Tally Holmes

Talley Robert "Tally" Holmes (December 9, 1889 in Washington, D.C. − March 1, 1969 in Washington, D.C.[1]) was an American tennis player in the 1910s and 1920s.

Holmes was among the founders in 1916 of the American Tennis Association (ATA). Holmes and other representatives from dozens of black tennis clubs met in Washington D.C. on Thanksgiving Day to create a more organized way for black youths to participate in tennis. At the time they were excluded from white institutions, but the sport was attracting black athletes in leading colleges. The group of men created the American Tennis Association.

The ATA also founded the National Tennis Championships for African Americans, which it now produces annually. Holmes won the men’s singles division of the first National Tennis Championship in 1917, followed by wins in 1918, 1921, 1924. Holmes also competed in men’s doubles. He and his partner, Sylvester Smith, won in pairs.[2]

References
  1. African Americans at Dartmouth College 1775−1950 (access: 15 July 2019).
  2. Djata, Sundiata A. (2006). Blacks at the Net: Black Achievement in the History of Tennis. 1. Syracuse University Press. p. 44.


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