Arthur Ashe - Biography Childhood / Formative Years On July 10, 1943 Arthur Robert Ashe Jr. was born to parents Arthur Sr. and Mattie C. Ashe in Richmond, Virginia. Arthur began learning tennis from an early age, in part because his father took a post at Brook Field in 1947. The position came with a house that was located in the middle of the blacks-only playground at Brook Field, which was an 18-acre park that included tennis courts. At the same time as he was playing tennis, he was an avid reader and straight A student. In 1950, a few months before Arthur's 7th birthday, his mother died of complications from surgery. In 1950 Arthur met Ronald Charity, one of the best black tennis players in the nation and a part-time tennis coach, who took an interest in Arthur. He began working with him regularly, teaching him strokes and proper form. By 1953 it was apparent that Arthur had a talent for tennis but needed a proper coach in order to keep improving. At this point Charity introduced him to Dr. Walter Johnson, who would become his lifelong coach and mentor. Dr.

Johnson was also the coach of the only African-American competing in world tennis at that time, Althea Gibson. Teen Years Arthur continued with his tennis under Johnson's instruction and in 1958 became the first African-American to play in the Maryland boys' championships. This was also his first integrated tennis competition. During the summer Arthur could travel and participate in competitive tournaments around the country; during the school year his competition was much more limited because he was limited to black opponents from Richmond and there were only outdoor tennis courts for blacks. In order for him to continue his tennis, he was sent away before beginning his senior year in high school to St. Louis, Missouri. He stayed with a friend of Johnson, Richard Hudlin and enjoyed a number of strong tennis opponents. At this time he was also making a name for himself, having won multiple junior tennis tournaments around the nation and being featured in the December 12, 1960 issue of Sports Illustrated as a Face in the Crowd. It was at this time that the University of California, Los Angeles offered him a full scholarship to attend college there. College Years Upon graduating from high school first in his class, Arthur went to UCLA, which had one of the best college tennis programs.

Playing there brought him more recognition amongst tennis enthusiasts. That year he was also named to the U.S. Davis Cup team as its first African-American player. He continued to play on the team until 1970, and then again in 1975, 1976 and 1978. As a sophomore at UCLA, Arthur was featured again in Sports Illustrated's Faces in the Crowd as an up and coming athlete of some note. During his time in college he maintained good grades while pursuing tennis. He was active in other things, joining the Upsilon chapter of the Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity on campus. In 1966 Arthur graduated with a degree in business administration, the first member on the paternal side of his family to graduate college. In addition to finishing his studies Arthur had in 1965 won the individual NCAA championship and had significantly contributed to UCLA's winning the team NCAA tennis championship. Military Service Following school Arthur served his country, joining the U.S. Army from 1966-68. While stationed at West Point in New York, he eventually reached the rank of second lieutenant.

During his time in the army he continued to play tennis, participating in the Davis Cup and other tournaments. Still an amateur, Arthur triumphed over Tom Okker of the Netherlands on September 9, 1968 to win the first U.S. Open. Unfortunately, because of his amateur status he could not accept the prize money, which was given to Okker despite his loss. He is the only African-American man to ever win the title. Upon returning to West Point, Arthur entered the dining hall that evening where, unexpectedly, everyone gave him a enthusiastic standing ovation. Soon thereafter in 1969 Arthur co-founded the National Junior Tennis League with Charlie Pasarell, a tennis player who later went on to be a tournament director and commentator, and Sheridan Snyder, a tennis enthusiast. The program was designed to expose children to tennis who might not otherwise have opportunities to play while fostering a sense of discipline and attention to academics. This was the first of many programs with which Arthur would become involved, many of them focusing on youths, minorities, education, tennis, or some intersection thereof. For Arthur, however, the tennis programs he was involved with were not oriented toward producing professional athletes but instead used tennis as a vehicle for teaching life skills.

Professional Years In 1969 Arthur first applied for a visa to travel to South Africa and compete in the South African Open. At the time the country's government enforced a strict policy of racial segregation called Apartheid. Because of this they denied him a South African visa despite his number 1 U.S. ranking. He continued to keep applying for visas, and the country continued to deny him. In protest he used this example of discrimination to campaign for the expulsion of the nation from the International Lawn Tennis Federation. This was the beginning of his activism against Apartheid, which would become a central issue to him for the next two decades. In January of 1970 Arthur won the Australian open, the second of his three career grand Slam singles titles. By the early 70s he had become one of the most famous tennis players. Along with Arthur's growing celebrity status, the sport of tennis was becoming more and more popular. However, the earnings of tennis players did not reflect the increased interest and therefore revenue. In response to this he partnered in creating the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) in 1972 with Jack Kramer and others. The ATP was formed to represent the interests of male tennis pros.

Prior to its formation players had less control over their earnings or their tournament schedule. Two years later he was elected as the President of ATP. South Africa eventually granted Arthur a visa in 1973. He was the first black pro to play in the national championships there where he reached the singles finals and won the doubles title with Tom Okker. 1975 would prove a banner year for Arthur. On July 5, 1975 he defeated the heavily favored Jimmy Connors in four sets to win the Wimbledon singles title. He was the first and only black man to win the most prestigious grass-court tournament. This year he also attained the #1 men's ranking in the world. Family Life In 1976 Arthur met Jeanne Moutoussamy, a photographer, who he married on February 20, 1977. The ceremony was held at the United Nations chapel in New York and was presided over by Andrew Young, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N. In 1979 Arthur suffered a heart attack while holding a tennis clinic in New York. He was hospitalized for ten days afterwards and later that year underwent quadruple-bypass surgery.

