. He lost when he double-faulted on what would be his final serve of the night. In his post-match comments to ESPN, Shelton, having punched a ticket to his first Grand Slam final at 23 years old, called the 28-year-old Tiafoe “like a big brother.” The comment was a reflection of their friendship, forged on the tour. But it also spoke to the history they now share as Black men succeeding at tennis’s highest level. Before the match, Blackman considered how it might be viewed by young Black boys, or their parents, and whether it might inspire the next generation of participation from people like him. “I guarantee it’s going to happen 100 different times in 100 different places,” he said, “because these guys, I mean, these guys are so compelling. What kid wouldn’t watch this and say, ‘Oh my goodness, I want to do that.’”