The First African American Tennis Tournament Winner
Introduction
Arthur Ashe Jr. was the first African American to win many major tennis tournaments and to be ranked #1 in the world. He also was a great influence outside of the sport and established his own foundation called the Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health. As a result of his work, he expanded the boundaries for African Americans and other minorities in tennis and helped influence people all around the world.
Early Life
Arthur Robert Ashe Jr. grew up in Richmond, Virginia and was born in 1943 to Arthur Sr. and Mattie C. Ashe. Arthur’s father managed a park called Brook Field, which had tennis courts. When Arthur was only six years old his mother passed away due to complications from surgery. That same year Arthur started learning how to play tennis with Ronald Charity, Mr. Charity was one of the best African-American college tennis players in the nation. He taught Arthur many basic but essential skills that are a big part of the tennis game, such as how to grip the racket, proper form, and many different strokes. During the next few years, Arthur started to enter different tournaments at black-only parks in the area.
As Arthur’s skills improved, it was obvious he needed a new coach to keep advancing his game. This was when he met Dr. Walter Johnson, who would stick with him all of his life. Dr. Walter Johnson was a physician who also coached lots of talented African American youth and adults. One of Dr.Johnson's most accomplished students was Althea Gibson. Althea Gibson was an African American tennis player, who was the first person of color to win a Grand Slam title, including Wimbledon, the US Open, the French Open, and the Australian Open. Arthur knew that if he wanted to be a champion like Althea Gibson he would have to start working with Dr. Johnson as much as he could. At the age of 10, Arthur started spending his summers at a tennis camp at Dr. Johnson’s house in Lynchburg, VA. Arthur was not very fond of Dr. Johnson’s training at first but he stuck with it because he knew it would make him better. During his senior year, Arthur moved to St.Louis, Missouri, and lived with Richard Hudlin. This was because Arthur and his father knew that in order for him to get better he would have to start playing tennis year-round, but there were no indoor courts for blacks in Richmond. While in St.Louis Arthur learned many advanced tactics and started developing his game to a professional level.
Amateur and Professional Career
In 1961, Arthur graduated first in his class from Sumner High School. He earned a tennis scholarship to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and was the first African American ever to attend the school on this scholarship. Even though he was part of the UCLA team, some places still would not let him play. One example was when he was not allowed to play at the Balboa Bay Club in Newport Beach, California. He continued to stay strong and focused on his game. During his second year at UCLA Arthur qualified to play in the championships at Wimbledon in London.
One thing that troubled him was that he couldn’t find a way to pay for the trip. Then, after one of his tennis tournaments, he met a woman named Mrs. Ogner. She was a wealthy white woman who told him that she would pay for his trip. During his first year at Wimbledon, he made it to the third round and then ended up losing to Chuck McKinley who finished with the men’s singles title. In 1963 Arthur won a spot on the US Davis Cup team. Arthur was the first black man to be named to the US team. In his first match with the cup team, he beat Orlando Bracamonte from Venezuela's cup team. Arthur went on to rack up many wins in his college playing career and in 1966 he graduated with a degree in business.
During the years 1966-1968 Arthur was in the U.S. army. During his time in the army, he still competed in many tennis tournaments and started to gain popularity all around the world. In 1968 Arthur competed in his first U.S. Open. He made it all the way to the finals and defeated Tom Okker to win the title. Arthur couldn’t accept the prize money because he was still an amateur.
Soon afterward Arthur and his teammates won the Davis Cup over Australia and after that, he decided to go pro. 1969 was a big year for Ashe with his decision to go pro and with co-founding The National Junior Tennis League with Sheridan Snyder, and Charlie Pasarell. This organization gave kids who didn't have opportunities to play tennis the chance to do so. Arthur followed his decision to go pro by winning the Australian Open and then was put on the covers of Sports Illustrated and Life. He was ranked #1 in the US. and Many different companies wanted him to represent their products but some of the bigger ones were Coca-Cola and American Express. Arthur tried to apply to get a visa to travel to the South African Open in South Africa but was denied every time he tried. This helped motivate him to use tennis as a platform to speak out against segregation in South Africa (apartheid), racial bias in America, and many other important things. In 1970 Arthur was able to get South Africa kicked out of the Davis Cup competition. A few years later Arthur was finally cleared to play in the South African Open and came home with another title under his belt after winning the men’s doubles title with Tom Okker. In 1975 Arthur competed in his last ever Wimbledon. He made it to the finals and faced Jimmy Connors. Jimmy was much younger and Arthur was out of his prime playing days. Still, Arthur just played his game and ended up winning the title and would achieve the #1 men’s ranking in the world. After this, his playing started to decline and he soon after Arthur retired.
Retirement/ Later Life
In 1977 Arthur married Jeanne Moutoussamy, an accomplished photographer. In 1979 Arthur had a heart attack but was able to recover. Even after his heart attack, he did not slow down. He kept doing lots in the tennis scene such as being a tennis commentator and professional tennis coach. He coached the US Davis Cup Team to two titles during his years as the coach. He was also involved with the creation of the United States Tennis Association. In 1986 Arthur and his wife Jeanne decided to adopt a child and named her Camera after her mother’s profession. In 1988 Arthur’s three-volume book “A Hard Road To Glory” was published. This book told the stories of African-American athletes in all different sports. This same year Arthur found out he had gotten HIV/AIDS from a blood transfusion during his second heart surgery. On April 8, 1992, Arthur Ashe revealed to the world his condition, even though he knew that he would be insulted and criticized for having the virus. He began to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS and worked hard raising money for HIV research to find a cure. He fought for other important causes even if they did not affect him directly, such joining protests to demand better treatment of Haitian refugees. Arthur was arrested during these protests. That year he was named “Sportsman of the Year” by Sports Illustrated.
In the last months of Arthur’s life, he founded an institute called The Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health. This institute helps provide good education and health care to people living in urban communities. It is based out of Brooklyn and more information about the organization can be found on https://www.arthurasheinstitute.org/. In 1993 at the age of 49 Arthur Robert Ashe Jr. died because of AIDS-related pneumonia. Following his death, a memorial statue was built in his hometown of Richmond, VA. On a street filled with statues of Confederate soldiers, Arthur stood strong as a role model to all, no matter their differences.
Conclusion
Arthur Ashe inspired almost everyone he met, both in America and around the world. One of Arthur Ashe’s quotes that made an impact on me, was when he said,” From what we get, we can make a living. What we give; however, makes a life.” This quote really showed how he always wanted to give back and help, even if the cause did not affect him personally. Arthur also evolved the game of tennis and played a big role in opening the door for African-Americans and other minorities in tennis. For all that he did on and off the court, Arthur’s legacy will never be forgotten.
