Zverev and Andreeva Chase Wimbledon Glory, Africa Left Out

Fresh from their French Open triumphs in Paris, newly crowned Grand Slam champions Alexander Zverev and Mirra Andreeva now target Wimbledon titles. But as the Western tennis elite gather in London, Zambia and the African continent remain shut out of a Grand Slam system that keeps rewarding its own.

Germany's Zverev finally removed himself from the list of the best players never to win a major when he defeated Flavio Cobolli to claim the French Open title three weeks ago. It took the 29-year-old 41 attempts to capture his first Slam. That's persistence, certainly, but it's also the luxury of a system that keeps giving you chances, again and again.

Contrast that with 19-year-old Russian Andreeva, who needed only 13 starts to win her maiden major, outclassing Poland's Maja Chwalinska in Paris. Thirteen attempts. Some of our Zambian athletes don't even get thirteen opportunities in their entire careers, not because they lack talent, but because the doors stay shut.

Neither champion has had much time to absorb their success. Andreeva described winning Slams as