Ashe, Arthur (Robert, Jr) (1943–1993)
US tennis player and coach. He won the US national men's singles title at Forest Hills and the first US Open in 1968. Known for his exceptionally strong serve, Ashe turned professional in 1969. Playing in an environment that was initially hostile to black participation in a traditionally white sport, he won the Australian Open men's title in 1970 and Wimbledon in 1975. He also topped the world rankings twice, in 1968 and 1975. Cardiac problems ended his playing career in 1979, but he continued his involvement with the sport as captain of the US Davis Cup team, leading them to victory in 1981 and 1982. In 1992 he launched a fund-raising campaign to combat AIDS.
Career highlights
Wimbledon
1975
US Open
1968
Australian Open
1970
Davis Cup
captain 1981, 1982
Tournament wins
33
| Born in Richmond, Virginia, Ashe was at first refused entry to Richmond's junior tournaments because of his race; even at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) – which he entered on a tennis scholarship in 1962 – his tennis team excluded him when they played at fashionable country clubs. Pursuing his conviction that sport could help overcome injustice, as an established champion Ashe made a point of visiting South Africa despite the opposition of many black South Africans. His involvement in anti-apartheid protests led to his being arrested on two occasions. He was co-founder of the Black Tennis Association. |
| Ashe suffered his first heart attack in 1979. He contracted the HIV virus from a blood transfusion following a multiple bypass operation; the infection was diagnosed in 1988. From 1979 Ashe devoted himself to various tennis-related activities, including broadcasting, writing, and charity work; the Arthur Ashe Foundation for the Defeat of AIDS was launched on the eve of the 1992 US Open. The main stadium at the US Open championship is named in his memory. |
