Arthur Ashe Wins at Wimbledon
Arthur Ashe made history on July 5, 1975, when he became the first Black player to win the Wimbledon men's singles title. Born in Richmond, Virginia, Ashe began playing tennis at a young age, overcoming significant racial barriers throughout his career. He excelled in tennis, earning a scholarship to UCLA and becoming the first African American selected for the U.S. Davis Cup team in 1963. Despite facing racism, including being denied entry to tournaments, Ashe's talent led him to numerous achievements, culminating in his Wimbledon victory against Jimmy Connors.
Ashe's influence extended beyond tennis; he was an advocate for social justice issues, including opposition to apartheid and raising awareness about AIDS, which he contracted following heart surgeries. After his retirement from professional tennis in 1980, Ashe founded the Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health to promote health education and access to care. His legacy is honored through various tributes, including the renaming of the U.S. Tennis Center's main stadium in his name. Ashe's contributions to sports and social issues continue to inspire many today.
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Arthur Ashe Wins at Wimbledon
Arthur Ashe Wins at Wimbledon
On July 5, 1975, Arthur Robert Ashe Jr. became the first black tennis player to win the Wimbledon men's singles title. Active in tennis as a player and as a coach, he was also outspoken on various issues of the day, such as apartheid in South Africa and the disease acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), which ultimately took his life.
Ashe was born on July 10, 1943, in Richmond, Virginia, and began playing tennis at the age of seven in a neighborhood park. He proved to be exceptional at the game, and began to play under the direction of Walter Johnson, who also taught the game to 1957 Wimbledon champion Althea Gibson. However, Ashe's progress was often blocked by racism. For example, in 1955 he was turned away from the Richmond City Tennis Tournament because he was black. After he graduated first in his high school class, Ashe went to the University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA) on a tennis scholarship. While there, he was chosen to be a part of the 1963 U.S. Davis Cup team, the first African American to be selected for such a position. In 1965 he won the U.S. intercollegiate singles championship as well as the doubles titles.
In 1966 Ashe graduated from UCLA and was commissioned into the U.S. Army Reserve as a second lieutenant. During his active service, he continued to play for the U.S. Davis Cup team, winning several tournaments, and following his honorable discharge from the Army in 1969, Ashe became a professional tennis player. Along with several other players, he formed the Association of Tennis Professionals which today oversees rankings, prize money, and various international events. Also in 1969, Ashe was denied a visa to play in the South African Open by the racist apartheid regime of South Africa, which eventually led to sanctions against that country's participation in international tennis. His continued successes were undiminished by racism, however, and on July 5, 1975, culminated in his defeat of fellow American Jimmy Conners to win the singles title from the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club at Wimbledon and earn the number-one ranking in the United States. Ashe was the first black man to achieve such a victory in the world's most prestigious tennis competition.
Ashe began to suffer from serious health problems in the late 1970s. He underwent coronary bypass surgery in 1979 and again in 1983. In 1980 he retired from active professional tennis competition and was inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame in 1985. In 1988 Ashe tested positive for AIDS, most likely acquired from a blood transfusion during one of his heart surgeries. Concerned that disclosing his condition would be detrimental to his family, Ashe did not publicly acknowledge that he had AIDS until a press conference on April 8, 1992. On December 3 of that same year, Ashe announced the creation of the Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health. Its purpose, according to its mission statement, includes “preventing illness and disease through health education and treatment in traditional and non-traditional settings” and “assuring availability of care through training in urban medicine and allied health disciplines.” Ashe died on February 6, 1993, in New York City. Thousands of people attended his funeral in Richmond and his memorial service in New York. In 1997 the U.S. Tennis Center's main stadium in New York City was renamed the Arthur Ashe Stadium.
During his final years, Ashe wrote two books, A Hard Road to Glory: A History of the African-American Athlete (three volumes, 1988), and Days of Grace: A Memoir (1993). Ashe is also remembered for his work on behalf of AIDS-related causes after the news of his condition became public.