Arthur Ashe Statue in Virginia Vandalized with 'White Lives Matter' Graffiti

Police in Richmond, Virginia are reportedly investigating the vandalization of a statue depicting tennis legend and civil rights activist Arthur Ashe along the city's Monument Avenue.  

According to TMZ Sports, the statue of Ashe was defaced early Wednesday morning with "white lives matter" and "WLM" spray painted onto various parts of the sculpture. The markings were later covered with Black Lives Matter tags. 

Ashe, who died in 1993 from complications related to AIDS, won three Grand Slam singles titles. He became the first and only black man to win at each of the Australian Open (1970), US Open (1968) and Wimbledon (1975) as well as the first black man selected to the US Davis Cup team (1963).

The Richmond native's statue was unveiled three years after his death in 1996 on a street lined with memorials to Confederate leaders such as Robert E. Lee, Jefferson Davis and Stonewall Jackson. 

As protests over systemic racism and police brutality began to gain momentum across the United States in late May, Monument Avenue became a highly visible area where activists and demonstrators gathered to march.

On June 4, Virginia governor Ralph Northam announced he would remove the statue of Lee, though a court battle has ensued. Protesters would tear down the statue of Davis themselves June 10.

TMZ Sports reports local law enforcement have information on potential suspects for the vandalism.