He continued to suffer chest pains though and in 1980 decided to retire from tennis with a career record of 818 wins, 260 losses and 51 titles. Arthur's retirement from tennis in no way meant slowing down. He took on many new tasks: writing for Time Magazine, the Washington Post and Tennis Magazine; commentating for ABC Sports; and continuing his activism against the South African Apartheid regime. That same year, in fact, he was appointed captain of the U.S. Davis Cup team. Under his leadership—including members such as John McEnroe, Peter Fleming and Jimmy Connors over his period as captain—the U.S. won the Davis Cup in 1981 and 1982. In 1981 he also served as national chairman of the American Heart Association. In 1983 Arthur went through a second bypass surgery. After the operation, in order to accelerate his recovery, he received a blood transfusion. It was this transfusion that resulted in him contracting human immunodeficiency virus or HIV.

Also in 1983, along with Harry Belafonte, he founded Artists and Athletes Against Apartheid, which worked toward raising awareness of Apartheid policies and lobbying for sanctions and embargoes against the South African government. Two years later the immense courage of his convictions were displayed when he was arrested outside the South African embassy in Washington during an anti-apartheid protest on January 11, 1985. That same year his career was officially commemorated by his induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, RI. The next year marked another very important milestone for Arthur Ashe. On December 21, 1986 his daughter, Camera, was born. Around this time he also agreed to teach a course at Florida Memorial College, "The Black Athlete in Contemporary Society." In preparation for this, he searched libraries for a book detailing history of Black Americans in sports up through the present. The most up-to-date and comprehensive text available was from 20 years before. This was the inspiration for him to begin work on his 3-volume book "A Hard Road To Glory," which was published in 1988.

During this period he also founded the ABC Cities Tennis Program, the Athlete-Career Connection, and the Safe Passage Foundation. After feeling numbness in his right hand, Arthur was hospitalized again in 1988. Tests showed that he had a bacterial infection called toxoplasmosis, most often present in people with HIV. After further testing it was revealed that he had HIV, the virus that can cause AIDS. This information was kept private at the time. Continuing to work he returned to South Africa again in 1991 to witness the change to which his tireless work had contributed. As part of a 31-member delegation, he got to observe the political changes in the country as it began repealing apartheid legislation and moving toward integration. His commitment and efforts toward this cause were such that when Nelson Mandela, a political prisoner of the South African government for 27 years, was first set free and was asked whom in the U.S. he wished to have visit, he said, "How about Arthur Ashe?" In 1992 the newspaper USA Today contacted him about reports of his illness, which had hitherto been secret.

Arthur decided to preempt the paper and go public on his own terms holding a press conference with his wife on April 8, 1992 to announce that he had contracted AIDS. This incited a whirlwind of publicity and attention, which Arthur used to raise awareness about AIDS and its victims. In his memoir "Days of Grace" he wrote, "I do not like being the personification of a problem, much less a problem involving a killer disease, but I know I must seize these opportunities to spread the word." In the last year of his life he founded the Arthur Ashe Foundation for the Defeat of AIDS, which raised money for research into treating, curing and preventing AIDS, the end goal being the eradication of the disease. He also spoke before the U.N. General Assembly on World AIDS day imploring the delegates to increase funding for AIDS research and discussing the need to address AIDS as a world issue, anticipating the global spread of the disease in the coming years. He also continued his activism in other sectors. He was arrested during a protest against U.S. policy toward Haitian refugees outside the White House.

That year Arthur Ashe was named Sports Illustrated's Sportsman of the Year, an honor bestowed upon "the athlete or team whose performance that year most embodies the spirit of sportsmanship and achievement," undoubtedly due to his incessant work and indefatigable spirit. Two months before his death he founded the Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health, to help address issues of inadequate health care delivery to urban minority populations. He also dedicated time in his last few months to writing "Days of Grace," his memoir that he finished only days before his death. On February 6, 1993 Arthur Ashe died of AIDS-related pneumonia in New York at the age of 49. His body was laid in state at the Governor's Mansion in his hometown of Richmond, VA. He was the first person to lie in state at the mansion since the Confederate general Stonewall Jackson in 1863. More than 5,000 people lined up to walk past the casket. His funeral was attended by nearly 6,000 people including New York City mayor David Dinkins, Virginia governor L. Douglas Wilder, Secretary of Commerce Ron Brown and Rainbow Coalition chairman Jesse Jackson. Andrew Young, the former U.N.

ambassador and Atlanta mayor who had married Arthur, delivered the eulogy. On what would have been Arthur's 53rd birthday, July 10, 1996, a statue of him was dedicated on Richmond's Monument Avenue. Before this, Monument Avenue had commemorated Confederate war heroes; in fact, as a child Arthur would not even have been able to visit Monument Avenue because of the color of his skin. Arthur is depicted carrying books in one hand and a tennis racket in the other, symbolizing his love of knowledge and tennis. In 1997 the USTA announced that the new center stadium at the USTA National Tennis Center would be named Arthur Ashe Stadium, commemorating the life of the first U.S. Open men's champion in the place where all future U.S. Open champions will be determined.

View a montage of photographs of Arthur Ashe from his birth on July 10th, 1943 to his death on February 6th, 1993 in the slideshow video above Life Story Arthur Ashe Biography - life, children, name, history, school, mother, young, information, born, college, time Arthur Ashe Biography New York, New York African American tennis player and activist Arthur Ashe was the first African American player to compete in the international sport of tennis at the highest level of the game. After an early retirement from sports due to heart surgery, Ashe used his sportsman profile and legendary poise to promote human rights, education, and public health. Early years Arthur Robert Ashe Jr. was born on July 10, 1943, in Richmond, Virginia. He spent most of his early years with his mother, Mattie Cordell Cunningham Ashe, who taught him to read at age five. She died the next year of heart disease. Ashe's father, Arthur Ashe Sr., worked as a caretaker for a park named Brook Field in suburban North Richmond. Young Arthur lived on the grounds with four tennis courts, a pool, and three baseball diamonds.

