Home Court Advantage

On starry Friday nights at the Banneker Tennis Courts on Georgia Ave., passersby may find themselves mesmerized by a riveting match between members of Howard University’s Tennis Club. While the courts echo with competitive banter, laughter and the gentle thud of tennis balls as they hit the ground, one player in particular has a complicated history with the sport.

Kamille Lacy, a second year junior and honors public relations major from Houston, Texas, has been playing tennis since sixth grade.

“It’s an outlet,” Lacy said. “I just feel really comfortable in the environment.”

Lacy played throughout middle and high school in her district’s competitive league before quitting senior year to prioritize other commitments. Friends and family describe her as ambitious and wise, and these skills translate onto the court. Her older sister, Kendall Lacy, witnessed her discipline from a young age.

“I remember when I used to pick her up from practice over the summers. She practiced for three hours a day for five days a week the whole summer,” Kendall Lacy said. “She was really committed to constantly improving.”

Her friend John Wilson, a sophomore biology major from New York, appreciates her competitive nature.

“I love her confidence and her poise as a player,” Wilson said. “Even when I have her on the edge and she might be running side to side she’s still gonna find a way to make a comeback and make sure the point doesn’t end so quickly.”

Lacy says that she enjoys playing tennis at Howard more because the majority of her racist experiences back home happened while playing tennis. She said that most of the people she played against were male with Hispanic or Indian backgrounds.

“The most common things were really the N-word,” Lacy said. “People would say it right behind me knowing I was gonna hear that.”

Lacy explained that in the suburban area where she is from in Houston, microaggressions against Black people and the use of slurs like the N-word were common. Although a lot of her racist experiences were not with white people, she acknowledged the parallels between her tennis journey and that of professional players she admires, specifically Coco Gauff, Serena Williams and Venus Williams.

“I love watching Coco, she’s only 19, we’re literally the same age and she just won a U.S. grand slam and that’s amazing,” Lacy said. “I definitely was inspired by them a lot and I feel like they do experience some experiences that have to do with their race but they aren’t said a lot.”

When watching moments where Gauff and Serena Williams have spoken out for being mistreated while playing professionally, Lacy has wondered if she would be treated similarly in the same situation.

“I feel like it’s hard to sometimes question whether you’re experiencing something because of your race or whether you’re just experiencing this issue,” Lacy said.

Wilson mentioned the importance of camaraderie among the Black tennis community.

“When you see somebody across from you that’s black, it’s a positive feeling. It doesn’t mean that you’re alone,” Wilson said. “It helps build a community within a community.”

This is exactly what Howard’s tennis club provides for students like Lacy. The club is still relatively new but Lacy enjoys playing under the stars on Friday evenings and serving as the Social Events Chair on the club’s executive board. She says she will always love tennis.

“I want to be one of those rich bougie Black people that’s in a country club. I want to find my people that we play tennis on Sundays with,” Lacy said. “That’s how I see my future with tennis, as something that’s always fun for me.”