BHM: Vickery & Parks talk about influential Black players

Sachia Vickery and Atlanta native Alycia Parks teamed up at the Georgia’s Rome Tennis Open last week and advanced into the semifinals.

After finishing their match at the $60K USTA Pro Circuit tournament, they reflected on Black History Month and talked about their influences. Both players cited Venus and Serena Williams as major influences, while Vickery, 26, also mentioned the importance of upcoming players. She cited Parks, along with Coco Gauff and Sloane Stephens.

Parks, 21, was asked about her record-tying 129-mph serve at last year’s US Open, in which she matched the fastest serve by a woman that was set by Venus. She added that she blasted a 131-mph serve at the 2021 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. But, she said one of her goals is to surpass that number this year.

Parks was a singles finalist in the tournament, dropping to Tatjana Maria 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 in the final.