This was the key to his development as a future star athlete. His early nickname was "Skinny" or "Bones," but he grew up to be six feet one inch with a lean build. Ashe began playing tennis at age six. He received instruction from R. Walter "Whirlwind" Johnson, an African American doctor from Lynchburg, Virginia, who opened his home in the summers to tennis prospects, including the great Althea Gibson (1927–). Johnson used military-style methods to teach tennis skills and to stress his special code of sportsmanship, which included respect, sharp appearance, and "no cheating at any time." An amateur tennis player Ashe attended Richmond City Public Schools and received a diploma from Maggie L. Walker High School in 1961. After success as a junior player in the American Tennis Association (ATA), he was the first African American junior to receive a U.S. Lawn Tennis Association (USLTA) national ranking. When he won the National Interscholastics in 1960, it was the first USLTA national title won by an African American in the South. The University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) awarded him a full scholarship.

In 1963 Ashe became the first African American player to win the U.S. Men's Hard-court championships, and the first to be named to a U.S. Junior Davis Cup (an international men's tournament) team. He became the National College Athletic Association (NCAA) singles and doubles champion, leading UCLA to the NCAA title in 1965. After graduating with a bachelor's degree in business administration, Ashe served in the army for two years, during which he was assigned time for tennis competitions. In 1968 Ashe created a tennis program for U.S. inner cities. Arthur Ashe. AP/Wide World Photos . This was the beginning of today's U.S. Tennis Association/National Junior Tennis League program, with five hundred chapters running programs for 150 thousand kids. As professional tennis player Two events changed Ashe's life in the late 1960s. The first was the protest by African American athletes at the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City, Mexico, in opposition to separation based on race, or apartheid, in the Republic of South Africa. The second event was in tennis. He was the USLTA amateur champion and won the first U.S.

Open Tennis Championship at Forest Hills. The USLTA ranked him co-number one (with Rod Laver). He became a top money-winner after turning professional in 1969. In 1972 he helped found the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). In 1973 Ashe became the first African American to reach the South African Open finals held in Johannesburg, South Africa, and he was the doubles winner with Tom Okker of the Netherlands. Black South Africans gave Ashe the name "Sipho," which means "a gift from God" in Zulu. The year 1975 was Ashe's best and most consistent season. He was the first and only African American player to win the men's singles title at Wimbledon, beating the defending champion, Jimmy Connors. Ashe was ranked number one in the world and was named ATP Player of the Year. In 1977 Ashe married Jeanne Moutoussamy, a professional photographer and graphic artist. The couple had a daughter, Camera Elizabeth.

Ashe almost defeated John McEnroe (1959–) in the Masters final in New York in January 1979, and was a semi-finalist at Wimbledon that summer before a heart attack soon after the tournament ended his career. After heart surgery Ashe announced his retirement from competitive tennis. As international role model After retiring from competition, Ashe served as captain of the U.S. Davis Cup team and led it to consecutive victories (1981–82). Ashe received media attention for his Davis Cup campaigns, his protests against apartheid in South Africa, and his call for higher educational standards for all athletes. But he spent most of his time dealing quietly with the "real world" through public speaking, teaching, writing, business, and public service. Ashe helped develop: the ABC Cities program, combining tennis and academics; the Safe Passage Foundation for poor children, which includes tennis training; the Athletes Career Connection; the Black Tennis & Sports Foundation, to assist minority athletes; and 15-Love, a substance abuse program. After heart surgery in 1983 Ashe became national campaign chairman for the American Heart Association and the only nonmedical member of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Advisory Council.

In the late 1970s he become an adviser to Aetna Life & Casualty Company. He was made a board member in 1982. He represented minority concerns and, later, the causes of the sick. Ashe was elected to the UCLA Sports Hall of Fame, the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame, and the Eastern Tennis Association Hall of Fame. He became the first person named to the U.S. Professional Tennis Association Hall of Fame. He spent six years and $300,000 of his own money to write A Hard Road to Glory: A History of the African-American Athlete, a three-volume work published in 1988. Ashe won an Emmy Award for writing a television version of his work. He also worked as a broadcaster at tennis matches, sports consultant at tennis clinics, and columnist for the Washington Post. Later years After brain surgery in 1988 came the discovery that Ashe had been infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the virus that causes acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS, a fatal disease that attacks the body's immune system).

Doctors traced the infection back to a blood transfusion he received after his second heart operation in 1983. After going public with the news in 1992, Ashe established the Arthur Ashe Foundation for the Defeat of AIDS to provide treatment to AIDS patients and to promote AIDS research throughout the world. He rallied professional tennis to help raise funds and to increase public awareness of the disease. He addressed the General Assembly of the United Nations (UN) on World AIDS Day, December 1, 1992. Arthur Ashe died on February 6, 1993, in New York City. As Ashe's body lay in state at the governor's mansion in Virginia, mourners paid their respects at a memorial service held in New York City and at the funeral at the Ashe Athletic Center in Richmond. In 1996 Ashe's hometown of Richmond announced plans to erect a statue in his honor. The following year a new stadium at the National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York, was named after him.

