Image collection
Arthur Ashe (1943-1993) 20th Death Anniversary
Arthur Robert Ashe, Jr. born July10, 1943 in Richmond and died February 6, 1993 in New York City, was an American tennis player. Ashe was the first black tennis player to be named to the United States Davis Cup team. In 1968 he won the US Open with American team the Davis Cup. In 1975 he achieved the greatest success of his career when he surprisingly defeated Jimmy Connors in the final at Wimbledon. In 1980 he retired as a tennis player. In later years, he worked as a co-commentator for ABC Sports, among others, and also captained the American Davis Cup team for several years. Ashe advocated for civil rights and was a member of a delegation of African Americans seeking an end to apartheid in South Africa. In 1985, he was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. (wp)