The television ratings for the women's final between Serena Williams and Martina Hingis were up 92 percent over last year, when another American, Lindsay Davenport, beat Hingis. Unlike the 1950s when Althea Gibson shook tennis with her triumphs at Wimbledon and the formerly whites only West Side Tennis Club in Forest Hills, there is an opportunity now for tennis to broaden its roots to include players of all races. That is precisely the goal of the U.S. Tennis Association's inner city program, the Arthur Ashe Foundation and John McEnroe, the new U.S. Davis Cup coach who is bound to add his own charisma to the resurgence in tennis. For all of Pete Sampras' talent and his 12 Grand Slam titles, he's never ignited the passion of fans the way the flamboyant Agassi does. Now that Agassi is back, winning the majors and No. 1 in the rankings again, tennis has a champion who also is among the most popular athletes in the country and the world.
Tennis is among the most international of sports, with tour events all over the globe.
The rankings in the men's and women's game are filled with players from every continent. But to thrive, tennis must succeed big time in the United States, and that means having American players near the top of the game. Right now, three of the top four men and women are Americans. The Grand Slam season that has come to a close pumped enormous interest back in the game and was notable for the history it saw and the future it heralds. Alexandra Stevenson gave the sport a boost among blacks and whites when she became the first woman qualifier to reach the Wimbledon semifinals.