For More Information ESPN.com: GEN - Integration milestones in pro sports Integration milestones in pro sports The Associated Press The first blacks in major pro sports: Baseball: Jackie Robinson broke Major League Baseball's color barrier 55 years ago, but he wasn't the first black to play in the majors. In 1884, the Toledo Blue Stockings of the American Association, then a major league, had two black Jackie Robinson won the NL MVP in 1949. players -- catcher Moses Fleetwood Walker and his brother, Welday, an outfielder. Although Welday appeared in just five games, Moses shared catching duties, playing in 42 games and batting .263. Both players were gone the next year and no black appeared in organized baseball again until 1946, when Robinson signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers and played for their Montreal farm team. A year later, he moved into the majors with the Dodgers. Football: Charles Follis played in 1904 for a pro team known as the Shelby Blues and Fritz Pollard played in 1920 for the Akron Pros. In the modern era, well-known pro teams didn't have black players until 1946.

Kenny Washington and Woody Strode played for the Los Angeles Rams that year, and Marion Motley and Bill Willis played for the Cleveland Browns. Basketball: The first black player drafted by an NBA team was Chuck Cooper, picked in the second round of the 1950 draft by the Boston Celtics. In the eighth round of the draft, Washington chose Earl Lloyd of West Virginia State. At about the same time, the New York Knicks signed Nat "Sweetwater" Clifton from the Harlem Globetrotters. Lloyd made his debut on Oct. 31, 1950, becoming the first black to play in an NBA game. Cooper made his debut a day later. Clifton, the first to sign a contract, played his first game on Nov. 4, 1950. Hockey: Willie O'Ree broke hockey's color line in January 1958 with the Boston Bruins. He played two games that season and was scoreless. In 1960-61, he played 43 games for the Bruins, scored four goals and 10 assists. His first NHL goal came on Jan.

1, 1961, the game-winner in a 3-2 victory over Montreal. It wasn't until about 15 years after O'Ree joined the Bruins that the second black, Mike Marson, entered the league, with Washington. Arthur Ashe won the 1968 U.S. Open as an amateur. Tennis: Althea Gibson was the first black to compete in the U.S. championships, in 1950, and at Wimbledon, in 1951. However, it wasn't until several years later that she began to win major tournaments, including two U.S. championships, the French Open, and three doubles titles at Wimbledon. Arthur Ashe, perhaps the most well-known black in the sport for his great play and civil rights work, became the first black man to win Wimbledon in 1975. Golf: John Shippen played in the second U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills in 1896 and was in the Open six times, ending in 1913. No black played in the Open again until Ted Rhodes in 1948.

Although the USGA did not bar blacks, it had difficulty finding courses for qualifying tournaments that allowed blacks. The Professional Golf Association lifted its "Caucasian clause" in 1961 and Charlie Sifford was the first black to receive tour playing privileges. More from ESPN... Arthur Ashe, Tennis Star, Is Dead at 49 Arthur Ashe, Tennis Star, Is Dead at 49 By ROBIN FINN Arthur Ashe, a tennis champion who spent his years in the sport fighting discrimination and then spent the final year of his life seeking to broaden public awareness on the subject of AIDS, died Saturday. He was 49. A New York Hospital administrator, Judith Lilavois, said Ashe died at 3:13 P.M. of pneumonia, a complication of AIDS. He was admitted to the hospital on Friday. Yesterday, Virginia Gov. L. Douglas Wilder said that Ashe's body would lie in state at the executive mansion in Richmond tomorrow from 5 to 9 P.M. Ashe's wife, Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe, said that her husband's funeral would be Wednesday at 1 P.M.

at the Arthur Ashe Youth Center in Richmond, where he was born, and that he would be buried at Woodland Cemetery. Ashe was the only black man to win Wimbledon and the United States and Australian Opens. Militant in his convictions but mild in his manner, this slim, bookish and bespectacled athlete never thought himself a rebel and preferred information to insurrection. Dedicated to Helping Others Since he believed his singular success carried inherent responsibilities, Ashe, during his decadelong professional tennis career and beyond it, dedicated himself to dismantling the barriers of poverty, privilege, racism and social stereotyping. Even the fact of his own mortality became a cause celebre, and Ashe, in the headlines again, conducted his final campaign against the ravages of AIDS. Ashe, who said he believed he contracted H.I.V., the virus that causes AIDS, through a transfusion of tainted blood during his second round of heart-bypass surgery in 1983, first learned of his infection after he entered New York Hospital for emergency brain surgery in September 1988.

He was hospitalized after he suffered paralysis of his right arm, the one that served up 26 aces the day he became the 1968 United States Open champion. The surgery and a subsequent biopsy revealed the presence of toxoplasmosis, a parasitic infection linked to AIDS. In recent weeks, Ashe had been hospitalized with pneumocystis pneumonia, according to an AIDS researcher. Two weeks ago, he stayed in Manhattan, where he lived, rather than travel to Boston to receive an award. He appeared short of breath in a videotape that he made to be shown in the place of his appearance. But Ashe was as passionate as ever, speaking of a visit to South Africa he had made and how a young boy had told him that he was the first free black man he had ever seen. Disclosed Illness Under Duress Ashe chose not to publicize his condition, preferring to protect his family's privacy and being well aware of the inevitable demands such a disclosure would place on a man of his celebrity. He did not disclose his condition until April 8, 1992, and then only after being told that USA Today intended to publish an article about his illness as soon as it could confirm it.

