If you missed the French Open this week, hopefully you were tuned in to Yvonne Orji‘s Instagram for some genuine joy for the Black tennis players dominating this year’s tournament.
Recording at 3 a.m. Paris time, still buzzing from a full day courtside at Roland Garros, the Insecure actress and comedian turned her Instagram story into a love letter to Black tennis. “Tennis won today,” she declared from her bed after a day at the tournament. “But more than tennis, Black tennis won today.”
Orji’s relationship with tennis is deeply personal, rooted in her Nigerian immigrant upbringing. Her father introduced her to the sport by putting Wimbledon on all day during the summer, much to the frustration of a young Yvonne, who just wanted to watch cartoons. But it eventually became their thing, and she carried that love into high school, where she actually played. At Roland Garros, she blended into the crowd not as a casual celebrity but as a genuine superfan.
And her relationship with these players isn’t new. Long before Roland Garros, Orji had already embedded herself in the Black tennis world. At the Desert Smash charity celebrity tennis event in 2024, she partnered with Frances Tiafoe on the court specifically because of their diasporic connection, with him being Sierra Leonean and her being Nigerian. She also teamed up with Naomi Osaka earlier this year at the same charity event, taking down Alexander Zverev. Orji wrote afterward that she loves how many more Black and brown players there are in the sport and how they are showing up to support each other.
So it makes sense that Orji took her superfandom to the French Open, where she got to see Osaka in action live, watch Moise Kouame’s five-set thriller, cheer on Coco Gauff, track Victoria Mboko’s third-round run, and make sure Felix Auger-Aliassime got his flowers too. She even shared some heartfelt sentiments on her page, celebrating Hailey Baptiste’s journey and historic run to the main draw.
Orji even dropped some Black tennis history on her Instagram story. Yannick Noah was the last Frenchman to win the French Open, 43 years ago. Gaël Monfils started playing because of Noah, and just retired after a 19-year career. Moise Kouame, the 17-year-old wildcard who had all of Paris on their feet, credits Monfils as the reason he ever picked up a racket. Three generations of Black French tennis, each one inspiring the next, and Orji helped weave these facts together for the fans watching her Instagram for French Open updates. That kind of sharp knowledge comes from genuinely loving the sport and paying attention to it long before it became trendy.
Fashion has always had a complicated but undeniable relationship with tennis. From Serena Williams’ catsuits to Naomi Osaka’s head-to-toe Nike looks, what you wear on and around the court has long been a statement, especially for the women playing. Orji understood the assignment. She arrived at Roland Garros in a Malbon top, Frankie Shop pants, and Gucci frames, a look that was effortlessly chic without trying too hard, which is exactly the energy the French Open demands. And she wasn’t the only one serving looks. When Osaka stepped onto the clay in a gold outfit that caught the light on every swing, Orji made sure the internet noticed, pointing out that the fit was glowing just as hard as Osaka’s game.
After hours of baking in the Paris sun without a single water break, Orji was still too wired to sleep. And honestly, can you blame her? When you’re busy witnessing a generational passing of the torch, a little sleep deprivation is a small price to pay.
Tennis won this week, but through Orji’s lens, the real victory was seeing just how bright the sport’s future looks.