I am not a tennis fan, I’ve never actually watched a game, and the only tennis players I’ve heard of are those who have achieved some degree of “pop” fame: Billy Jean King, Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe, Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras, Venus and Serena Williams. That’s pretty much it. I’ve also heard of Monica Seles, but only because I remember when she was stabbed by a fan.
And then there’s Arthur Ashe. To be honest, the first I ever heard of him was after he died of AIDS (contracted from a blood transfusion, if I recall correctly). Since that time, I know they’ve named a New York stadium after him, and he appears as a regular clue in my daily crossword puzzles (“Tennis Great Arthur ____”). By all accounts, he was a truly wonderful man who’s life was tragically cut short.
But was he really that famous before he died of AIDS? Did he really deserve to have a stadium named after him because of what he did in life? Or did he achieve a sort of retroactive fame because of the circumstances of his death? I’m sure tennis fans knew all about him before he died, but what about other non-fans like myself? Did you ever hear about Arthur Ashe before he died?
Arthur Ashe was one of the greatest players of the 1970’s. He was also one of the first black players to succeed in a (then) almost purely white sport.
He was an accomplished tennis commentator after he stopped playing, IIRC.
Sure, the fact that he died of AIDS (contracted by a blood transfusion) made him more famous. But he was a well-known man before it became known that he had AIDS.
He also distinguished himself after his competitive days were over for promulgating and promoting tennis outreach programs to disadvantaged, urban minority youths.
He was also an author, having [co-]written two memoirs.
And, in stark (dare I say, “black and white”?) contrast to the almost uniformly white tennis world of the '60’s and '70’s, Ashe stood out as a class act in a field that came to be dominated (although perhaps a bit past Ashe’s prime) by a seeming preponderance of narcissists, arrested-development cases and other a@@holes (think of Jimmy Connors, Ille “Nasty” Nastase, and in the '80’s, John McEnroe, and who knows how many others).
Ashe was a famous and respected athlete long before he got AIDS, and long before he died.
If you were a tennis fan, you would have heard of him regardless. If you studied black history, you would likely have heard of him as someone who rolled back racial barriers and created more opportunities for you. And ditto what The Scrivener said, he was a true gentleman and a scholar.
I HOPE he would still be known outside of his AIDS tragedy, because he truly deserves it.
Three Grand Slams in total. I’d say he was up there. It’s probably accurate to state that Borg was the better player, but I’d certainly rank Ashe on par with Connors.
I strongly urge you to read his autobiography Days of Grace. I would then challenge you to get through the last chapter without bawling your eyes out. He writes a letter to his daughter where he talks to her about not being able to be there to see her grow up, but how she can live her life to the fullest.
AIDS had nothing to do with his fame–actually, his fame put a different face on the disease. He contracted it through a blood tranfusion during surgery for a heart ailment–he suffered a heart attack in his early 40’s I believe.
He was famous, and rightly so, for his many accomplishments in tennis as well as for his eloquence and class. Richard Williams most likely would never have considered teaching his daughters to play tennis if it were not for Ashe. He was the Tiger Woods of tennis in that regard.
The world is definitely a less interesting place without him. He was the epitome of class.
Ashe should have, could have and (we hope) would have been a modern day Tiger Woods on the tennis court. He was a Jackie Robinson of his time in an even less integrated sport and deserves adulation strictly because of his skill and not due to his skin color.
The Williams sisters correctly further his impact upon the bleached society that views tennis and golf as their unassailable bastions and may Tiger, Venus and Serena all continue to do the same. I cannot tell you how gratifying it was to see Tiger go to a racist stronghold like the Masters and blow their doors off.
I didn’t know he was dead until I read it here. He seemed to be famous enough though. I’d heard of him and I don’t follow any sports. But I see his name a lot in crossword puzzles.
Well, when you ask “would Ashe be so famous” if he were still alive, you’re assuming that he’s extremely famous and overly hyped today. And I can’t see how that’s true. I rarely hear Ashe’s name mentioned, outside of crossword puzzles. He’s no more “famous” or hyped today than Stan Smith or Fred Stolle.
And, in large part, that’s because Ashe didn’t WANT to be a celebrity. He never tried to attract attention to himself, except when he thought it could serve some good cause. He was an immensely dignified person who lived a quiet life.
In tennis circles, Ashe is remembered as a superb player and a class act. But all in all, he certainly hasn’t become an icon. Yes, the U.S. Open is played at a stadium named after him, but that seems a rather small tribute. And really, what would be a BETTER choice of names?