| Full name | Robert Hayes Ryland |
|---|---|
| Country (sports) | United States |
| Born | June 16, 1920 Chicago, Illinois, US |
| Died | August 2, 2020 (aged 100) Provincetown, Massachusetts, US |
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) |
| Plays |
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| Singles | |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| US Open | 1R (1955) |
Bob Ryland (June 16, 1920 – August 2, 2020) was an American tennis player and coach, known for having been the first African-American to play professional tennis.[1] Ryland coached some of the world's top-ranked professionals, including; Harold Solomon, Renee Blount, Leslie Allen, Arthur Ashe, Bruce Foxworth, Venus Williams and Serena Williams. Ryland also taught and coached at clubs in Bermuda, Puerto Rico, St. Alban's Tennis Club in Washington, D.C., and the Mid-Town Tennis Club in Manhattan. Ryland was inducted into the Wayne State University Athletic Hall of Fame (1991), Black Tennis Hall of Fame (2009), and the Eastern Tennis Hall of Fame in 2002, where he also received a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012.