Arthur Ashe

10 July 1943 – 6 February 1993

Arthur Ashe was an American tennis player who won three Grand Slam singles titles, the US Open in 1968, the Australian Open in 1970 and Wimbledon in 1975, and was the first Black man to win each of them. After retiring he captained the US Davis Cup team and became an author and activist; he died of AIDS-related illness contracted through a blood transfusion.

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Life events

Born in Richmond, Virginia
10 July 1943

Arthur Robert Ashe Jr. was born in Richmond, where his father worked as a caretaker of a segregated public park.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
Birth ✓
Enrolled at UCLA on a tennis scholarship
1962 – 1966

Ashe joined the University of California, Los Angeles, where he won the NCAA singles title in 1965 and graduated in business administration in 1966.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
Education ✓
Won the first US Open
9 September 1968

As an amateur and serving US Army lieutenant, Ashe won the inaugural open-era US Open, defeating Tom Okker in the final.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
Achievement ✓
Won the Australian Open singles title
January 1970

Ashe defeated Dick Crealy in the final in Sydney.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
Achievement ✓
Won the Wimbledon singles title
5 July 1975

Ashe defeated the defending champion Jimmy Connors in four sets, becoming the first Black man to win Wimbledon.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
Achievement ✓
Married Jeanne Moutoussamy
20 February 1977

Ashe married the photographer Jeanne Moutoussamy in a ceremony conducted by Andrew Young; they adopted a daughter, Camera, in 1986.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
Relationship ✓
Suffered a heart attack and underwent bypass surgery, ending his playing career
July 1979

After a heart attack in July 1979 and quadruple bypass surgery that December, Ashe announced his retirement from competitive tennis in 1980.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
Personal ✓
Captained the United States Davis Cup team
1981 – 1985

Ashe led the US team to Davis Cup victories in 1981 and 1982.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
Career ✓
Publicly announced that he had HIV
8 April 1992

Ashe disclosed that he had contracted HIV from a blood transfusion during heart surgery, after learning a newspaper was about to report it; he then founded the Arthur Ashe Foundation for the Defeat of AIDS.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
Personal ✓
Died in New York City
6 February 1993

Ashe died of AIDS-related pneumonia at the age of 49; he was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom later that year.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
Death ✓