But after making his public admission, Ashe spent the rest of his days campaigning for public awareness, including a speech on the floor of the United Nations on World AIDS Day on Dec. 1. When he made his reluctant admission, Ashe said: "I have good days and bad days. My ratio of good days to bad days is about six to one. I don't think anybody in my stage of this would be able to go through with no bad days. But I didn't want to go public now because I am not sick." Sick, in Ashe's terminology, meant being bedridden and nonfunctional. As an avid golfer, prominent speaker, occasional columnist for The Washington Post, television commentator for HBO and ABC, author of a three-volume history of the black athlete in America, and a noted participant in countless civic projects and protests, Ashe hardly went into retreat in the four years that followed his AIDS diagnosis. Compiling the 1,600-page treatise "A Hard Road to Glory," published in 1988, was a major project. Ever in icy control on the tennis court, Ashe was just as assiduous about remaining in control of himself and his emotions in his off-court life.

Foundation Fights AIDS Just before being stricken by a mild heart attack, his third, last September, Ashe assembled tennis luminaries at the United States Open to begin a 15-month, $5 million fund-raising effort on behalf of his namesake foundation to combat AIDS. With that project safely in the works, he traveled to Washington, where he was part of a group whose members were arrested while protesting the Bush Administration's treatment of Haitian refugees. For Ashe, the handcuffs were nothing new; this longtime friend to Nelson Mandela and the first black athlete to be granted a visa (but not hotel accommodations) to compete in South Africa, in 1973, was arrested in 1985 as he protested South Africa's policy of apartheid. But devoting himself to becoming a human billboard in the fight against AIDS was something Ashe always understood he would eventually accept with his usual poise. Only the fact that the timing of his public pledge to help eradicate AIDS was beyond his control bothered him. As the father of a daughter -- Camera, now 6 -- Ashe didn't want his limited time to be spent working overtime, which happened to be his only way of working, to help halt the spread of this disease.

He did not want his to become a one-issue existence. But once the announcement was a fait accompli, Ashe's initial anger dissipated and he seemed almost relieved: nothing like a valid cause to set Ashe's competitive juices simmering. "The foundation was something I always knew I wanted to do, long before I went public on April 8," said Ashe, who continued to refer to that date as the beginning of his life as an AIDS activist and the end of his relatively "unfettered" existence as a former tennis champion with a sports, business and family agenda. Gonzalez Is Role Model The shy yet eloquent Ashe, who listed the tennis star Pancho Gonzalez as his only sports idol, did not set out to become a role model for young black athletes. But because he dared to stand by his convictions, that is precisely what happened. Unlike baseball's Jackie Robinson, who acted as conduit for the rites of passage of a stream of deserving black baseball players, Ashe was the only prominent black tennis player of his era. It was a position that left him feeling ostracized at times, he said, by both blacks and whites.

"It's an abnormal world I live in," he told Sports Illustrated's Frank Deford in 1966. "It's like I'm floating down the middle. I'm never quite sure where I am. It does bother me that I'm in this predicament, but I don't dwell on it, because I know it will resolve itself." But Ashe served as a beacon for future generations of black tennis players. "He's always been for black players someone to look up to and someone who says, 'You can do it, it doesn't matter where you come from or how you look,' " said Zina Garrison-Jackson, a product of Houston's public parks system who reached a career-high ranking of No. 4 in the world in 1989. "Arthur showed you what is possible to be accomplished," she said. "I always wanted to follow in his footsteps, and nobody can forget that he made the footsteps: I can really appreciate the time that he made his breakthrough in.

It was harder then for a minority player to break in, especially in our sport, but he did it to the hilt." According to Pam Shriver, a many-time Grand Slam doubles champion and herself a frequent commentator on a wide range of topics, Ashe's example of grace under pressure was not lost on the women players campaigning for equality in their workplace. "He was a voice for all the minorities, and that goes for women, too," she said. "He brought a level of conscience to the game, whether he was speaking on South Africa or inner-city minorities or exclusionary policies anyplace. Arthur's influence on tennis didn't fade after he left the sport." Began Tennis at Age 7 Arthur Ashe, the son of a parks policeman, was born in Richmond on July 10, 1943. His mother died when he was 6. His father died in 1989. He played his first tennis at the age of 7 on the courts at Brookfield Park, the segregated playground adjacent to his home. By the time he was 14, he had found a patron in Dr. Walter Johnson, a Lynchburg, Va., physician with two decades of experience in assisting black tennis prodigies.

Ashe reached the semifinals of the junior national championships on his first attempt in 1958. He won the indoor singles title in 1960 and 1961, and completed his high school years at Sumner High School in St. Louis in order to train full-time there with Richard Hudlin. In 1962, as the fifth-ranked junior in the nation, Ashe received a full scholarship to U.C.L.A. While a student there, he attracted the attention of Gonzalez and Pancho Segura, both of whom helped refine Ashe's serve-and-volley game and the unflappable temperament that vaulted him to three Grand Slam tournament singles titles. They also encouraged his penchant for experimentation: At one time, Ashe accumulated 16 variations of the backhand in his stroke repertory. In 1963, he joined the United States Davis Cup Team, and by 1966, the year of his graduation from U.C.L.A.

with a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration, he was described by the renowned tennis teacher, Harry Hopman, as "the most promising player in the world." Ashe, while still a 25-year-old amateur fulfilling a three-year Army stint, ushered in the Open era by winning the 1968 United States Open at Forest Hills. He defeated Tom Okker in the final, marking the first time a black man had won a Grand Slam event, one of the sport's four major tournaments. In 1970, he won the Australian Open. In 1975, making his final-round opponent even more manic than usual by calmly closing his eyes and meditating through every changeover, he defeated Jimmy Connors in the Wimbledon final. Ashe also collected doubles titles at the Australian and French Opens and Wimbledon. The Grand Slam titles and ensuing endorsement contracts helped make Ashe, who earned $1,584,909 in prize money, tennis's first black millionaire, but wealth didn't distract him from the social issues of his day. In 1973, on his third attempt, he was granted a visa to South Africa, and helped integration efforts there.

