Serena (on left) and Venus Williams Grand Slam Champs
in Ladies Doubles at Wimbledon, Sumner of 2012
photo from pryncepality.com
The tennis world takes it for granted that for the past decade women's tennis has been dominated by the Williams sisters.
Between the two of them they have 24 Grand Slam singles titles (Serena has 17 and Venus 7) and an amazing 54 total GS titles including women's doubles and mixed doubles.
66 years ago, the Williams sisters would have been excluded from achieving such formidable success because of the color of their skin.
Dr. Reginald Weir serving on the wood slatted courts at the
Seventh Regiment Armory in Manhattan's Harlem, March, 1948
Images by Ralph Morse of Life Magazine
On March 11, 1948, all that changed!
One man opened the door to the successes of Althea Gibson, Arthur Ashe, Sloane Stephens and, of course, the Williams sisters.
That man was Dr. Reginald Weir who I had the privilege of witnessing and watching play-- in his prime-- on these very courts.
To learn more about this black tennis legend, a man of sterling character, click here
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