30-Love: The Pros Speaking Their Minds

From individuals to organizations, weekend warriors to professional players, minute observations to big-picture ideas, tennis has been top of mind across the board over the past two years.

“I feel like this is the tennis boom part two,” says Trey Waltke, general manager of the Malibu Racquet Club in southern California. “Everyone is talking tennis. Everyone is playing. People are rediscovering how great tennis is.”

Tennis shouldn’t rest on its laurels; the first boom didn’t last forever. But this is as good of an opportunity to reflect on what the sport has gotten right, during a time when so much has gone wrong.

Over the next few weeks, we'll do just that, with a series of stories—30-Love—that highlights 30 things worth celebrating about the New American Tennis Boom. Look for past articles on the left side of each page.—Ed McGrogan

For most pros, June is all about the majors. But Coco Gauff had bigger topics on her mind in June 2020. Speaking at a peaceful Black Lives Matter event in Delray Beach, Fla., Gauff said, “We must have the tough conversations with our friends. I’ve been spending all week having tough conversations, trying to educate my non-Black friends on how they can help the movement.”

Gauff is one of many tennis players who have taken a stand on social issues. At last year’s US Open, Naomi Osaka wore masks with the names of Black victims of police brutality. Frances Tiafoe donned a Black Lives Matter sweatshirt and mask. And it didn’t stop in 2021.

This kind of activism goes hand-in-hand with tennis’ spirit of individualism, embodied over the years by other outspoken players such as Venus and Serena Williams, Martina Navratilova, Billie Jean King, Arthur Ashe, Althea Gibson and Alice Marble.