Tennis Hits the Books
Dr. Robert Walter Johnson was a powerful force of change in tennis that accelerated the acceptance of players of color at the highest echelons of competitive tennis. It is not a stretch to observe that the tennis careers of Althea Gibson and Arthur Ashe would not have happened in the same way without the support of the doctor. “Whirlwind,” the nickname he picked up while playing college football, is an apt moniker for both his life story and influence on tennis. Whirlwinds create turbulence. So did Dr. Johnson.
Whirlwind: The Godfather of Black Tennis: The Life and Times of Dr. Robert Walter Johnson was written over the course of 20+ years by retired USA Today journalist Doug Smith. The author is connected to the story as he once competed against one of Dr. Johnson’s proteges in junior tennis. It was difficult to get the book published and ultimately Smith committed some of his own funds to make it happen in 2004. That is unfortunate because the book deserves much more support on its own merit.
Smith outlines how Dr. Johnson dreamed of seeing black players compete at elite tennis tournaments. Accomplishing that objective required two significant things to happen. Overcoming racial prejudice and segregation was the first part of the equation. The other was to develop young black players who could legitimately compete at those events.
To accomplish the latter, he established a tennis academy for promising talent out of his home in Lynchburg, Virginia. He built a clay tennis court in his backyard and the players lived in his house essentially becoming members of his family. Althea Gibson and Arthur Ashe are the two most prominent players to emerge from Dr. Johnson’s academy. There were many others.
Whirlwind tells the story of how Althea caught the eye of Dr. Johnson and Dr. Hubert Eaton during the American Tennis Association (ATA) National Championships. Both men were convinced that she was the best black prospect they had seen and determined that they needed to get her off the streets of New York so she could develop to her full potential. Althea required polish both on and off the court and also needed to resume her education after dropping out earlier in life.
Dr. Eaton took Althea into his home in Wilmington, North Carolina where she attended school and received tennis instruction from both doctors on a court in his backyard. In the summers, Althea lived in Dr. Johnson’s house and he was the one who took her to tournaments. Althea dedicated her biography “I Always Wanted to Be Somebody” to both men.
Whirlwind details the strict code of conduct imposed on Dr. Johnson’s players both on and off the court. It was a necessary concession for people of color living in the south during that era. The players were instructed to never argue with their opponents or officials. They were prohibited from questioning calls. They were also instructed to play balls that were two inches out lest they be accused of cheating. Swearing was not tolerated.
Those rules might give the impression that Dr. Johnson was a pillar of virtue. Instead, he was a model of the golden rule of do as I say and not as I do. Marriages failed due to infidelity and he fathered children out of wedlock. He loved to gamble and once lost his car in a poker game. He had very complicated relationships with both his immediate and extended family.
Smith does not shy away from detailing the less noble parts of Dr. Johnson’s life. It may be one of the reasons that it was difficult to find a publisher for Whirlwind. It isn’t exactly the hero story that most people would hope for or expect.
The complicated relationships in Dr. Johnson’s life also extended to the ATA. Once his academy started producing successful players, the ATA sought to wrest control from Dr. Johnson to share the credit. The ATA also accused Dr. Johnson benefitting financially from the academy that he was funding. That claim had no apparent merit. Rather than being praised at annual ATA meetings, Dr. Johnson was frequently pummeled. No organization is immune to politics.
Whirlwind: The Godfather of Black Tennis: The Life and Times of Dr. Robert Walter Johnson details how this force of nature accelerated the development of black tennis players and the end of institutionalized racial discrimination in tennis. It is essential reading for fans of American tennis history.
 | Whirlwind: The Godfather of Black Tennis: The Life and Times of Dr. Robert Walter Johnson |
