Veteran umpire calls for equal opportunities at Black List Awards
Mwondela, 65, has been a key figure in tennis officiating ever since joining the British Tennis Umpires Association in 1996, officiating at 25 Wimbledon, 2 US Opens and numerous Davis Cup, Billie Jean King Cup, ATP, and WTA events worldwide.
The Braintree resident's legacy extends beyond the court as a member of the LTA's IDEA group, championing diversity and inclusion in tennis and has now led her to receive the Officiating award at this year's edition of the Tennis Black List, presented in association with Dante Talent and held during the HSBC Championships at The Queen's Club, London on the 11th of June, supported by the LTA.
She said: 'I've been doing this for almost 30 years now and it's very different from when I started and it's really good to start getting recognition.
'It wasn't easy coming in up until now but I hope for even better things to come in terms of diversifying our sport.
'I feel very pleased to be able to celebrate this award and all the other people who have won and what they have brought to our sport.
'Tennis and sport in general isn't just about watching the matches. It's not just about playing and it's not fair that a particular kind of opportunity is closed to anybody just because of whatever they look like.
'Everyone should have that opportunity to be the best they can be in a field and have equal opportunities to enter that space.'
Tennis Black List is the global celebration of Black and mixed black excellence across the game — spotlighting the unsung, the visionary and the next generation of changemakers.
Mwondela added: 'It wasn't easy when I started officiating because it wasn't a space a person like myself was seen in but thankfully I can look back and identify people who were allies before the word 'ally' was even fashionable.
'People like Maureen Laffey, Mike Morrissey and Les Maddock championed and encouraged me when it wasn't easy for me and that made the difference.
'I'm here now because of the people who invested in me so I would like to encourage other people to come and take advantage of what the sport to offer.'
Founders Anne-Marie Batson and Richard Sackey Addo say:
'This movement is about legacy. Tennis Black List is creating space for Black and mixed-black heritage excellence to be seen, honoured and remembered across all areas of tennis. We are building a global legacy that makes space for what is next.'
Launched in 2022; Tennis Black List is the only global platform dedicated to celebrating and documenting Black and mixed-black impact in tennis — from grassroots organisers to elite players. A movement rooted in recognition, legacy, and cultural celebration.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South Wales Argus
3 hours ago
- South Wales Argus
Bouchard honoured at Tennis Black List Awards
France's Bouchard has worked within the tennis space for two decades and is the editor Tennis Sweet Spot, a newsletter about professional tennis on and off the court and has produced pieces for the likes of L'Equipe, Tennis Majors, Radio Canada, the BBC, Sports Illustrated, Le Parisien, RTL Radio, the Belgian press, and The Huffington Post. She has also collaborated with Novak Djokovic and his team in writing the book The Quest about Djokovic's historical win at Roland-Garros in 2016 and also translated Maria Sharapova's book 'Unstoppable' for French audiences. For her achievements as a broadcaster and writer as one of the few black journalists with a consistent and respected presence across the ATP, WTA and Slam tours, Bouchard was honoured with the Media award at this year's edition of the Tennis Black List, presented in association with Dante Talent and held during the HSBC Championships at The Queen's Club, London on the 11th of June, supported by the LTA. 'I just want to send a massive thank you to the Tennis Black List for the award,' said Bouchard. 'I am so stoked about it. Please keep the good work you are doing and keep supporting us all. It really matters.' Tennis Black List is the global celebration of Black and mixed black excellence across the game — spotlighting the unsung, the visionary and the next generation of changemakers. Taking place in the run up to The Championships at Wimbledon, the Tennis Black List recognises the contributions of individuals and organisations from grassroots level up to the professional game in Britain and internationally. It follows the example set by the successful and respected Football Black List, created by Leon Mann MBE and Rodney Hinds, and Rugby Black List which have demonstrated the power that celebrating black excellence can achieve in sport. The event was an opportunity to inspire the next generation in the tennis community, with the commitment shown by the winners on and off the court. Awards were handed out in ten categories across the evening at the ceremony, with several recipients present at the The Queen's Club. Founders Anne-Marie Batson and Richard Sackey Addo said: 'This movement is about legacy. Tennis Black List is creating space for Black and mixed-black heritage excellence to be seen, honoured and remembered across all areas of tennis. We are building a global legacy that makes space for what is next.' Launched in 2022; Tennis Black List is the only global platform dedicated to celebrating and documenting Black and mixed-black impact in tennis — from grassroots organisers to elite players. A movement rooted in recognition, legacy, and cultural celebration.
