A crowd gathered when Venus Williams practiced with Sachia Vickery at the U.S. Open. Kids waited by the fence for autographs.
The seven-time Grand Slam singles champion helped Vickery prepare for her first-round match. Vickery lost, but the thrill of hitting with her idol was a lasting memory.
"That was actually an experience of a lifetime for me, so I'm still in shock a little bit," said Vickery, a 23-year-old African-American and former top-ranked junior player.
Venus and Serena Williams have been a nearly constant presence at the U.S. Open since the debut of Arthur Ashe Stadium 21 years ago. Their 30 combined Grand Slam singles titles have changed the tennis landscape.
Many American kids of color are taking part in youth programs, often citing the superstar sisters as the reason.
"There's certainly more diverse activity from an ethnic standpoint since they came on the scene," said D.A. Abrams, chief diversity and inclusion officer for the U.S. Tennis Association.
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"At junior tournaments at higher levels, they're more diverse ethnically than they were in the past." The No. 1 junior is 14-year-old African-American Cori "Coco" Gauff, who once practiced on the same park courts in Delray Beach, Florida, as the Williams sisters.
Patrick Mouratoglou, Serena's coach, worked with Gauff at his academy in Paris and she recently won the French Open girls title.
"First of all, she's a great competitor. Second of all, she has incredible abilities," Mouratoglou said. "Everything else is just work. And she's a hard worker."
"I grew up watching the Williams sisters," said the 21-year-old Abanda, who saw them play at the Rogers Cup in Toronto when she was 14. "I appreciate Venus, who is playing for so long and at a high level. They have really big power games and maximize it."
"They are more reflective of our global society. That is a big improvement from my day, and it is especially important for future generations because the children can see this change and they can aspire to be part of it."
Vickery wore a T-shirt after her first-round match with the words "black" and "white" crossed out, leaving the words "human being." "I know there's not too many of us players on tour," she said. "So it's really, really great to see the young black kids."
USTA President Katrina Adams, the first African-American to hold that position, is looking forward to more growth at all levels from "the seeds Venus and Serena have planted."
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