From the moment fans step onto the grounds of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center for the 2025 US Open, they’ll feel the power of the iconic champion Althea Gibson, who made history when she broke the color barrier in tennis 75 years ago with her appearance at the U.S. National Championships at Forest Hills.
Throughout Fan Week, visitors have been greeted by the US Open theme art, which portrays a powerful visual of Gibson and celebrates the tournament’s theme of “75 years of breaking barriers”---a callout to this monumental anniversary and the indelible legacy Gibson has made on this sport.
On Monday, the first day of main draw play, and just one day prior to what would have been Althea’s 98th birthday, the US Open is creating more opportunities to honor Gibson.
First up, a number of Gibson's family members, former and current African-American tennis players have been invited to recognize the impact of Althea’s legacy during a brunch reception. Guests will then be invited into Arthur Ashe Stadium to view an in-stadium tribute and video that will be played throughout both day and night sessions.
During the first match of the day session in Louis Armstrong Stadium, the National Anthem will be performed with three outstanding Black female performers who have each broken barriers in their own right. Tony Award-winning actress and producer LaChanze will perform the National Anthem, along with Deaf actress and American Sign Language performer Treshelle Edmond, accompanied on guitar by notable musician Felicia Collins.
LaChanze is a three-time Tony-winning actor and producer who starred in The Color Purple (Tony Award), Once on This Island (Tony Award nomination), Trouble in Mind (Tony Award nomination), and Summer: The Donna Summer Musical (Tony Award nomination). LaChanze has served as producer on the lauded The Outsiders (Tony Award), the Pulitzer Prize winning play Topdog/Underdog (Tony Award), Kimberly Akimbo (Tony Award), Here Lies Love, and Jaja’s African Hair Braiding (Tony Award nomination) and is currently a producer on Buena Vista Social Club and the Pulitzer Prize winning play, Purpose (Tony Award). She is the proud president of Black Theatre United, an advocacy organization dedicated to protecting Black bodies, Black talent, and Black lives on and off our stages.
Joining LaChanze, will be American Sign Language performer Treshelle Edmond a Black Deaf actress and American Sign Language performer whose work honors the power of language and presence. Her Broadway credits include Deaf West's Spring Awakening, Children of a Lesser God, and For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow is Enuf.
Gibson's courage and tenacity not only helped to define her as a champion, but also helped to level the playing field for all--on court and off. Today’s events are another example of the way in which the great stage of the US Open can be utilized to celebrate not only the sport of tennis, but also the many ways in which the sport has helped to shape society at large
