The Face of Adversity
Arthur Ashe’s perseverance through passion
A calm fist pump. Regardless of ones’ tennis knowledge, watching the video of Arthur Ashe beating Jimmy Connors in the 1975 final of Wimbledon is shocking. After defeating the defending champion, Jimmy Connors, at the biggest tournament in tennis, Wimbledon, one would think an incredible amount of emotion would be shown. The stadium erupted after Ashe slammed the ball out of Connors reach, and all he did was raise his hand and form a single fist in the air.
Any other player would have dropped on the ground, thrown their racket in the air, or yelled at the top of their lungs in excitement over a victory as large as this. However, Arthur Ashe was not the average player. His unprecedented sportsmanship on the court was a quality that separated him as one of the greatest to ever play. Due to barriers such as skin color and the time period, Ashe was trained to show no emotion on the court because he knew he would never get the benefit of the doubt.
Ashe was born on July 10, 1943 in Richmond, Va. Being the former capital of the Confederacy, Richmond was not the easiest place to grow up for a young black Arthur Ashe. His father worked as a caretaker on one of the only black sports recreation grounds in Richmond, where he could use all the facilities that it had to offer. He started making use of the tennis courts, and his talent was instantly evident. The best black tennis player at the time in Richmond, Ron Charity, noticed how well Ashe could play and decided to take him under his wing.
Ashe was then ushered into a summer camp that he would attend every year from age 10 to age 17. This summer camp was not only a turning point in Ashe’s tennis career, but also in his character. He trained very diligently throughout this time and was playing in a lot of tournaments to step his game up even further. This camp was run by Hall of Famer, Dr. Robert Johnson, who was known widely for his etiquette and class on the tennis court. He made a huge impact on Ashe’s tennis game, and taught the importance of racial socialization through sportsmanship, etiquette, and composure on and off the tennis court. This teaching of sportsmanship would stick with Ashe the rest of his career.
He was also taught that he was never going to get any breaks from referees. Because he was playing white opponents, he would often get referees that would favor his opponent. To eliminate all room for debate, Ashe was taught to play any ball that was within 2 inches of the line and to never argue with the umpire’s decision.
Becoming the first African American recruited by the U.S. Davis Cup team in 1963, Ashe began down a road of many firsts. After winning the U.S. Open and shocking the world in 1968, Ashe became the first, and so far the only, African American man to win the title. He established another huge accomplishment as he defeated Jimmy Connors and was named winner of the 1975 Wimbledon — the first, and to this day the only, African American man to achieve this a title. Later that same year, Ashe was ranked the number one tennis player in the world. Ten years later, Arthur Ashe was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame, being the first African American to do so.
Being the incredible trail blazer for African American tennis, Ashe was faced with a great deal of responsibility and influence. With this, Ashe became a great activist for inner city tennis programs for youth. His support shines with his assistance in founding the Association of Men’s Tennis Professionals.
However, Ashe’s tennis career came to an end after suffering a heart attack in 1979. From there, his health issues gradually deteriorated as he underwent several bypass surgeries and a rather serious brain surgery that revealed his contracted HIV and AIDS. Instead of repressing or deteriorating, Ashe took his health battle and, again, used his responsibility and influence to raise awareness about his disease. Following the same format as the Association of Men’s Tennis Professionals, Ashe developed a new foundation, the Arthur Ashe Endowment for the Defeat of AIDS (AAEDA) to not only pave a way of refuge for African Americans, but a refuge for all battling with AIDS.
Arthur Ashe’s trail blazing tennis career was only the beginning to the work he put in to being an inspirational figure. Instead of relishing in his accomplishments and reputation, Ashe continually chose to encourage and urge others to shock the world and make a difference. The amount of dedication and heart it took for Arthur Ashe to make it out of Richmond and become the face of professional tennis is immeasurable. The way he handled every challenge that was thrown at him along with his persona was admirable in every way. Arthur Ashe truly lived a life of passion.
