Tennis has always been on the forefront of change, a sport full of barrier-breakers who refuse to settle for the status quo. One of the most well-known change-makers in the sport’s history was Althea Gibson, who broke the color barrier at the 1950 U.S. National Championships, the predecessor of the US Open. She went on to win five major titles during her eight-year career, but Gibson is best known for paving the way for Black tennis players.
The 2025 US Open theme is “75 years of breaking barriers,” celebrating Gibson and the anniversary of her stepping on the court at the West Side Tennis Club in Forest Hills, N.Y. This message will be displayed prominently throughout the grounds of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center through vibrant and unique theme art by Melissa Koby, the first Black theme artist in tournament history.
This year’s theme art is particularly innovative, as the original piece was made of layered paper—Koby’s primary medium—before being photographed for the posters, banners and other installations that will dot the grounds throughout the tournament.
Attendees will immediately see a silhouette of Gibson’s profile in the art, with a US Open-blue tennis court in the background.
“I wanted the heart of the matter, the central part of this piece, to be a tennis court because that's where she thrived,” Koby said.
However, when you look closely, each layer tells more of the story while adding visual depth, from the Statue of Liberty representing New York and the Tiffany trophies the players are competing for (Gibson won the U.S. Nationals in 1957 and 1958), to Arthur Ashe Stadium, named for the legendary champion and civil rights activist.
Gibson appears once again in the foreground, her racquet held high as she is preparing to serve, looking up toward the tennis ball. It’s a twist on one of Koby’s motifs, as she usually depicts women gazing at the sun or the moon in a hopeful stance, but here, the tennis ball is an excellent substitute, a representation of hope as the champion readies to hit the ball over the net, proof of her strength and resilience.
While Koby is a self-proclaimed “terrible tennis player,” she grew up watching the sport on TV with her dad. She saw Pete Sampras and Roger Federer, but as a Black woman, she really connected with Venus and Serena Williams because she loved seeing women who looked like her excel at the highest levels.
So when Koby had the chance to create the theme art for the 2025 US Open and the celebration of Gibson, she jumped at the opportunity. But even now, with the US Open less than 100 days away, it still shocks Koby that she’s a barrier-breaker in her own right as the first Black theme artist.
“It feels bigger than me,” the artist told usopen.org. “When I was creating the piece, I thought of Althea as my ancestor, as a strong black female. She's not my grandmother, but I thought of her as that, and I created it with the intention of making her proud to see that a little black girl created something to honor her.”
“I also wanted this piece to showcase to other little black girls, whether they're tennis players or artists, if they put their heart into what they're doing they have the opportunity to be great or to do something special. I hope it inspires someone else that looks like me.”
The project is a particularly full-circle moment for Koby, as she has never been to the US Open before. When she lived in New York, the cost was a barrier to entry, and once she could afford it, she wasn’t sure the tournament was for her.
“I didn’t think it belonged to me—but here I am as the artist. It feels significant and huge and unbelievable in that sense.”
Koby is blazing a trail for future artists and attendees, just like Gibson paved the way for the Williams sisters, James Blake, Madison Keys, Frances Tiafoe, Coco Gauff, Ben Shelton and the many players who will follow in their footsteps.
She hopes visitors will feel connected to the theme art, whether they have a heightened reverence for Gibson and her strength, or just a renewed love for the game.
“I always want to believe that people should be able to look at art and take something away from it even if it doesn't necessarily look like them, or whether or not they're tennis lovers. I want them to be able to look at the beauty of the work and appreciate it, but also to be able to find the deeper message in it,” she said. “Even if they look at it and they get more curious about Althea Gibson, if they have some kind of lesson out of it, [that’s] fantastic.”
