06 Arthur Ashe
Arthur Ashe was one of the world's first African American tennis stars. He was a great athlete, and he won many titles
. He became rich and famous, but these things never changed his good character. He never behaved badly. Ashe was fair, honest, and kind both in his life and on the tennis court. He also worked for many charities and always tried to help people.
Arthur Ashe was born in 1943 in Richmond, Virginia. In that part of the United States at that time, African American people and white people didn't live, play, go to school, or even eat together. Arthur's father was in charge of the city's largest park for African Americans. Arthur played there every day. He was not good at most sports. But when he was seven years old, he played tennis for the first time. He liked it and played very well. His mother had died the year before, and Arthur played every day for hours to forget his sadness.
One day, a teacher at the park noticed Arthur's ability in tennis. He took Arthur to see a tennis teacher. Arthur learned a lot from him. Arthur became an excellent amateur tennis player. He won several titles. After high school, Arthur went to St. Louis, Missouri, to train with another coach. At the age of 19, he was one of the best young players in the United States. Arthur won a scholarship to UCLA, the University of California in Los Angeles. He studied hard and graduated four years later. He also won many tennis tournaments and became the first African American man to play on the U.S. national team.
In 1969, Arthur Ashe became a professional. Six years later, he won the World Champion Tennis singles title and the Wimbledon singles title. He was the first African American man to win at Wimbledon and the first to be number one in the world. His success opened the way for African American players in tennis.
Ashe's great success did not come easily. Many times over the years he suffered because of racism.Sometimes,he was not allowed to play in tournaments. Other times when he played, people were unkind to him. But Ashe was always calm and well mannered. He hated bad behavior on the court. He got angry only once, when his opponent said bad things about him because of his race.Still,Arthur didn't say anything. He just walked off the tennis court and did not finish the game.
Ashe met a photographer at a charity event to raise money for African American schools. Later they married and had a daughter. They named her Camera. Ashe was a devoted and loving father. He also taught his daughter to be a good and kind person. Every Christmas, he took her to give toys to children from poor families. Camera gave them some of her own toys too. Ashe had a lot of money,but he never liked to show off.At the end of his life,he owned only five suits and five pairs of shoes.
Ashe was also very successful off the tennis court. He is the author of several books, including a complete history of African American athletes in the United States. In 1973, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, one of America's highest honors.
In 1979, Ashe had a heart attack. The following year, he retired from tennis. After that, he spent a lot of time helping young athletes and working for equal rights for all people. In 1983, he had heart surgery.Unfortunately,he got the incurable disease AIDS from blood he received in the hospital. Ashe continued to help people, even when he was very sick. Shortly before he died in 1993, he started an organization to help find a cure for AIDS.