In 1974 he helped found the Association of Men's Tennis Professionals, a players union, and served as its president until 1979. He played on the Davis Cup team for 10 years, won three championships, and later served as its captain from 1981-84 after heart problems forced his retirement in 1980. Ashe suffered his first heart attack in July 1979, just after conducting a clinic for underprivileged children in New York City. In December of that year, he underwent a quadruple-bypass operation, and in 1983 he underwent a double bypass, at St. Luke-Roosevelt Hospital. Ashe discovered he had AIDS 18 months after Federal health officials recommended the testing of any patients who had received blood transfusions between 1978 and 1985. In 1988, the same year he learned he had AIDS, Ashe helped create inner-city tennis programs for youths in Newark, Detroit, Atlanta, Kansas City and Indianapolis. He was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, R.I., in 1985, and last year Mayor David N.

Dinkins, a longtime friend, proclaimed Aug. 30, the date of Ashe's kickoff for his $5 million AIDS fund-raiser, Arthur Ashe Day in New York City. Ashe served on the board of directors of Aetna Life & Casualty and the United States Tennis Association, as chairman of the National Heart Association in 1981-82, and had recently rejoined the Board of Trustees of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases. He also held corporate posts with Head Sports USA and Le Coq Sportif USA. A memorial service will be held in New York City on Friday. Details have not been completed. Chronology: "Arthur Ashe in the Spotlight" Aug. 1, 1963: Becomes the first black to be named to a United States Davis Cup team. June 21, 1965: Leads U.C.L.A. to the N.C.A.A. tennis championship. Aug. 25, 1968: Becomes the first black to win United States men's singles championships. Sept. 9, 1968: Wins the first United States Open title. Dec. 12, 1968: Is ranked No.

1 by the United States Lawn Tennis Association. June 30, 1969: Is banned from South African championships. Jan. 26, 1970: Becomes the first black to win the Australian Open. Nov. 24, 1973: Becomes the first black to reach final of the South African Open. 1974-1979: President of the Association of Tennis Professionals. July 5, 1975: Becomes the first black to win the men's singles title at Wimbledon. Dec. 21, 1979: Undergoes quadruple bypass heart surgery. April 16, 1980: Announces his retirement from competitive tennis. Sept. 7, 1980: Named captain of the Davis Cup team. The United States wins championships under him in 1981 and 1982. June 21, 1983: Undergoes double bypass heart surgery. March 21, 1985: Named to the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

1988: His three-voloume history "A Hard Road to Glory: A History of the African Athlete" is published. April 8, 1992: Announces he contracted the AIDS virus from a blood transfusion during heart bypass surgery. He said he tested positive for H.I.V. three and a half years earlier while hospitalized for a bacterial invection in his brain. (Source: The Associated Press) Biography: Arthur Ashe, 1943-1993: Tennis Champion and Civil Rights Activist (VOA Special English 2010-02-06) Arthur Ashe, 1943-1993: Tennis Champion and Civil Rights Activist Download MP3 (Right-click or option-click the link.) I'm Barbara Klein. And I'm Steve Ember with PEOPLE IN AMERICA in VOA Special English. Today we tell about the life of tennis champion Arthur Ashe. He was an athlete and a social activist who died before he was fifty. He was honored for his bravery and honesty as well as his strong support of just causes. In 1975, Arthur Ashe played against Ilie Nastase in the Masters tennis games in Stockholm, Sweden.

Nastase was out of control. He delayed the game. He called Ashe bad names. Finally, Arthur Ashe put down his tennis racket and walked off the tennis court. He said, "I've had enough. I'm at the point where I'm afraid I'll lose control. " The officials were shocked; Ashe was winning the game. One official told him he would lose if he walked out of the game. Ashe said, "I don't care. I'd rather lose that than my self-respect. " The next day, the Masters committee met. They knew that if they gave the game to Nastase, they would be supporting his kind of actions. They felt it was how you played the game that really counted. So, the officials decided it was Nastase who must lose the game. Arthur Ashe was born in 1943 in the southern city of Richmond, Virginia. His parents were Mattie Cunningham Ashe and Arthur Ashe, Senior. In those days, black people and white people lived separately in the South. By law, African-Americans could not attend the same schools or the same churches as white people. Arthur learned to live with racial separation. He attended an all-black school.

He played in the areas kept separate for blacks. And when he traveled to his grandmother's house, he sat in the back of the bus behind a white line. Only white people could sit in the front part of the bus. Tennis was a sport traditionally played by white people. Arthur's experience was different from most other tennis players. He grew up under poorer conditions. His father worked several jobs at the same time. And his mother died when he was six. Mr. Ashe taught his son the importance of leading an honorable life. He said a person does not get anywhere in life by making enemies. He explained that a person gains by helping others. Arthur Ashe, Senior taught his son the importance of his friends, his family and his history. He said that without his good name, he would be nothing. By example, Arthur's father taught the importance of hard work. His job was to drive people where they wanted to go. And he did other kinds of jobs for several wealthy families. When Arthur was four, his father was given responsibility for a public play area called Brook Field. It was the largest play area for black people in the city of Richmond. Mr. Ashe continued to work at his other jobs as well.

