Arthur Ashe

Arthur Robert Ashe, Jr. ( * July 10, 1943 in Richmond, Virginia; † February 6, 1993 in New York) was an American tennis player.

Life

Ashe was the first black tennis player who was nominated for the Davis Cup team in the U.S.. In 1968, he won the U.S. Open and also with the U.S. team to Davis Cup. 1970 saw next victory at a Grand Slam tournament: Ashe won the Australian Open. In 1975, he won then the biggest success of his career when he surprisingly defeated Jimmy Connors at Wimbledon in the final. In 1978, he lost the Masters final against John McEnroe. Then, in 1980 followed the resignation as a tennis player. In later years, he then worked as a co- commentator for ABC Sports, among others, and was also for some years captain of the U.S. Davis Cup team. In 1985 he was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

In 1988 he fell ill with AIDS, because he had received an HIV - contaminated blood products during a heart operation. Five years later, Arthur Ashe died of illness.

After his death, the main stadium at Flushing Meadows was named after him and in his birthplace, a statue in the Monument Avenue was built.

For his support of humanitarian operations Ashe was still elected by the 1992 Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year. On June 20, 1993, he posthumously received the Presidential Medal of Freedom.