Artist Melissa Koby creates US Open theme art ^{CEFR B2}

With the 2025 US Open underway, Melissa Koby — a Jamaican-born artist living in Florida — has become the first Black artist chosen to create the tournament's theme imagery. The project, titled "75 Years of Breaking Barriers," honours Althea Gibson, the pioneering player who broke racial and gender barriers in tennis.

Koby described an emotional process: she channelled the spirit of her late grandmother, who left school early and raised nine children in difficult circumstances. That personal history informed her decision to prioritise representation and narrative over exact likeness, so the work uses layered paper and faceless figures to tell a wider story.

The composition places several profiles of Gibson over a US Open-blue court and includes symbolic details such as the Statue of Liberty, Arthur Ashe Stadium and the Tiffany trophies awarded to champions. Koby began with digital art, then cut paper by hand and later invested in a laser cutter to produce pieces she could sell.

• Where it will appear: posters and banners across the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
• Future plans: a life-sized installation and scaled gallery works.
• Broader aim: to encourage young Black and Caribbean creatives.

Reflecting on her role, Koby said, "I get to be a pinpoint in her story, and that feels like the real honour."