**ARTHUR ASHE**

By Paul Yange

In addition to being one of the best players of his generation, reaching the world No. 2 ranking in the mid-1970s, he never hesitated to commit himself throughout his life and serve the causes that mattered to him, such as the fight against apartheid. He was also the man who helped discover a player named Yannick Noah. A look back at the life and career of one of the most illustrious personalities of the 20th century.

Arthur Robert Ashe Jr. was born on July 10, 1943, in Richmond, Virginia. He was the son of Arthur Ashe Sr. and Mattie C. Ashe. He learned to play tennis at an early age because his father had moved after finding a job that provided housing.

The house was located in a neighborhood reserved for Black people, where there was a park with a tennis court. Alongside tennis, young Arthur was also a good student. In 1950, shortly before his seventh birthday, his mother died from post-operative complications. That same year, he met Ronald Charity, one of the best Black tennis players in the country, who also worked part-time as a coach.

The latter took an interest in young Arthur, with whom he began working regularly. By 1953, it had become clear that Arthur was gifted at tennis, but needed another coach to help him continue progressing. Ronald Charity therefore introduced him to Dr. Johnson, who would become his coach and mentor for most of his life. Johnson was also the coach of Althea Gibson, an African-American woman who would become the first Black tennis champion in history. Arthur Ashe continued to improve and, in 1958, competed in the Maryland state championships, which was the first tournament in which he had to face white players.

So that he could continue progressing by not facing only a limited number of opponents within the Black community, Dr. Johnson sent him to finish high school in St. Louis, Missouri, where he was able to compete against several strong opponents. Having won multiple tournaments in the junior category, he was beginning to make a name for himself. He appeared in the December 12, 1960 issue of the magazine “Sports Illustrated.” It was around this time that the University of California (UCLA) offered him a scholarship to study there.

At UCLA, Arthur Ashe distinguished himself once again by becoming the first African-American selected for the U.S. Davis Cup team in 1963. In 1966, he graduated from UCLA with a degree in business administration. He was the first member of his father’s family to graduate from university. From 1966 to 1968, he served in the army at West Point, New York, while continuing to play tennis, participating in the Davis Cup and other tournaments. Still an amateur, Ashe won the US Open on September 9, 1968, against Dutchman Tom Okker, who nevertheless received the prize money despite losing.

Because of his amateur status, Ashe could not receive the money. Upon his return to West Point, he received a standing ovation. In 1969, he co-founded the National Junior Tennis League with Charlie Pasarell, whose goal was to introduce tennis to children who otherwise would never have discovered the sport. Discipline and education were also emphasized, which aligned perfectly with Arthur Ashe’s philosophy of using tennis as a means of training at the “school of life.”

The commitment against apartheid

In 1969, Arthur Ashe sought for the first time in his career to travel to South Africa, a country then living under a policy of racial segregation known as apartheid. Being Black, he was denied an entry visa by the South African government, despite being the top American player. He continued to apply for visas, which South Africa continued to deny him. This marked the beginning of his activism against apartheid South Africa.

In January 1970, Ashe won the Australian Open, the second Grand Slam singles title of his career. It was also that year that Arthur Ashe met a 10-year-old boy during a stay in Cameroon. After rallying with the boy, Ashe declared that he had never seen someone that young play so well. Ashe later called Philippe Chatrier, president of the French Tennis Federation, to recommend the young boy, “promising, but who would not remain so for long if he stayed in Yaoundé.” The young boy’s name was Yannick Noah.

At the beginning of the 1970s, he had become one of the most famous tennis players in the world. However, believing that tennis players’ earnings did not match the growing popularity of their sport, Arthur Ashe joined other players in creating what would become the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals), intended to represent the interests of male players. Two years later, he was elected president of the ATP.

In 1973, South Africa finally decided to grant him a visa. He notably played in a tennis tournament there, but his presence deeply impacted young South Africans, one of whom would later write: “His condemnation of apartheid made us think he was one of us.” While people were beginning to whisper that Ashe devoted too much time to his activism and not enough to tennis, he won the Wimbledon title on July 5, 1975, defeating Jimmy Connors in four sets, thus winning the world’s most prestigious grass-court tournament during what is considered the best year of his career. In 1976, he reached the world No. 2 ranking, the highest of his career. It was also that year that he met photographer Jeanne Moutoussamy.

She later told the magazine “Ebony” that the champion had not made a particularly good impression on her the first time they met: Ashe had said to her, “Photographers are getting cuter and cuter,” a remark she considered sexist coming from someone who seemed a little too self-confident for her taste. However, four months later, on February 20, 1977, they married in a ceremony officiated by Andrew Young, then the United States ambassador to the United Nations.

