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Women's Role In Tennis

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Seventy-five years ago, tennis was a sport mostly consisting of rich white men who were against the idea of including anyone else. However, there were a few individuals who thought differently. These individuals persevered to make tennis the diverse sport that it is today. One of these individuals was Billie Jean King, a woman who did not let the gender barrier interfere with her passion to become the world’s best tennis player (Cochrane). Another one of these individuals was Arthur Ashe, a man who did not let the color of his skin hold him back, but a man who embraced his ethnicity while simultaneously being the top ranked men's tennis player in the world (Collins). More recently, an organization by the name of Teach, Grow, and Achieve …show more content…

At first, the WTA had almost no money to use for its players’ salaries, but after signing a contract with CBS in 1975, that began to change. In 1980, the prize fund for the biggest WTA tournament had grown to $100,000 (“History of Women’s”). Also, in 1973, the US Open became the first major tournament to offer equal prize money. While the Australian Open first gave out equal first place prizes in 2001, followed by Roland Garros in 2006, and Wimbledon in 2007 (Popovich). One woman who fought for these modern-day prize money changes was Serena Williams. Williams has fought for women’s equality and served to be an inspiring role model for many African Americans and young females. “I was a 19-year-old focused on winning and being the best I could be, both for me and for the kids who looked up to me” (Williams). Williams currently has twenty-three grand slam tournament wins and she is considered by many as the greatest athlete of all time not just because of her outstanding forehand, but because of her battle for equality (Barker). Thanks to Williams and many others, young females now feel comfortable participating in a sport that was once dominated by …show more content…

Arthur Ashe: Against the Wind. New York, Dillon Press, 1994. “Diversity and Tennis For Everyone.” USTA Florida, 2018, www.ustaflorida.com/in-the-community/diversity/. Accessed 21 Feb. 2018. Doidge, Kristin Marguerite. “Youth Sports Organization Serves Up Tennis In School Cafeterias.” Good Sports, GOOD Worldwide, 2018, sports.good.is/articles/youth-tennis-program. Accessed 21 Feb. 2018. Dollard, S. “Smashing through barriers: This could be you, says Serena Williams.” ShareAmerica, Bureau of International Information Programs, 11 Sept. 2015, share.america.gov/smashing-barriers-serena-williams-u-s-open/. Accessed 19 Feb. 2018. “The History of Women’s Tennis Association.” Women’s Tennis Association, 2013, www.wtachamps.com. Accessed 15 Feb. 2018. Jones, Maya. “Venus and Serena Williams return home to Compton to give back.” The Undefeated, 7 Nov. 2016, theundefeated.com/features/venus-and-serena-williams-return-home-to-compton-to-give-back/. Accessed 21 Feb. 2018. Popovich, Nadja. “Battle of the sexes: charting how women in tennis achieved equal pay.” The Guardian, Guardian News, 11 Sept. 2015, www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/sep/11/how-women-in-tennis-achieved-equal-pay-us-open. Accessed 15 Feb.

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