OR

source:wikipedia.org
10 Jul, 1943
06 Feb, 1993
HIV/AIDS
American
Tennis player.
49
Arthur Ashe was an American professional tennis player who is well known for being the first African-American to win the singles title at Wimbledon, US Open, and the Australian Open.
Ashe was born in Richmond, Virginia, to Arthur Ashe Sr. (d. 1989) and Mattie Cordell Cunningham Ashe on July 10, 1943.
Ashe’s family was claimed to be a direct descendant of Amar, a West African woman who was enslaved and brought to America in 1735 aboard a ship called The Doddington.
At a young age of 6, Ashe lost his mother to complications related to a toxemic pregnancy. Due to this, Ashe and his brother were trained by their father. Ashe’s father was described to be caring and a strict disciplinarian.
Ashe’s father often encouraged him to excel in school and sports, but forbade him to play American football, a popular game for many boys, due to his son’s slight build, something that meant Arthur’s childhood nicknames were “Skinny” and “Bones”.
Ashe attended Maggie L. Walker High School in Richmond, Virginia, where he continued to practice tennis. Before high school, Ashe’s talent for playing tennis was discovered by a Virginia Union University student and part-time Brookfield tennis instructor Ron Charity.
Ron Charity took it upon himself to introduce Ashe to Robert Walter Johnson, a physician, and the coach of Althea Gibson, who founded and funded the Junior Development Program of the American Tennis Association (ATA).
After the introduction, Ashe began to be coached by Dr. Robert Walter Johnson Jr. who mentored many young African-American tennis players during the time.
Ashe won the national junior indoor singles title in 1960 and was ranked number one among junior players in the US.
Ashe enrolled at UCLA on a tennis scholarship and graduated with a degree in business administration in 1966. He then joined the ROTC program and served in the US Army until 1969.
During this time, he continued to play tennis and became the first African-American man to be selected for the US Davis Cup team in 1963. He also went on to win the US Open in 1968 becoming the first African-American man and amateur to do so.
Ashe reached the pinnacle of his career in the 1970s when he won the Australian Open and Wimbledon. He then led the US Davis Cup team to multiple titles. He retired from professional tennis in 1980.
Ashe was married to photographer and graphic artist Jeanne Moutoussamy. The couple adopted a daughter together, whom they named Camera.
Ashe passed away in 1993 at the age of 49 due to AIDS-related pneumonia.
Arthur Ashe
Arthur Ashe
Male
HIV/AIDS
Richmond, Virginia, U.S.
New York, New York, U.S.
Advocate: Quiet and mystical, yet very inspiring and tireless idealists. Ashe was a known introvert who preferred to read books. He was great at reading people which helped him in his tennis career.
Arthur Ashe was the first African-American male to win a Grand Slam title.
In addition to his tennis achievements, he was also a talented writer and commentator.
Ashe contracted HIV through a blood transfusion and later died from AIDS-related complications.
Ashe served as captain of the United States Davis Cup team.
In Doubles, he won the Australian Open and French Open
He was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1985
Arthur Ashe won the Australian Open, Wimbledon, and US Open in singles competition
He won the Davis Cup four times