Blake Strode

Blake Strode (born July 9, 1987 in St. Louis, Missouri) is an American civil rights lawyer serving as the executive director of ArchCity Defenders (ACD), and is a former professional tennis player.

Strode grew up in Charlack, Berkeley, and Bridgeton, in North St. Louis County, Missouri,[1] and graduated first in his class at Pattonville High School in Maryland Heights[2] in 2005.

[1] At Harvard, he participated in the student practice organization "Project No One Leaves," reaching out to recently-foreclosed homeowners and informing them of their legal rights.

He graduated in 2015, after several high-profile police brutality cases including the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri.

However, due to number one seed Gaël Monfils withdrawing with a knee injury, Strode gained entry into the main draw where he lost in the second round.