On Saturday, July 27, the American Tennis Association (ATA) organized 2025 Awards Gala and celebration to Rollins College, with Usta Florida proudly serving as a sponsor. The evening was a powerful tribute to the lasting legacy of Althea Gibson – the first black athlete to win a Grand Slam title and a celebration of those who continue to form the future of tennis.
The Gala recognized four prominent people whose contributions have formed the sport and inspired generations. Illona Young, mother and coach of professional player Donald Young, received the Althea Gibson Award for contributions to tennis, in honor of her lifelong dedication to player development and mentoring.
Jarmere and Jermaine Jenkins, Elite Tennis professionals and coaches, received the Black Excellence in Tennis Award for their leadership and impact on the game.
Stacey Allaster, Chief Executive of USTA Professional Tennis and US Open Tournament Director, was honored with the Breaking The Barriers Award for its role in promoting equity and inclusion at the highest levels of sport.
The evening was filled with powerful moments, including a genuine speech by Donovan Spigner, a young player from Harlem, New York, who awarded the prize to Jermaine Jenkins. He has been playing tennis since the age of two, comes from a family that is deeply connected to the ATA, with generations participating in his events, and he is delighted to see people make a difference in the black community.
“It is why representation really matters,” he said. “Because when a young child sees someone who looks like them on the field, they don’t just see a tennis player, they see a future.”
Lauryn Jacobs, a current tennis professional, also gave an empowerment of speech and hit the importance of more people who resemble tennis. “Representation is crucial for inspiration, for values, for ambitions. It enables individuals because of the simple perception that they matter,” she said. “If everything you ever see are athletes who do not share your background, your culture, your lived experiences, it can send a message that this space is not for you.”
George Henry, the director of Tennis of Usta Florida at Play Tennis Gainesville, and Ken Collins, teaching in Play Tennis GaineSville thinks about the meaning of the evening. “The program and the gala showed black improvement and black excellence,” they said. “It enabled young people to speak and hear and tell their stories. They can take part of the work that we bring with them and grow the game in various communities throughout the country.”
The gala also served as a kick -off for the ATA National Championships, held on July 28 to August 2 at the USTA National Campus in Lake Nona, Florida. The championships, which started with only three events in 1917, now include seven days and have a wide range of divisions, including:
- ATA 10 & Under Green Ball Singles
- Ata Junior Doubles Championships
- ATA Junior L5 ATA championships
- ATA 35+ & 45+ Age group (Singles, Doubles, Mixed)
- Ata men and women open
- ATA NTRP 3.0–4.5 Singles & Doubles
- ATA 50-85 Age group (Singles, Doubles, Mixed)
- Ata not -Sanctioned Junior Singles
Players from Noord -America and the Caribbean compete, with winners of the open divisions of men and women who receive a joker sign in a $ 15K USTA Pro Circuit event.
While Usta Florida and the ATA continue their work together, says Laura Bowen, executive director of the USTA Florida, that the organization is aimed at achieving even more communities. “If it is that we are inclusive, we have to go to communities, so that when people are enthusiastic everywhere, this does not only mean we are standard. We are incredibly diverse and incredibly inclusive,” she said. “I just had a meeting with our board of directors, and we said that the most important word in our mission,” tennis for all “, the word is all. And there are many layers on that word.”
Together, the Gala and Championships reflect the mission of the ATA to honor history, celebrate excellence and to build a more inclusive future for tennis.
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