The ATA National Championships' impact and influence endures, more than 100 years later

The American Tennis Association (ATA), the oldest African American sports organization in the U.S., has fostered some of the greatest players, coaches and contributors in the game. Its rich history of developing young talent while driving diversity, inclusion and equity for all ages will continue at the 106th ATA National Championships, from July 22-28 at the USTA National Campus in Orlando.

“I love that the nationals is a family affair,” says ATA President Roxanne Aaron. “Players come back year after year to compete, socialize, promote tennis participation and create a lasting impact on the future of the sport.”

Toni Wiley says she sees the “importance and value” of the ATA National Championships in her respective roles as secretary of the ATA, chair of the USTA’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee, and CEO of Boston-based Sportsmen’s Tennis & Enrichment Center. This year, she is also excited about plans to incorporate coaching education and awareness within the tournament.

“Increasing the number of certified diverse coaches, and recognizing coaches wherever they are in the pipeline, is hugely important to all of us,” Wiley says.

According to the ATA, historically Black universities—including Tuskegee and Howard—offered tennis to its students as early as the 1890s. Beginning with Philadelphia’s Chautauqua Tennis Club in 1898, African American tennis players competed in invitational tournaments throughout the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast.

After the U.S. Lawn Tennis Association (USLTA) barred players of color from its tournaments, however, a group of African American businessmen, college professors and physicians gathered in Washington, D.C. and formed the ATA on Nov. 30, 1916. The following August, the inaugural ATA National Championships in Baltimore’s Druid Hill Park offered three events: men’s and women’s singles, and men’s doubles.

The color line finally blurred in 1940 when white American Don Budge—who in 1938 had become the first player to capture the Grand Slam—entered an ATA tournament. He defeated ATA champion Jimmie McDaniel before partnering with Dr. Reginald Weir in doubles against McDaniel and Richard Cohen—all men of color.