Frances Tiafoe and Ben Shelton will represent more than American tennis when they meet on Arthur Ashe Stadium in the U.S. Open quarterfinals on Tuesday - they will be inspiring the next generation of Black players, retired American James Blake told Reuters.
The showdown between the duo marks the first time in 15 years - since Blake played Donald Young in the 2008 first round - that two Black American men will face off in the world’s largest tennis venue.
The fact that the stadium is named after a champion who fought for racial equality was also not lost on Blake.
“If I see them just competing hard then I’ll definitely be extremely proud of the moment that’s come,” said ESPN tennis analyst Blake.
“To see a match like this, and think, ‘Okay, this is the second time it’s happened... but hopefully there’s plenty more to come’.”
Blake, who achieved a career-high ranking of four before retiring 10 years ago, was aware from the earliest stages of his career that he was held to a different standard.
His parents were on the receiving end of death threats and the criticism directed at him was “much more vocal, much more vitriolic” than what others received, he said.
“I was always aware - and that’s better than it was generations previously,” said Blake.
“Arthur (Ashe) didn’t have that ability to just be aware. He had to be very focused the entire time, all the time, he (was) out there and be hyper-vigilant.”
Blake said his path was made easier by 1996 Wimbledon finalist MaliVai Washington and sees himself as one in a long line of “stepping stones” for Black American players - from the earliest pioneers Ashe and Althea Gibson, whose statue sits on the Flushing grounds, through the Williams sisters and beyond.
“Everyone’s experience is a little different, but I think every one of us would be willing to acknowledge that it’s become easier because of Arthur and Althea,” said Blake.
“We all think about those things. It just sometimes takes a moment like this to reflect.”
The moment is certainly not lost on Tiafoe, who a year ago made history as the first Black American man to reach the semi-finals at Flushing since Ashe in 1972.
“It’s going to be a great atmosphere, I think great representation for people of colour, right?” he told reporters.
“Two people of colour playing in the quarter-finals, huge match on Arthur Ashe. It’s a pretty monumental moment.”
Tuesday’s contest will also be the first time that two Black American men have been in the quarter-finals of the hardcourt major at the same time, another sign of progress in a historically white sport.
Tiafoe, in particular, has emerged as a flag bearer for the American fans, beloved for his extraordinary skills but also his charismatic personality and larger-than-life showmanship on the court.
Blake applauded the current generation, including women’s star Coco Gauff, for rising above the “hatred out there.”
“One of the great things that I feel about this generation now is that we’re at the point where I think it’s possible to still be yourself,” he said.
“I think Arthur was very much restricted by the views of mainstream society (because) at that time he had to be perfectly behaved. Althea the same,” said Blake.
“Frances and Ben are totally unique individuals.”
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