United States of Tennis: Black Girls Tennis Club liberates Black women and girls both on and off the court

Tennis was undeniably alive on March 8, International Women’s Day. Denis Shapovalov kicked off tributes a day early when he penned an impassioned essay for The Players’ Tribune in support of eliminating the gender pay gap.

The good vibes kept going on Wednesday thanks to organizations like Break The Love.

Lillet x Break The Love

The Next-gen social sports platform teamed up with Lillet, a classic aperitif from Bordeaux, to support women athletes through a series of rallies, panels, and events throughout Women’s History month—making their way to both Indian Wells and Miami.

The next panel on March 19 will feature Monica Puig and Jennifer Brady.

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Equal pay for equal work is essential.

Follow the money, because with it comes power and influence. #InternationalWomansDay #Forbes3050 #IWD2023 https://t.co/msCCaBEoVV
— Billie Jean King (@BillieJeanKing) March 8, 2023

Meanwhile, OG of equal rights Billie Jean King held court at the Forbes3050 Summit in Abu Dhabi, speaking out about her continued crusade for equality alongside former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska, and Gloria Steinem.

“The more powerful you are, the faster you can make things happen,” King said, imploring CEOs to do their part in the corporate sector.

“You are an influencer, every single day of your life, that’s why engagement is so important. How do people change? You have to actively listen for change to happen.”

.@tatiwest will be representing Bia Haddad Maia to celebrate #IWD2023 in the #MEORipCurlProPortugal.

Watch live March 8-16 on https://t.co/ie0ZfMWjFw. @MEOpt @ripcurl @corona pic.twitter.com/y1NLAq8wjj
— World Surf League (@wsl) March 7, 2023

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Surfer Tatian Weston-Webb looked to propel some of that change forward as she decided to represent Brazilian tennis star Beatriz Haddad Maia at the MEO Rip Curl Pro Portugal.

“To see a Brazilian woman dominating in tennis is really exciting,” said Weston Webb, a Brazilian-American born in Rio Grande do Sul.

To mark International Women’s Day, West Ham's men's first team have paid tribute to the inspirational women in their lives by wearing training tops with their respective names on the back.

15 players paid tributes to their mothers. Michail Antonio chose Serena Williams. #whufc pic.twitter.com/fz1q3KFBaj
— Emma Sanders (@em_sandy) March 8, 2023

Other athletes like West Ham soccer player Michail Antonio saluted top women tennis players, donning a “Serena Williams” jersey in an effort by the team to pay homage to women who have inspired them.

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Happy International Women's Day! Let's celebrate women's amazing contributions and progress towards equality. To all women: your strength, resilience, and grace are powerful. Let's work towards a brighter future where all women can thrive. #IWD2023
— Stefanos Tsitsipas (@steftsitsipas) March 8, 2023

The tennis world made an outpouring of its own for IWD, including Stefanos Tsitsipas, Caroline Wozniacki, Leylah Fernandez, and player-turned-coach Conchita Martinez.

Here's to strong women, may we know them, may we be them, may we raise them, Happy International Women's Day! #women #internationalwomensday #love pic.twitter.com/HAzs2eUmDi
— Caroline Wozniacki (@CaroWozniacki) March 8, 2023

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It’s an honor to celebrate International Women’s Day. On and off the court, I hope to inspire more women, so they can inspire even more women. I’m thankful to have @MorganStanley as my partner. Together, we can continue to make progress for women, not just today, but every day. pic.twitter.com/0J0QA7SxzE
— leylahfernandez (@leylahfernandez) March 8, 2023

Feliz día a todas las mujeres 🤗! 💪🏼💪🏼 pic.twitter.com/ZBdxN0JxuT
— Conchita Martínez (@conchitamartinz) March 8, 2023