Arthur Ashe
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Arthur Ashe Tennis Paper
I wrote this paper on Arthur Ashe because I wanted to learn something about the history of tennis and how it has evolved over the years. I looked up tennis history online and found the best way to do this was by writing a paper concerning the life, career, and impact that one man, Arthur Ashe, has had on tennis.
Ashe was a skinny African American kid who loved reading books and listening to music. He grew up in Richmond, Virginia with his parents. As a young boy, only six years old, his mother passed away. He used his mothers memory as his inspiration in life. Arthur found a unique excitement for playing tennis. However, due to segregation, he was excluded from playing at any of the local tennis clubs and camps. So he began playing in a hometown park where his skills were noticed by his father and tennis coach Ronald Charity who welcomed Ashe to spend the summer at the home of Dr. Walter Johnson, the coach of Althea Gibson, the first black player ever to win a Grand Slam title. Ashe accepted his offer and not too long after, Johnson became Ashes mentor. Dr. Johnson gave Arthur a foundation that carried him through an outstanding high school tennis career that earned him a tennis scholarship at UCLA. It was there that he earned recognition for his tennis abilities on a national level, winning an individual and team NCAA championship. He was also growing as a person as well, graduating with a BA in Business Administration.
As a tennis player, Arthur Ashe was one of the most prominent players of all time. Upon graduation from UCLA, Ashe was selected to represent the United States in the Davis Cup. He was the first African American to ever be chosen to play on the US team (< While taking part in a tennis clinic in 1979, Ashe suffered a heart attack and had to undergo surgery. A few months after recovering from surgery, he felt chest pains again while competing and decides its time to retire. After continuing heart