Remembering Arthur Ashe

Arthur Ashe was the first person to win the US Open when it was started in 1968 and the first black to do so.

He has won three Grand Slams but never managed to win a French Open. He became the first black man to win the 1975 Wimbledon against Jimmy Connors.

He was not only a great tennis player but also a philanthropist and a social worker too. His dedication to social causes was very well known.

In 1969 when he applied for a visa to South Africa, he was denied because he was a black even though he was the US No. 1 at that time. When after numerous attempts his visa application was denied, he started a protest to campaign the expulsion of South Africa from the 'International Lawn Tennis Federation.'

His dedication to the cause was so much, that it is said that when Nelson Mandela was freed after 27 years and asked whom he wanted to meet from the US, he said he wanted to meet Arthur Ashe.

Arthur Ashe co-founded the 'National Junior Tennis League' with Charlie Parasell and Sheridan Snyder. The program is designed to expose children to tennis who might not have the opportunities. This was the first of many programs that Ashe would introduce.

He was the co-partner in creating ATP [Association of Tennis Professionals] in 1972 with Jack Kramer because the earnings of the players at that time did not reflect the interest and thereby the revenue.

In 1980 he underwent a bypass and subsequently retired from playing professional tennis.

He was made the non-playing captain of the US Davis Cup team in the same year and under his captaincy, the US Davis Cup team won the Davis Cup in 1981 and 1982.

In 1983 he underwent a second bypass and during the blood transfusion to help him recover fast, contracted AIDS, but it was detected only in 1988.

He was inducted into the 'International Tennis Hall of Fame' in Newport in 1985.

He established 'Arthur Ashe Foundation for Defeat of AIDS' which raised money for research into treating, curing and preventing it: the ultimate goal being eradication of the disease.

He died in 1994 after a valiant battle against AIDS, which he could not win. It is said that when he was in the hospital, one of his fans wrote him a letter asking him, "would he never ask: why me God?"

To which he responded, "In the entire world, five crore people play tennis, five lac people learn to play tennis, out of which only two get to play the Wimbledon finals and only one gets to win it. When I was holding the trophy I never asked God, why me? So, why now should I ask?"

In 1997, the USTA announced that the new Centre stadium at the USTA National Tennis Centre would be named Arthur Ashe stadium commemorating the life of the first US Open champion in the place where all future champions will be decided.

In 1994, the concept of "Arthur Ashe Kids Day" was introduced which raises money for the National Junior Tennis League, which he founded.

The event honors and continues Arthur Ashe's mission and dream of using tennis as a means to instill in kids the value of humanitarianism, education and academic excellence.

We can now only think about the man who did so much for the sport, without asking what the sport did for him and who will always be remembered as one of the pioneers of modern tennis.