Ora Washington: Hall of Fame Inductee

Washington’s groundstrokes have been described as “unorthodox,” holding the racquet above the grip and stabbing at the ball with a short poke, but despite not having the prettiest forehand and backhand, she had a powerful serve, overhead, and tremendous quickness. Within a year of picking up tennis, she entered her first national tournament for black players and won it. 

Washington’s love of competition led her to 23 American Tennis Association (ATA) National Championships: eight singles, 12 doubles, and three mixed doubles titles. She held the ATA’s national crown from 1929-1936, often going years without a single loss to her record. 

She was unable to truly show her talents at the time, as most white athletes refused to take the court against her. At the height of her talents, however, Washington was denied a match she longed to play against the top-ranked player from the United States Lawn and Tennis Association (USLTA, now the USTA), Helen Wills Moody. Washington reportedly challenged Wills Moody on multiple occasions, but the duo never faced off. Their match remains one of tennis' most alluring might-have-beens. It wasn’t until 1950 that tennis officially became desegregated when Althea Gibson played in the USLTA National Championships.

This distinction led to her induction into numerous Halls of Fame. Unfortunately, she passed away five years before her first recognition and induction into the Black Athletes Hall of Fame in 1976. Multiple inductions followed, such as Temple University’s Sports Hall of Fame in 1986, the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame and the Black Tennis Hall of Fame in 2009, and the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2018. 

In her very last interview with veteran Philadelphia Tribune reporter, Len Lear, he admitted that he had never heard of Washington prior to meeting her, but once he met her and asked her a lot of questions, he was floored. That final interview in 1969 took place where it all began for Washington, at the Germantown YWCA.

Lear went on to say this about his meeting Washington, "She was getting old and she was not in great health, but to learn that she was possibly the best female athlete in the country in the first half of the 20th century [and] she was doing housekeeping…It's just hard to imagine this today when you see people like Serena Williams, for example, making countless millions and having their name on perfume and all kinds of other products. And she had nothing. Nothing.”

"She did not express anger or rage specifically. She was more or less, I would say, sad. Over what could have been and should have been,” continued Lear. "She wanted to be recognised for her skills by everyone, and she wasn't."

Washington’s story continues to be told by historians, family members and fans of both tennis and basketball, shining light on her historical achievements and preserving her legacy.