In 1979, Arthur Ashe suffered a heart attack while giving tennis lessons in New York. He was hospitalized for around ten days before undergoing surgery shortly afterward. He continued suffering from chest pains and decided in 1980 to retire from professional tennis. His record stood at 33 singles titles, with 640 victories and 260 defeats. Although retired from tennis, Arthur Ashe continued to pursue various activities: he wrote for “Time Magazine,” the “Washington Post,” and “Tennis Magazine.” He commented on tennis matches on television and remained active in the fight against apartheid.

The fight against illness and reflection on the place of the Black athlete in contemporary society

That same year (1981), Ashe was named captain of the U.S. Davis Cup team. Under his leadership, the team, which included players such as John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors, won the Davis Cup in 1981 and 1982. During 1981, Arthur Ashe also served as president of the American Heart Association.

In 1983, Arthur Ashe underwent a second coronary bypass surgery. Following the operation, in order to help him recover more quickly, he received a blood transfusion. Unfortunately, the blood used for the transfusion was contaminated, causing him to contract HIV. He would learn of his HIV-positive status five years later, in 1988. In 1983, together with musician Harry Belafonte, he created the association Artists and Athletes Against Apartheid, whose goal was to raise awareness about the situation in South Africa and lobby for sanctions and an embargo against the South African government.

On January 11, 1985, he was arrested in front of the South African embassy in Washington while participating in an anti-apartheid demonstration. On December 21, 1986, his daughter Camera was born. Around the same time, he accepted to teach a course at Florida Memorial College titled “The Black Athlete in Contemporary Society.” To prepare for the course, he searched libraries for books detailing the lives of Black American athletes and realized that the most up-to-date book available was more than twenty years old. This prompted him to work on a three-volume book entitled “A Hard Road to Glory.”

In 1988, he was hospitalized again (for brain surgery), and tests revealed he had a bacterial infection often found in HIV-positive individuals. Further tests confirmed that he was indeed HIV-positive. The information was not made public. Nevertheless, he continued to involve himself in the causes he supported and traveled to South Africa in 1991 as part of a delegation of 31 people to witness firsthand the changes he had helped bring about. His involvement had been so significant that Nelson Mandela had cited him as one of the first people he wished to meet during a trip to the United States.

In 1992, the magazine “USA Today” contacted him regarding an article about his illness, which was supposed to remain secret. Ashe decided to get ahead of the newspaper and held a press conference on April 8, 1992. There, he publicly revealed that he was HIV-positive, which drew significant media attention — attention Ashe used to raise awareness about the disease. During the press conference, while speaking about his daughter and overwhelmed with emotion, Ashe was unable to finish the statement he had prepared for journalists. His wife finished it for him.

In the final year of his life, he created the Arthur Ashe Foundation for the Defeat of AIDS, whose goal was to raise funds for AIDS research, treatment, and prevention. Despite his illness, he continued his activism. He was arrested on September 9, 1992, a few months before his death, in front of the White House following a protest against U.S. policy toward Haitian refugees.

The magazine “Sports Illustrated” named him Sportsman of the Year in 1992. Two months before his death, he created the Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health, aimed at addressing healthcare issues affecting minority populations in urban environments. He devoted the final months of his life to writing his memoirs, entitled “Days of Grace.” On February 6, 1993, Arthur Ashe died from pneumonia related to AIDS. He was 49 years old. His body lay in state at the governor’s residence in his hometown of Richmond.

He was the first person to receive that honor since a Confederate general named Stonewall Jackson in 1863. More than 5,000 people lined up to pay their respects, while several thousand others attended the funeral. Among those present were Virginia governor Douglas Wilder, Commerce Secretary Ron Brown, Jesse Jackson, and Andrew Young, who delivered Arthur Ashe’s eulogy.

Arthur Ashe had only a few memories of his mother, who died when he was only six years old. Wanting his daughter to retain more memories of him, his wife took photographs of him and their daughter despite his declining health. The photographs showed the joy of a father and daughter together despite illness. The book, entitled “Daddy and Me,” was released at the end of 1993. Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe hoped the book would bring comfort to families who had gone through the same ordeal as she and her daughter Camera. In 1997, the United States Tennis Association decided to honor him by giving his name to the main stadium at Flushing Meadows, where the US Open — one of the four Grand Slam tournaments — is held.

“One important key to success is self-confidence.”

“Success is a journey, not a destination. What we do is generally more important than the outcome. Not everyone can be No. 1.”

“True heroism is remarkably sober (…) it is not the urge to surpass others at all costs, but the urge to serve others at all costs.”

“When bright young minds cannot afford college, America pays the price.”

“From the very first time I saw Arthur Ashe play, I knew he was destined to become a great tennis champion. He was never satisfied with his performances, always feeling he could do better. That is the mark of a champion.” (Pancho Gonzales, former American tennis champion).

“When it is all over, I do not want to be remembered as a tennis player. That is not a sufficient contribution to society. Winning Wimbledon or the US Open brings selfish satisfaction, but it does not help anyone.”

Date: July 10, 1943 – February 6, 1993