South Wales Argus
3 hours ago
- South Wales Argus
Emma Raducanu is managing back issues after bowing out of Queen's
Newly reinstated British no.1 Emma Raducanu saw her Queen's run come to an end in a straight sets defeat to Qinwen Zheng. The 22-year-old produced a brilliant start to her second set as the Olympic champion and top seed from China ran into several issues, but was unable to make it count and missed out on a spot in the LTA's HSBC Championship semi-finals with a 6-2 6-4 loss. Raducanu had faced several back issues coming into the WTA 500 event and was forced to call the physio after her first set in the quarterfinal but noted that she was not overly concerned by the returned flare up. "I have been managing it pretty well over the last few weeks, but I guess as the week goes on it just tests it out and I just felt it," she said. "They took me off court and taped it to give me some extra stability, and some painkillers. "I have had back issues before. I think it's just a vulnerability of mine and I know I need to take good care of it. 'I'm in awe of her, to feel that love for the game is really precious' 🥹❤️ When Joanie met, played with and inspired her hero @EmmaRaducanu — LTA (@the_LTA) June 13, 2025 "I'm not overly concerned that it's something serious, but I know it's something that's very annoying and needs proper and careful management." Zheng was the commander of play during the opening set but Raducanu continued to push her opponent in each of her service games, as both players threatened to break throughout. The top left corner seemed to be Zheng's weak spot and Raducanu learnt that early on, consistently winning points in that area whilst employing her backhand slice to come from three break points down and win her service game. Zheng fell into a bit of an issue with her shoes, having not played on grass much before and needing to manage a change of shoe half way through the first set. The break in play looked like it had all turned out well for Raducanu who managed to bounce back to level the game, but it eventually turned into the break Zheng needed. With the Brit's return slipping, Zheng took flight and found her rhythm to break once more and take the set. "Returning is one of my big strengths, and I think Qinwen served really well," she said. "I didn't see many second serves and she hit her spots really well in some big moments. "Credit to her. She kind of took away one of my bigger strengths. "I think I have a lot of work to do, to be honest." Raducanu came out in the second set and immediately broke Zheng, courtesy of some well placed shots down the tramline. With several racket issues seeping into Zheng's play and as Raducanu went two breaks up in the second set, the world no.5 began to panic on the other side of the court and was evidently struggling to find the same accuracy and power she had in her first set. But the zing of Zheng's serve returned as quickly as it had left, and the bleak patch soon subsided as the Olympic champion began to turn around her second set and level the game. The Brit had one last chance to save her semi-final hopes, serving to halt Zheng's chance at going through, but double faults and nerves once again seeped through and although the British no.1 was able to come from three match points down, ultimately bowed out of Queen's. For the latest action on the British summer grass court season, check out the LTA website
North Wales Chronicle
4 hours ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Qualifier Tatjana Maria shocks Madison Keys to reach final at Queen's
The 37-year-old mother of two arrived in London on a nine-match losing run but, after coming through qualifying, she is now unbeaten in six contests and will take on American Amanda Anisimova for the trophy on Sunday. Maria's latest victim was American second seed Keys, who was unable to cope with the German's unusual, slice-heavy game, falling to a 6-3 7-6 (3) defeat. From qualifying to the final. Three straight Top 20 wins. The Oldest ever @WTA 500 finalist!!! Take a bow, Tatjana Maria 👏#HSBCChampionships — HSBC Championships (@QueensTennis) June 14, 2025 After sealing the victory, Maria celebrated with her husband and coach Charles-Edouard and elder daughter Charlotte courtside, while younger daughter Cecilia slept in a pushchair. Saturday's win followed a quarter-final victory over former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina, and Maria, a semi-finalist at the All England Club in 2022, told the BBC: 'Really, to be honest, I cannot believe it's true. 'It's such a special place. I could not wish a better tournament to be in the final and I'm so, so proud. I had my ups and downs but you always have to keep going. I love to play tennis, I love the sport. We live for these special moments.' Now the world number 86 – the oldest player to make a WTA 500 singles final – will take on eighth seed Anisimova, who prevailed in a topsy-turvy battle against top seed Zheng Qinwen, winning 6-2 4-6 6-4. Anisimova faltered having three times led by a break of serve in the second set, with both players finding the windy conditions difficult. The turning point came after Olympic champion Zheng had recovered from another poor start to a set to lead 3-2 in the decider. The Chinese star had three chances to make it four games in a row but Anisimova withstood the pressure and broke serve in the next game on her way to a first grass-court final. 'I'm so happy to be through this match,' said the 23-year-old. 'I've never gotten a win over her. 'Every time we've played we've had some really tough battles and I was just really relieved at the end there. The conditions were very tricky but we still managed to play some really good tennis.' On facing Maria, Anisimova added: 'I'm super happy to see her in the final. It's incredible what she's doing and her family is so cute. It's really special for her and it's going to be a great final.' Meanwhile, there was a career-best victory in qualifying for the men's event next week for Britain's former Wimbledon junior champion Henry Searle. The 19-year-old claimed a 7-6 (0) 7-6 (6) win over top seed Bu Yunchaokete and will take on American Mackenzie McDonald for a place in the main draw.
