ETTRICK, VA (Sept. 16, 2019)- The VSU Trojans men's and women's tennis team are set to host the 7th Annual Dr. Robert Walter Johnson Memorial Tennis Invitational on September 20-22 at the VSU Tennis Complex. Several team are expected to venture to the Land of Troy to compete in this historic event. The teams accompanying the host, Virginia State, on the courts will be North Carolina A &T, Hampton, Howard , Longwood , Norfolk State and North Carolina Central.
The tennis invitational pays homage to tennis legend, Dr. Robert Walter Johnson who spent a lot of time at Virginia State University where he started a state tennis tournament for high school African Americans.
Johnson was born on April 16, 1869 and was known as the putative godfather of Black Tennis. The "godfather" appellation is derived mainly from his tutoring of Althea Gibson and Arthur Ashe. Johnson was an esteemed doctor also acquired acclaim as the first African-American physician to receive an obstetrical license to practice at the Lynchburg General Hospital in Virginia. He attended school at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania. He attended Meharry Medical College in Nashville. Johnson devoted time to his avocation of tennis, turning his backyard into a training camp, producing a lot of great talent.
Dr. Johnson was inducted in the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame. He was nominated as a contributor in 2007 for the International Tennis Hall of Fame and two years later inducted with the class of 2009.
Come out on Sept. 20-22 and celebrate the legacy of a tennis giant at the Memorial Tennis Invitational. The first serve is set for 9am each day at the VSU Tennis Complex.
For the most up-to-date information on VSU Tennis please visit www.govsutrojans.com, follow Trojans Athletics on Twitter @VSUsports and on Instagram VSUtrojans_1882.
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