The year a black man lit up Centre Court in SW19
In 1975 the first black man lifted the Wimbledon trophy high above his head.
Less than 20 years later he died, tragically, after years of campaigning for social justice.
Arthur Ashe’s Wimbledon win made history.
The American tennis player was the first black man ever to win the Wimbledon Gentlemen’s Singles Championship at the age of 31 by beating the defending champion, Jimmy Connors by three sets to one on Centre Court.
Connors was only 22 at the time, but his signature two-handed backhand and on-court tirades were already setting him out to be a legend in the tennis world.
Still, the older man took onlookers by surprise.
He won his first service game to love and easily broke his opponent’s serve in the first set.
Connors angrily threw his towel under the umpire’s chair and released a chain of expletives, causing a string of mockery from the crowds.
Tension mounted further in the third set as Connors found his rhythm.
He recovered to a 6-5 lead before winning the set.
His friends, family and manager watched anxiously around the Wimbledon court.
Nothing seemed to stir Ashe, he kept his cool and broke Connors’ serve in the ninth game of what was to be the final set.
Suddenly Ashe had reached 40-15 on his service game, and punched home a winning volley.
It was an easy win, and they both knew it.
Speaking after the game, Ashe said: “I always thought I would win because I was playing so well and was so confident.”
Connors also admitted: “I couldn’t find an opening. Whether I served wide balls, or kicks he was there. Everything he did was good: fine returns, short and long, and hard serves and volleys.”
Ten years later, in 1985, he would become the first African American man to be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
Ashe was a low-profile campaigner.
He pushed to create inner-city tennis programmes for young people, helped found the Association of Men’s Tennis Professionals and spoke out against apartheid in South Africa .
In 1980, Ashe retired from competition and suddenly became plagued with health issues.
He underwent a quadruple bypass operation in 1979, and then a second in 1983.
In 1988 he underwent emergency brain surgery after experiencing paralysis of his right arm.
A biopsy taken during a hospital stay revealed that Ashe had AIDS.
Doctors soon discovered that Ashe had contracted HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, from a transfusion of blood that he was given during his second heart operation.
After news of his condition became public, Ashe poured himself into the work of raising awareness about AIDS.
He delivered a speech at the United Nations, started a new foundation and laid the groundwork for a $5million fundraising campaign for the institution.
Picture: Arthur Ashe at the 1975 World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam Picture: GPA photo archive, Flickr. Right, Jimmy Connors’ two-handed backhand in 1978. Pictures: National Archives Catalog, Public Domain/National Archives Catalog, Public Domain/PA