that s it. new ball. shots are 2-2. got by him. comes back with it! you try to put your entire being mentally and physically on automatic pilot while you re playing tennis. everything is concentrated on the razor s edge and you forget the score. you forget where you are. you forget what your name is. i feel like my body s floating within myself. the game of tennis is a symphony in white. players in white suits hitting a white ball back and fort. in all white country clubs but a new, young player has come along and he is one of the greatest we have ever produced and he is not white. i sense confusion in what an athlete should be, especially an african american context. does still persist in the world about black athletes because we tend to do disproportionately well in athletes. i like to fight the myth. there are lots of us who can think as well as run, jump, hit tennis balls, dunk basketballs. and the challenge now is to convince young black athletes that the
that s it. [ applause ] 2-2. comes back with it! you try to put your entire being mentally and physically on automatic pilot while you re playing tennis. everything is concentrated on the razor s edge and you forget the score. you forget where you are. you forget what your name is. i feel like my body s floating within myself. the game of tennis is a symphony in white. players in white suits hitting a white ball back and forth between white baselines in all-white country clubs. but a new young player has come along and he is one of the greatest we have ever produced, and he is not white. i sense confusion in what an athlete should be, especially in an african american context. there does still persist in the world myths about black athletes because we tend to do disproportionately well in athletics. some people think we are all brawn and no brains. and i like to fight the myth. there are lots of us who can think as well as run, jump, hit tennis balls, dunk basketb
when i was a senior in high school, i had to leave richmond because richmond had no indoor facilities and secondly, if they had some they probably would have been in white hands and i would not have been able to use them. so i went to st. louis to finish high school. when i got on the plane to go to st. louis, i could get off the plane, i could be anything i wanted. no one knew me. so not only did my personality start to change because here people with no preconceived notions about me at all. and my tennis changed. i changed from being a pusher to someone who was a fast court player. i started to take more chances on the tennis court. my forehand changed a little bit. my serve took a quantum leap up in effectiveness, speed and so forth. and that year i won the national junior indoor title. when i was about to graduate high school, i got a phone call
Facilities and if they had some they would be in white hands and i would not be able to use them so i went to st. louis to finish high school. when i got on the plane to go to st. louis i could get off the plane and be anything i wanted. no one knew me. so not only did my permit start to change because here people with no preconceived notions about me and my tennis changed. i changed from being a puber to someone who was a fast court player. i started to take more chances on the tennis court. my forehand changed a little bit. my serve took a quantum lead up in speed and so forth. and that year i won the national junior indoor title. when i was about to graduate high school i got a phone call from ucla. and the tennis coach called up and out of the clear blue sky