The family moved into a five-room house in the middle of the park. Arthur could use the swimming pool, basketball courts, baseball fields and tennis courts in the park. He liked sports. He was not very big, but he was fast. Arthur began playing tennis when he was seven years old. He was very small. The racket he used to hit the tennis ball seemed bigger than he was. But by the time he was 13 years old, he was winning against players two times his size and age. Arthur had great energy and sense of purpose. He would hit 500 tennis balls each summer day early in the morning. He would stop to eat his morning meal. Then he would hit 500 more tennis balls. When Arthur was ten years old, he met Robert Walter Johnson. Doctor Johnson established a tennis camp for black children who were not permitted to play on tennis courts for whites. Doctor Johnson helped Arthur learn to be calm while playing tennis. He taught him to use restraint. He said that anger at an opponent was a waste of energy. By 1960, Arthur had won the National Junior Indoor Championship. And, the University of California at Los Angeles offered him a college education if he played for the UCLA tennis team.

In 1965, Arthur Ashe led the team to the National Collegiate Athletic Association championship. He completed his education the next year with a degree in business administration. Arthur Ashe then became a professional tennis player. In 1968, he won the United States Open. It was the first time an African-American man had won one of the four major competitions in tennis. In 1970, he won the Australian Open. The next year, he won the French Open Doubles Championship with Marty Riessen. And, in 1975, he won the Wimbledon Singles Championship in England. Two times he was named the number one tennis player in the world. Throughout his life, Arthur Ashe fought against social injustice. He supported racial equality and tried to bring blacks and whites together. In 1973, Ashe was the first black player to be invited to compete in the South African Open. At the time, South African laws separated people by race. Ashe knew why he was invited. He knew that the South African government was trying to change its image so it could take part in the Olympic Games. He agreed to go, but on his own terms. He played before a racially mixed group.

And, he went wherever he pleased and said what he wanted. Arthur Ashe went back to South Africa many times. He went not only to fight against the system of racial separation. He went to show the oppressed children of the country that he was a successful black man. Former South African President Nelson Mandela spent 27 years in prison. After his release, the first person Mandela asked to see during his visit to the United States was Arthur Ashe. Ashe used his fame to help increase public knowledge of racism in America. He told reporters how the color of his skin kept him out of tennis games as a boy in Richmond. He spoke against black separatism. He wanted to unite the races, not separate them. During his travels with the United States Davis Cup team, he said, "People in other countries read a lot about race troubles in the United States. But when they see two guys from the South like Cliff Richey and me, one white and one colored, both sharing a room and being close friends, it must do a little good." In 1977, Arthur Ashe married Jeanne Moutoussamy. They shared a deep concern for others. Ashe always urged people to do their best -- even his opponents.

To help others, he started an organization, the Safe Passage Foundation. It helped poor children develop the skills to learn. And it taught them how to play tennis and golf. In 1975, Ashe felt severe pain in his chest. He had suffered his first heart attack, even though he seemed in excellent physical condition. His days of playing tennis were over. Doctors operated on him later that year to try to improve the flow of blood from his heart. But his physical activity was very limited. Four years later, he had to have another operation. Now that he could not be active in sports, he took on new responsibilities. He helped the American Heart Association educate the public about heart disease. He wrote books. And, in 1986, he became a father when his wife Jeanne gave birth to their daughter, Camera. Two years later, Arthur Ashe faced his final struggle. He discovered he had the virus that causes the disease AIDS. He and his doctors believed he had gotten it when he received infected blood after his second heart operation. He kept the bad news a secret for more than three years. He did not want his daughter to know. But reporters found out about his condition in 1992.

He decided to tell the public. Ashe continued to work even though he was weak from the disease. During his last ten months of life, he continued to help children. He also demonstrated to support Haitian refugees, continued to fight racial injustice and battled AIDS. He said, ". . . Living with AIDS is not the greatest burden I've had in my life. Being black is." He gave his last speech the week he died. He said, "AIDS killed my body, but racism is harder to bear. It kills the soul." Arthur Ashe died in 1993. He was 49 years old. He had told a friend, "You come to realize that life is short, and you have to step up. Don't feel sorry for me. Much is expected of those who are strong." This program was written by Vivian Chakarian. It was produced by Lawan Davis. I'm Steve Ember. And I'm Barbara Klein.Join us again next week for PEOPLE IN AMERICA in VOA Special English.

Arthur Ashe Biography - Childhood, Life Achievements & Timeline Sportspersons Arthur Ashe Biography Arthur Ashe was a professional tennis player, and the first black man ever to win singles title at at Wimbledon, the US Open, and the Australian Open. This biography provides detailed information about his childhood, life, achievements & timeline. Quick Facts Maggie L. WalkerGovernor's School for Government and International Studies awards: 1993 - Presidential Medal of Freedom ESPY Award Arthur Ashe, Jr. was one of the most prominent tennis players of his time, ranked among the best players to have ever graced the game. An African American, he was the first black to be ranked No.1 in the world. He started playing tennis from the age of six and received coaching from the legendary Robert Walter Johnson who founded the American Tennis Association Junior Development Program for African American youths. After graduating from high school, he earned a tennis scholarship to University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). He was the first African American to be selected to play for United States Davis Cup Team. He also became the first black to win the United States Amateur Championship. He went on to win many more titles over the next few years and created several new world records.

