Quantcast

Robert Ryland, first Black pro tennis player, has died at 100

Sereneone

Independents on Here are MAGA. Don't Be Fooled!
Joined
May 16, 2020
Messages
9,888
Reaction score
Reactions
140,308 4,131 2,790
161,107
Alleybux
410,161
upload_2020-8-14_13-48-57.png


Robert Ryland, the first Black professional tennis player and later a coach to such stars as Arthur Ashe and Serena and Venus Williams, has died. He was 100.

Ryland died Aug. 2 at his stepson’s home in Provincetown, Massachusetts, on Cape Cod, his wife, Nancy Ingersoll, confirmed to The New York Times. She said the cause was aspiration pneumonia.

Born in Chicago in 1920, Ryland began playing tennis at age 10 and won the Illinois state and junior American Tennis Association singles titles in 1939. He received a scholarship to play tennis at Xavier University in New Orleans but departed after a year to serve in the Army during World War II.

ADVERTISEMENT
After the war, he was awarded a scholarship by Wayne State University in Detroit and had to endure the racism that permeated everyday life, often eating apart from his teammates when restaurants wouldn’t serve him.

Undeterred, Ryland became one of the first two Black players to compete in the NCAA national championships, reaching the quarterfinals in 1945 and the third round a year later.

After college, Ryland began teaching the game while playing in the American Tennis Association, at the time the main circuit for Black players. He broke the racial barrier in men’s professional tennis in 1959, at age 39 becoming the first Black to play on the World Pro Tour.

During his playing career Ryland taught tennis across the country and worked at the exclusive St. Albans Tennis Club in Washington, as well as the Midtown Tennis Club in New York. Among his pupils were many celebrities, Tony Bennett and Barbra Streisand among them.

Robert Ryland, first Black pro tennis player, dead at 100
 

Kenyata_1961

Continuing to enjoy retirement.
Joined
Nov 10, 2009
Messages
11,372
Reaction score
Reactions
47,749 4,431 738
50,895
Alleybux
223,679
I remember him, because early in their career he advise/gave tips to Vee and Ree, and remember Arthur Ashe speaking so glowingly and loving about him, so I looked him up an boy did he live a damn life, especially during the time when lived it. When we as a people had so few rights, and when we were treated so horribly like second class citizens.

Thank God he won't have to stomach the fat ass destroying this country that he served with dignity in the military.

Rest in Power Pop Pops, thank you for serving our country with honor :heart:, and go get that Wimbledon:emoji_tennis: & US Open:emoji_tennis: up there in Heaven.
 

jjbaby

Team Owner
Joined
Jul 27, 2009
Messages
12,526
Reaction score
Reactions
76,248 981 167
82,648
Alleybux
500,353
This is from last year. In the video you can see a young Venus and Serena. May he rest in peace.
 

Similar Threads

News Alley

Ask LSA

Top Bottom