As players compete in Wimbledon, which wraps July 13, each athlete is walking in the legacy of great competitors before them. The winner of the Men’s Singles will be following the footsteps of a barrier-breaking African American who garnered the coveted title 50 years ago.
On July 5, 1975, Arthur Ashe Jr., a Black man from Richmond, Virginia, seeded at No. 6, stepped on Centre Court at the Wimbledon Championships in London, England, to take on the brash, confident, highly favored, defending champion, and No. 1 seed: Jimmy Connors.
Ashe was not expected to win but the athlete had a different idea.
Tennis experts say he pulled off a tactical masterpiece as he methodically won in four sets and claimed the gentlemen’s singles tennis title. It would be his third and final Grand Slam title after previously winning the singles title at both the U.S. Open and Australian Open.
Ashe became the first and only Black man to win the singles title at Wimbledon since its founding in 1877, and the second Black player to do so overall, after Althea Gibson did so in both 1957 and 1958 (11 Grand Slam titles overall).
The tennis player often reflected on the challenges he faced and offered reasons why he refused to give up.
“I was denied admittance in a Richmond city tournament — the only reason being because I was Black,” he told a reporter. “So, I know what it’s like to be stepped on. But I also know what it’s like to see a Black hero do well in the face of adversity. The only way to overcome the fear is to get out there and see what happens. When I faced Connors at Wimbledon, it was something that I had been preparing for all my life.”
Ashe died in 1993 at the age of 49 due to complications from AIDS, after receiving a blood transfusion. But in his short life, he became one of the most important and transformative people to live in the 20th century.
Tennis players, Black and white, including Yannick Noah, Billie Jean King, Serena Williams, John McEnroe, and Frances Tiafoe have all commented on how Ashe changed their lives and opened doors for men and women — color notwithstanding — because of his talent, his demeanor on and off the court, and his zest for life.
Ashe, who would have celebrated his 82nd birthday on July 10, was unquestionably a man for all seasons and all races in the human family.
Having overcome racism, Ashe often noted that he stood by the belief that there is always hope and remains an example of the importance of representation.
“Success is a journey, not a destination,” said Ashe in his most quoted words, encouraging others to work toward the goals they seek to achieve. “The doing is often more important than the outcome.”
Wasn’t Aurther Ashe born in Saint Louis?