by Hermes Roberts

Created on: September 01, 2011   Last Updated: September 02, 2011

Arthur Robert Ashe Jr., one of the greatest tennis players of our times should serve as a role model to sportsmen and women everywhere. He was known though out his life for his dignity, integrity, fortitude and charitable endeavors. He was born on July 10, 1943 in Richmond, Virginia.

His mother, Mattie Cordell Cunningham Ashe, died when he was very young of a heart problem. As his father, Arthur Ashe Sr., was a caretaker of a park, young Arthur had access to sport facilities. He started to play tennis at six years of age. He was coached by Dr. R. Walter Johnson and it was from him that Arthur learnt the code of sportsmanship, like fair play and not to cheat. He attended Richmond City Public School and was granted a Tennis scholarship to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). He was a member of the Upsilon chapter of the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity. He was also a member of the UCLA Army Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC). He graduated from UCLA with a bachelor's degree in business administration. He served in the US Army from 1966 - 68. He became a First Lieutenant.

In 1968 he was refused a visa by the South African government to play in that country. He joined in the protest against that country asking that they be banned from tennis tournaments. In that same year he also created a tennis program for inner city black kids. In 1969, he started to play professionally. This started his successful career in tennis. In 1970 he won the singles tennis title at the Australian Open. In 1975 he won at Wimbledon, defeating Jimmy Connors. This was his best year as he was ranked number one in the world and also named ATP player of the year. In January 1979 he defeated John McEnroe in the Master's final in New York. He was the only black man to win singles in tennis at Wimbledon, the US Open and the Australian Open. He was the first black player selected to the United States Davis Cup team.

Arthur Ashe married Jeanne Montoussamy, a photographer on February 20, 1977. He adopted a daughter named Camera. In 1979 he suffered a heart attack and he decided to retire in 1980 for health reasons. After his retirement he became more involve in philanthropic endeavors. He founded the National Junior Tennis League. In 1983 he was the National Campaign chairman for the American Heart Association. He wrote his memoirs, "Days of Grace" and also wrote the book "A Hard Road to Glory: A History of the African-American Athlete". After he was diagnosed with the often fatal disease, AIDS in 1988, he set up a foundation and became active in AIDS research at Harvard and UCLA. He had contracted the disease in 1983 through blood transfusion after an operation. He died on February 6, 1993 after getting pneumonia due to his illness.

He was honoured more after his death than during his lifetime. He was posthumously awarded in 1993 the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Bill Clinton. He has a statue on Monument Avenue, Richmond Virginia. The Main Stadium at the National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows Park, is named Arthur Ashe Stadium in his honor. There is the Arthur Ashe Courage Award by ESPY. The 2011 recipient is Dewey Bozella, an amateur boxer who was wrongfully imprisoned for 26 years for a murder he did not commit. He was released in 2009. In 2005 the Postal Service issued the Arthur Ashe commemorative postal stamp which was the first stamp ever featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated. There are schools in Virginia, Louisiana, New York, Florida, Michigan named after Arthur Ashe.

Arthur Ashe was instrumental in the integration of the sport of tennis, just like Jesse Owens in track, Jackie Robinson, Muhammid Ali in boxing and others. He bore triumph and misfortune with dignity and humility.

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