When I was growing up in the early 2000s, I was one of two Black girls on the tennis team. I had just transferred from my public school in Woodbridge, New Jersey to a private school in Edison and was required to pick a sport. Prior to that, my tennis experience had been limited to watching Serena Williams play Maria Sharapova on television, but I thought I’d give it a try. When I joined the team the “lifers,” as they were called, were already light years ahead of me in experience. They’d been playing seemingly since birth and could rattle off the names of the players who’d won US Opens that predated my existence. The tennis court always felt like an intimidating environment for me, not only because I’ve struggled with mobility issues my whole life, but because whether the game was home or away, I rarely saw another girl like me on the court. The coaches didn’t look like me either. And the whole experience felt out of my comfort zone.
So when I arrived at Lavan Midtown earlier this month to see over 80 young Black girls dressed in tenniscore, ready and eager to talk about the game, it was both exciting and healing. As part of Dove’s Body Confident Sport program event with Venus Williams and Black Girls Tennis Club and Bras for Girls, these young women were all gathered to not only celebrate their existence in the sport with activations like bracelet-making and tennis workshops, but to learn more about furthering their careers through conversation with pro Venus Williams and Black Girls Tennis Club founders Virginia Thornton and Kimberly Selden.
The idea for the club formed over dinner. The two Virginia natives and family friends were meeting to talk about a hotel they were planning to open together. But talk turned to tennis – or more specifically, to a video Thornton had posted earlier that week of herself playing the game. Selden was shocked by how talented her friend was, and opened up about how when she’d lived in New York she’d wanted to play tennis but didn’t feel welcome because, “you don’t see a lot of us in tennis court,” she told PS at the Dove event. “We said, ‘We should start a Black girls tennis club,’ and it was a wrap from there,” Thornton said.
“I’m showing up as myself, and that makes me feel more confident in being the other.”
The two held their first tennis clinic in Virginia in 2022 with 10 girls. Now just two years later, the org has expanded to New York, Atlanta, and soon Los Angeles, serving hundreds of young Black girls throughout the season. “People have driven up, hopped out their cars, because it’s such a beautiful thing to see,” Selden said.
I can definitely attest to that, having witnessed the 80-plus girls at the event that day and the impact this moment was having on them. During the fireside chat with Williams and Thornton, the young girls were able to ask questions of the players, and they weren’t just about tennis. “How do you deal with anxiety?” one tween asked the panel. Another said, “How do you make yourself feel more comfortable in place where you feel out of place?”
“It brought me back to my childhood and it really gave me the chills,” Thornton told PS, referring to the questions they got from the girls. In that moment, she thought back to all the times she felt othered on the court, even today.
“I’ll play at a country club, and it’s just me. I always feel other to be honest with you. But I’ve just gotten to a space, like I told one of the girls in there, you have to show up authentically yourself. Like I’m not in there trying to talk like other women, I’m showing up as myself, and that makes me feel more confident in being the other,” Thornton said.
According to 2023 Dove research, 45 percent of girls globally drop out of sports by age 14 – two times the rate of boys – with body confidence being the top reason.
“I always think about that meme that says ‘walk in like God sent you.’ And it goes to the [event] tagline: be confident. Like be confident in your own skin. You’re supposed to be there. If you weren’t, you wouldn’t be there,” Thornton told the girls during the fireside chat.
Image Source: Ilya S. Savenok/Getty Images for Dove
But it’s moments and questions like those that Selden says are part of everyday conversations on the tennis courts of Black Girls Tennis. That’s why their motto is “it’s more than tennis.” It’s about community, mentorship, representation, encouragement, and so much more.
“When young girls see confident women that look like them in the spotlight, they can envision themselves in those roles, serving as a powerful reminder that they can be champions in whatever they set out to do,” Williams told PS. “Our goal with the Dove x Venus #KeepHerConfident campaign is to tackle these challenges head-on by empowering girls to feel confident in their own skin. Through this partnership, we’re not just focusing on performance on the court, but also on the confidence to show up, to participate, and to thrive in an environment where they feel seen and supported.” As part of the campaign, Williams is also releasing the #KeepHerConfident Beauty Bar, the brand’s first-ever limited-edition soap bar, which will support Dove and Venus’ shared mission to help girls stay in sports.
“Every girl deserves the chance to experience the benefits of staying in sports – whether it’s building self-esteem, creating lasting friendships, or simply enjoying the game,” Williams said.
Alexis Jones is the senior health and fitness editor at PS. Her passions and areas of expertise include women’s health and fitness, mental health, racial and ethnic disparities in healthcare, and chronic conditions. Prior to joining PS, she was the senior editor at Health magazine. Her other bylines can be found at Women’s Health, Prevention, Marie Claire, and more.
