By Mark Preston, USTA.com
As the year draws to a close, USTA.com is taking a look back at the players, people and stories that dominated the headlines and stole the show in 2015. In this installment of our annual year-in-review series, here is one our Top 10 moments in American tennis for the year that was. Visit our 2015 Year in Review homepage to see all 10.
The USTA posted a momentous milestone in January 2015, when Katrina Adams became the first African-American, first former professional player and, at 46, the youngest person ever to ascend to the position of chairman, CEO and president of the national governing body for the sport in its 134-year-history.
Adams, who had served on the USTA board for 10 years after a 12-year-career on the WTA, hit the ground running in assuming her new role, tackling the myriad challenges faced by the sport with fresh insight, keen vision and tireless dedication to the task of continuing to grow the sport in the U.S.
Adams (shown above, in white, with the U.S. Fed Cup team) has made outreach to minority communities – particularly Hispanic communities – a top priority of her administration, in keeping with the USTA’s stated mission to make the face of the sport more closely resemble the face of the country. What’s more, she is charged with steering the USTA ship at a vitally important time for the association, with the transformation of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center well underway and construction beginning on the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Fla.
“One of my top priorities as USTA president is to give more people – particularly more young people – the opportunity to get involved in tennis and to use the sport as a vehicle to drive them toward their life goals,” said Adams. “Tennis has had a major impact in my life. Tennis gave me a chance. It taught me that if I was willing to put in the work, that my opportunities could be limitless.
“Tennis allowed me to realize my dreams, and now it’s my privilege – and frankly, my duty – to ensure that anyone else with similar dreams gets the chance to realize them as well.”