Research Paper

Ashe, Arthur (1943–1993)

Nancy E. Spencer

Sports around the World: History, Culture, and Practice.  Ed. John Nauright and Charles Parrish. Vol. 3: Latin America and North America. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2012. p167-168.

Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2012 ABC-CLIO, LLC

Full Text: 

Page 167

Ashe, Arthur (1943–1993)

The contributions of Arthur Ashe extend well beyond the boundaries of his sport. Ten years after Althea Gibson broke the color barrier in tennis, Ashe became the first (and only) black male to win a major tournament. In 1968, as an amateur, he won the first U.S. Open at Forest Hills. As a professional, he won singles titles at the Australian Open (1970) and Wimbledon (1975). He holds the distinction of being the only player to win both the U.S. Amateur and U.S. Open championships, a feat that is unlikely to be duplicated. During his career, Ashe compiled a record of 35 amateur and 33 professional singles titles, as well as 18 professional doubles titles. He reached a high ranking of No. 2 in the world in 1968 and remained in the top 10 for a decade. Ashe played on the U.S. Davis Cup team for 10 years, winning the coveted cup three times

[Image Omitted: satw_0001_0003_0_img0141.jpg ]  Arthur Ashe was a talented professional tennis player and the first nationally recognized African-American male in the sport. (AP/Wide World Photos)  

(1968–1970); he also captained the team for five years, winning it twice as captain (1981 and 1982).

Arthur Ashe's tennis legacy pales in comparison to his commitment to humanitarian causes. A firm believer in the importance of education, Ashe obtained a degree in business administration from UCLA, where he won the NCAA singles and doubles titles in 1965. He became an advocate for higher academic standards for African American athletes and further demonstrated his commitment to education by founding the National Junior Tennis League (NJTL), which eventually became the National Junior Tennis and Learning Network. Later, he developed a mentoring program for at-risk children in Richmond (“Virginia's Heroes”), and wrote a three-volume history of African American Page 168 athletes, A Hard Road to Glory. The Safe Passage Foundation also reflects his commitment to at-risk youth.

Ashe supported many other humanitarian causes, including the battle against apartheid in South Africa, opposition to U.S. policy toward Haitian immigrants, and the fight against AIDS, the disease that eventually took his life. As a result of his stance against apartheid, Ashe was the first American that Nelson Mandela wanted to meet after he was released from prison. Even after his death, Ashe continued to break barriers. President Bill Clinton honored Ashe in 1993, when he was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. In 1996, after heated debate in his hometown of Richmond, Virginia, a statue of Ashe was constructed on the corner of Monument Avenue and Roseneath, a cultural space that had previously been occupied solely by Confederate heroes. In 1997, a fitting tribute to his tennis legacy was made when Arthur Ashe Stadium was dedicated at the U.S. National Tennis Center. Arthur Ashe Kids' Day has since been featured each year on the day before the U.S. Open begins.

Nancy E. Spencer