Arthur Ashe - One of the greatest in many ways

While in New York I drove past the former World Fair grounds which presently hosts the US Open. I used to take the 7 train to Ft Totten, Queens and pass the grounds and I always figured that I would go to the Open while I was living in NYC. I never went to the US Open until the mid 90's. The main court is Arthur Ashe stadium and I watched some great matches there. I went again about 4 years ago and I realized that I missed some of the greatest years in American tennis by not watching the Open live in the late 70 to the early 80s. The slam eras first champion at the US Open was also the first black man to win a grand slam, Arthur Ashe. I always like Ashe and respected him for his quite intensity and a regal dignity which he carried himself. I am glad that one of the greatest stadiums at the US Open is named in his honor. In his book Days of Grace, which was finish just a week before his death, he writes of why he didn't feel sorry for himself inspite of the fact that he was dying a horrible death with the AIDS virius. One question that he did not ask was one that he says people--well meaning people--inquire as to whether he ever asked, in the face of his diseases, "Why me?" Ashe responds: "I never do. If I ask Why me?' as I am assaulted by heart disease and AIDS, I must ask Why me?' about my blessings, and question my right to enjoy them. The morning after I won Wimbledon in 1975 I should have asked Why me?' about my blessings. . . If I don't ask Why me' after my victories, I cannot ask Why me?' after my setbacks and disasters. . ." The book talks of the evolution of a distinguished athlete, sagacious scholar and humble humanitarian.

One thing that he did have issues with was racism and he felt that “being black is the greatest burden I've had to bear.” That is the only item which he comes across as being bitter about. He acted on his convictions with his activities as a civil rights activist and his being active against apartheid in South Africa, the later costing him coaching the US Davis Cup. Having been one of the most successful coaches that the Davis Cup has ever had, it seems a cowardly and unwise act of the USTA to do this.

In Ashe's biography, there is a brief passage in which he criticizes two prominent black basketball stars, Magic Johnson and Wilt Chamberlain, for publicly bragging about their sexual conquests. His opinions on race, highly controversial under normal circumstances, have failed to stimulate serious debate.

Ashe's death in 1993 from his 1988 blood transfusions from one of his two heart surgeries was tragic as it was ironic. The stigma of AIDS in the late 80's and early 90's was very intense at the time. No celebrity at that point had gotten the AIDS virus who wasn't a drug user or gay. I remember the madness of discourse between "innocent" victims of the decease and everyone else who was perceived as responsible, I guess guilty or deserving of a painful death sentence(which at the time, that is what it was). I think that in Arthur Ashe's situation, it was discovered late in its development. Yet when Magic Johnson came up with the AIDS virus, between him catching it early, the new drugs that were being developed, he was able to live and thrive to this day. Magic seemed to benefit from Ashe's battle with the decease, not being subject of some of the harassment and speculation that Ashe endured when he went public with his announcement that he was ill.