Throughout the relatively short life of Arthur Ashe, Arthur had suffered a tremendous amount of prejudgment. The definition of the prejudice that Arthur faced is: disliking a black individual based upon their color, rather than on reason. An example of this in the life of Arthur Ashe was the time in 1969 when Arthur was denied entrance to a South African tournament because of skin color. This enraged the young tennis player; therefore Arthur waged an active war against apartheid in South Africa, “blasting away at the barrier of prejudice and poverty in that country.”(Encarta) The apartheid in the Republic of South Africa was an official policy of racial segregation formerly practiced, involving political, legal, and economic discrimination against nonwhites. In the 1970’s nonwhite was the term used to describe people which did not have a white skin color. Arthur had waged war against this prejudice by becoming the best in the sport of tennis and showing every young black tennis player that any obstacle based on racism or segregation can be toppled. For years to come, Arthur Ashe will always be remembered as the man who granted freedom to African Americans --a hero.
Mr. Ashe had a great contribution in tennis not only as an athlete but also as a person. Believing that a professional tennis player needs coordinated leadership, Arthur contributed to the formation of the Association of Tennis Professionals and served as president in 1975. From 1963 to 1978, Arthur played on the Davis Cup with a record of twenty-seven single victories against five loses. While playing in the Davis Cup, “Arthur’s most notable victory came against a powerful Jimmy Connors at the 1975 Wimbledon.”(Great Athletes 107) Our young hero’s playing style, powerful concentration, and commitment established Arthur as a premier player in tennis. Moreover, in 1977, after recovering from surgery and vision problems, when Ashe was ranked as 257th in the whole world, Arthur started playing tennis again to regain the long forgotten “best player” in the world reputation. Ashe’s fans and the whole world were amazed when Arthur regained seventh rank in the world. Arthur’s behavior and actions had greatly affected the whole nation seeing as Arthur managed to regain prestigious status after suffering a great deal. All types of people including white and black were in admiration of Arthur Ashe and young African American tennis players were especially intrigued by the actions of Arthur. Accordingly, in 1985, a few years before Arthur died, Ashe was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
Thus, we have realized that Arthur Robert Ashe, Jr., was among the first African Americans to become a professional tennis player and gain the reputation of 1st ranking player in the whole world. Even as advancing in an athletic career, Arthur had put up with a lot of discrimination and prejudice. Besides, Arthur earned a great personal reputation due to having a good nature and always helped others achieve their own successes. Even though living a short life, Arthur had made the best of it while enjoying the life of a famous tennis player; which built a foundation for other young black people. Moreover, Arthur Robert Ashe, Jr. boasted an incredible effect on the whole world at large through what Arthur had said and done even though suffering through plenty of prejudice and discrimination.
