Arthur Ashe was a Hall of Fame tennis player and humanitarian. Ashe was born and raised in segregated Richmond, Virginia. He began playing tennis for the love of the game at public recreation courts. At the age of ten, Ashe started training with Dr. Walter Johnson, who coached black tennis and golfing phenomenon, Althea Gibson. His tennis career was given notice in 1963, as he was named for the first time to the U.S. Davis Cup Team—a feat repeated eight times including four years in a row. In 1965, his fame increased as he led UCLA to the NCAA tennis championship. Three years later, as an amateur, he astonishingly won a Grand Slam title, winning the 1968 U.S. Open: an achievement repeated at the 1970 Australian Open, and 1975 Wimbledon. In the process Ashe was ranked #1 in men’s tennis on two occasions in 1969 and 1975. Every accomplishment mentioned was a first for black men in the sport.

As a humanitarian, Ashe was just as prolific as on the court. Throughout Ashe’s eleven-year career (1969-1980) and in retirement, he was in the forefront of the South African anti-apartheid movement, developing tennis programs for inner city youth, and co-founding the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP).

Several years after being diagnosed with HIV in 1988 from a tainted blood transfusion during bypass surgery, Ashe publicly disclosed his condition and became a champion for AIDS awareness and research. In retirement Ashe was a popular tennis commentator for HBO Sports, ABC Sports, and Tennis Magazine. He also was widely published. Arthur Ashe was not only a trailblazer in desegregating tennis, but he also represents a fabulous model for current athletes on how to use fame as a  platform to address inequities in sport and humanitarian concerns which impact our world.

Sources:
http://www.cmgww.com/sports/ashe/about/bio.htm
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/tennis/features/1997/arthurashe/biography.html

Contributor(s):
Ruffin II, Herbert G.
Claremont Graduate University

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