Unfortunately, health issues forced him to take an early retirement but still he was not disheartened. He used his celebrity status to campaign for various social causes, notably the fight against apartheid. He contracted HIV from a blood transfusion and started educating people about HIV and AIDS in spite of his own struggles with the condition. He founded the Arthur Ashe Foundation for the Defeat of AIDS shortly before his death. Childhood & Early Life Arthur was the elder of two sons born to Arthur Ashe Sr. and Mattie Cunningham. His father worked as a handyman. His mother died of pregnancy related complications when he was just six years old. He started playing tennis from a young age and attended Maggie L. Walker High school. Upon his graduation from high school he was awarded a tennis scholarship to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in 1963. Career He joined the U.S Army in 1966 taking breaks from time to time to pursue his tennis career. He was discharged from the army in 1969. In 1968, while serving as 1st Lieutenant in the U.S army, he won the U.S Amateur Championship against Bob Lutz.

He also won the U.S Open National Championship in the same year, becoming the only player to have won both the championships in the same year. He won his second Grand Slam singles title at the Australian Open in 1970. The same year, he turned professional by signing a five-year contract with Lamar Huntâs World Championship Tennis. In 1972, he helped to form the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). In 1975, Ashe played the Wimbledon Final against Jimmy Connors, who was 10-to-1 favorite in the final. But Ashe played brilliantly and defeated Jimmy to win the Wimbledon in an excitingly unexpected match. The professional career of this exceptionally talented player was unfortunately cut short by health problems and a heart attack forced him to retire in 1980. Even after he had stopped playing, he kept himself busy by commentating for ABC Sports and writing for Time Magazine. Major Wins He played the U.S Open final against Tom Okker of Netherlands and defeated him to clinch the title in 1968. It was his first ever Grand Slam title. He won the Australian Open against Dick Crealy in 1970.

This was a major victory for him since he had lost the finals to Roy Emerson in 1966 and 1967. He became the first non-Australian to win the title in 11 years. He played in the 1971 French Open-Men's Doubles with partner Marty Riessen to defeat Tom Gorman and Stan Smith to win the finals. In 1975, he became the first black man to win the Wimbledon Singlesâ championship by beating the defending champion Jimmy Connors three sets to one. What made this victory even more special for Ashe is the fact that it was the much younger Jimmy and not he, who was the favorite to win the match. Ashe and his partner Tony Roche beat Charlie Pasarell and Erik Van Dillen to clinch the Australian Open-Menâs Doubles in 1977. Awards & Achievements Ashe was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1985 as an honour for his contribution to the sport of tennis. He was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award of the U.S in 1993.

The medal honours individuals who have made "an especially meritorious contribution to the security or national interests of the United States, world peace, cultural or other significant public or private endeavors." Personal Life & Legacy Arthur Ashe married photographer Jeanne Moutoussamy in 1977. They had one adopted daughter. He suffered a heart attack in 1979 and underwent bypass surgery. He had another heart surgery in 1983. In 1988 it was discovered that he was HIV+; he had contracted the virus from a tainted blood transfusion during his previous surgery. He went public with his illness in 1992 and began to work to raise awareness about AIDS. He founded the Arthur Ashe Foundation for the Defeat of AIDS. He died from AIDS-related pneumonia in 1993 at the age of 49. Trivia He is the only black man to win the singles title at Wimbledon, the US Open, or Australian Open. He was the first famous athlete to die of AIDS. His daughter is named âCameraâ as his wife was a photographer.

He spent the last years of his life writing his memoir âDays of Graceâ which he completed days before his death. Translate this page to Spanish, French, Hindi, Portuguese Pictures of Arthur Ashe Arthur Ashe Arthur Ashe Usually ships 2-3 business days after receipt of order. Choose binding Tennis and Justice in the Civil Rights Era Eric Allen Hall TABLE OF CONTENTS Arthur Ashe explains how this iconic African American tennis player overcame racial and class barriers to reach the top of the tennis world in the 1960s and 1970s. But more important, it follows Ashe’s evolution as an activist who had to contend with the shift from civil rights to Black Power. Off the court, and in the arena of international politics, Ashe positioned himself at the center of the black freedom movement, negotiating the poles of black nationalism and assimilation into white society. Fiercely independent and protective of his public image, he navigated the thin line between conservatives and liberals, reactionaries and radicals, the sports establishment and the black cause.

Eric Allen Hall’s work examines Ashe’s life as a struggle against adversity but also a negotiation between the comforts—perhaps requirements—of tennis-star status and the felt obligation to protest the discriminatory barriers the white world constructed to keep black people "in their place." Drawing on coverage of Ashe’s athletic career and social activism in domestic and international publications, archives including the Ashe Papers, and a variety of published memoirs and interviews, Hall has created an intimate, nuanced portrait of a great athlete who stood at the crossroads of sports and equal justice. Eric Allen Hall is an assistant professor of history at Georgia Southern University, Statesboro.

"Hall’s elegant and well-paced narrative teases out the contradictions of one of tennis’s most enigmatic characters." — Times Literary Supplement "Eric Allen Hall's biography of Ashe is assiduous in giving context, ever-traceable in its sources, to the tennis player's life: his childhood in segregated Richmond is recounted with a summary of how de jure segregation ruled the lives of American children; his coming of age as an athlete and ROTC member includes sketches of the Civil Rights Era on campus and in Vietnam; his ascendance to a globe-touring professional with public demonstrations against apartheid in South Africa includes glosses on the competitive structure of world tennis and the Cold War arrangement of power between the segregated nations of America and South Africa." — Rain Taxi Review of Books "A strong book on an outstanding topic, it serves as a reminder that Ashe's tragic death has to some extent eclipsed his life's work on behalf of racial equality." — Wall Street Journal "A portrait of Arthur Ashe that shows the fullness of his character—his broad interests, his impressive talents, and his missteps." — New Books in Sports

Question: What professional sport is Arthur Ashe known in?
Answer: Tennis