USTA President Katrina Adams: Bringing Diversity to The U.S. Open

Katrina Adams is the first African-American president and CEO of the United States Tennis Association. She wants to make sure she is not the last.

The girl from Chicago’s West Side fell in love with the game watching her older brothers play tennis at summer camp in 1975. The adults told her she was too young to play, but the then 6-year-old convinced them otherwise.

“I hit [the ball] over the net and I was hooked,” Adams told NBC News.

The Northwestern University graduate spent 12 years on the Women’s Tennis Association Tour, ranking as high as 67 in the world and No. 8 in doubles. Her best Grand Slam singles result was in Wimbledon in 1988, where she reached the fourth round.

When asked about the challenges she’s faced as a black woman in tennis, Adams appeared unfazed.

“I’m asked that question often,” she said.

Adams said her friends on tour and doubles partners didn’t look like her, but that she never experienced racism. She said her father, a public school teacher, kept a protective eye on her.

“I would assume that my dad perhaps probably took the brunt end of that for me if or when there were occasions that it was apparent, but I was very fortunate,” she said.

Being one of the only black girls on the court did not deter Adams. If tennis taught her anything, it’s that you have to work hard. You have to learn how to deal with your emotions. How to deal with adversity.

“When you look at what Venus and Serena [Williams] have accomplished in the 20-year span that Venus has been out here — you look at all the African-American women that are out there — they probably had a Venus or Serena poster on their wall, and they grew up idolizing them,” she said. “I didn’t really have that person.”

Adams has watched women of color grow increasingly visible in the sport in recent years. On Monday, three of them — Venus Williams, Sloane Stephens, and Madison Keys — all advanced to the quarterfinals for the first time in U.S. Open history. After defeating Williams on Thursday, Keys will face off with Stephens for the Grand Slam title on Saturday. Adams is currently overseeing …

Please read original article- USTA President Katrina Adams: Bringing Diversity to The U.S. Open