| Grown
up among the limited means and opportunities, and as a youth compelled
to play on the segregated courts, the lawn tennis player, Arthur Ashe
could create his own place in a white man's game with the help of
his talent, determination and love for the game. The first and the
only black man to be No 1 twice and to win three Grand Slams, he created
the tennis boom of the 1970s along with Billie Jean King, Chris Evert
and Jimmy Connors. An
African-American lawn tennis player and an anti-apartheid activist
of the 20th century, he was a child of racial segregation. Arthur
Ashe was a symbol inspiring the generation of blacks to enter the
formerly uninviting fields. His
life was a mixture of losses and wins. Though he suffered from AIDS
in the later decades, he never gave up or was disheartened. His
control, on and off the court, was unique. Giving a new direction
to his life, he spent rest of him life serving the society. He taught
mankind the lessons of self-respect and dignity. The truly 'free'
black man, the world has ever seen, Ashe proved himself a champion,
not only of sports but also of mankind. Andrew
Yong, former US delegate to the United Nations, has truly evaluated
this 'black pearl': "He
took the burden of the race and wore it as a cloak of dignity." |
