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Arthur Ashe: A Life
A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK
The first comprehensive, authoritative biography of American icon Arthur Ashe—the Jackie Robinson of men’s tennis—a pioneering athlete who, after breaking the color barrier, went on to become an influential civil rights activist and public intellectual.
Born in Richmond, Virginia, in 1943, by the age of eleven, Arthur Ashe was one of the state's most talented black tennis players. Jim Crow restrictions barred Ashe from competing with whites. Still, in 1960 he won the National Junior Indoor singles title, which led to a tennis scholarship at UCLA. He became the first African American to play for the US Davis Cup team in 1963, and two years later he won the NCAA singles championship. In 1968, he won both the US Amateur title and the first US Open title, rising to a number one national ranking. Turning professional in 1969, he soon became one of the world’s most successful tennis stars, winning the Australian Open in 1970 and Wimbledon in 1975. After retiring in 1980, he served four years as the US Davis Cup captain and was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1985.
In this revelatory biography, Raymond Arsenault chronicles Ashe’s rise to stardom on the court. But much of the book explores his off-court career as a human rights activist, philanthropist, broadcaster, writer, businessman, and celebrity. In the 1970s and 1980s, Ashe gained renown as an advocate for sportsmanship, education, racial equality, and the elimination of apartheid in South Africa. But from 1979 on, he was forced to deal with a serious heart condition that led to multiple surgeries and blood transfusions, one of which left him HIV-positive. In 1988, after completing a three-volume history of African-American athletes, he was diagnosed with AIDS, a condition he revealed only four years later. After devoting the last ten months of his life to AIDS activism, he died in February 1993 at the age of forty-nine, leaving an inspiring legacy of dignity, integrity, and active citizenship.
Based on prodigious research, including more than one hundred interviews, Raymond Arsenault’s insightful and compelling biography puts Ashe in the context of both his time and the long struggle of African-American athletes seeking equal opportunity and respect.
The first comprehensive, authoritative biography of American icon Arthur Ashe—the Jackie Robinson of men’s tennis—a pioneering athlete who, after breaking the color barrier, went on to become an influential civil rights activist and public intellectual.
Born in Richmond, Virginia, in 1943, by the age of eleven, Arthur Ashe was one of the state's most talented black tennis players. Jim Crow restrictions barred Ashe from competing with whites. Still, in 1960 he won the National Junior Indoor singles title, which led to a tennis scholarship at UCLA. He became the first African American to play for the US Davis Cup team in 1963, and two years later he won the NCAA singles championship. In 1968, he won both the US Amateur title and the first US Open title, rising to a number one national ranking. Turning professional in 1969, he soon became one of the world’s most successful tennis stars, winning the Australian Open in 1970 and Wimbledon in 1975. After retiring in 1980, he served four years as the US Davis Cup captain and was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1985.
In this revelatory biography, Raymond Arsenault chronicles Ashe’s rise to stardom on the court. But much of the book explores his off-court career as a human rights activist, philanthropist, broadcaster, writer, businessman, and celebrity. In the 1970s and 1980s, Ashe gained renown as an advocate for sportsmanship, education, racial equality, and the elimination of apartheid in South Africa. But from 1979 on, he was forced to deal with a serious heart condition that led to multiple surgeries and blood transfusions, one of which left him HIV-positive. In 1988, after completing a three-volume history of African-American athletes, he was diagnosed with AIDS, a condition he revealed only four years later. After devoting the last ten months of his life to AIDS activism, he died in February 1993 at the age of forty-nine, leaving an inspiring legacy of dignity, integrity, and active citizenship.
Based on prodigious research, including more than one hundred interviews, Raymond Arsenault’s insightful and compelling biography puts Ashe in the context of both his time and the long struggle of African-American athletes seeking equal opportunity and respect.
784 pages, Hardcover
Published August 21, 2018
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October 22, 2018
4 Stars.
Arthur Ashe: A Life. The most comprehensive biography I have read to date.
At the age of seven years old, Arthur Ashe began hitting the tennis ball. It was love. During his teen years, he became “A Lynchburg Boy” - a member of Dr. J’s well respected tennis team and Arthur Ashe was “born.”
He learned to play during the time of Segregation, when no African Americans were given a fair shake. Black athletes in other sports were slowly allowed to play in games and in tournaments, but Tennis was something else altogether. It was a game of class and sportsmanship and Arthur Ashe met with obstacles at almost every turn. It took determination, hard work and grace and Arthur was the epitome of all three. Slowly, his resolve paid off and he began placing at tournaments, including Forest Hills. He spent his last year of High School in St. Louis, forging lasting friendships and then he gained a scholarship to UCLA and that sealed the deal. There, he began playing for the Davis Cup, representing the United States and then, the penultimate: his first trip to Wimbledon. After years of struggle, his hard work paid off. In 1968, Arthur Ashe won his first US Open, with other major titles to follow, including Wimbledon and the Australian Open. Arthur Ashe had arrived.
In 1980, after having retired from professional tennis, Arthur Ashe became the Davis Cup captain. On a personal note, this is something I remember well, I was 6 years old. My family and I were avid tennis fans and I was in awe of Arthur Ashe and how he handled himself on and off the court. A few years later, in 1985, he was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
In 1979, Arthur Ashe had a Heart Attack which led to the discovery that he had heart disease. He then underwent a quadruple bypass and had blood transfusions. These blood transfusions led to him being diagnosed as HIV Positive, which he disclosed to the public on April 8,1992.
To learn that Arthur Ashe was HIV Positive devastated me as two years earlier, on the exact same date that Mr. Ashe disclosed his HIV status, Ryan White, my childhood hero, lost his life to this tragic disease after contracting the virus in much the same way. Now, people can live with HIV/AIDS, though back in those days, that was not the case.
Arthur Ashe passed away on February 6, 1993, from AIDS related pneumonia. Thereafter, I read his memoir, “Days of Grace” and was touched by his candor, and his elegance, which was as evident in his life, as it was in his death. He personified grace under pressure.
Each year, I attend U.S. Open in Flushing Meadows, New York. This year, in 2018, I attended the Open on the 50th Anniversary of Arthur Ashe winning his first U.S. Open Title. Happy Anniversary Mr. Ashe, your memory lives on!
Thank you to Elizabeth Gay at Simon & Schuster, NetGalley and Raymond Arsenault for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
Published on NetGalley and Goodreads on 10.22.18.
Arthur Ashe: A Life. The most comprehensive biography I have read to date.
At the age of seven years old, Arthur Ashe began hitting the tennis ball. It was love. During his teen years, he became “A Lynchburg Boy” - a member of Dr. J’s well respected tennis team and Arthur Ashe was “born.”
He learned to play during the time of Segregation, when no African Americans were given a fair shake. Black athletes in other sports were slowly allowed to play in games and in tournaments, but Tennis was something else altogether. It was a game of class and sportsmanship and Arthur Ashe met with obstacles at almost every turn. It took determination, hard work and grace and Arthur was the epitome of all three. Slowly, his resolve paid off and he began placing at tournaments, including Forest Hills. He spent his last year of High School in St. Louis, forging lasting friendships and then he gained a scholarship to UCLA and that sealed the deal. There, he began playing for the Davis Cup, representing the United States and then, the penultimate: his first trip to Wimbledon. After years of struggle, his hard work paid off. In 1968, Arthur Ashe won his first US Open, with other major titles to follow, including Wimbledon and the Australian Open. Arthur Ashe had arrived.
In 1980, after having retired from professional tennis, Arthur Ashe became the Davis Cup captain. On a personal note, this is something I remember well, I was 6 years old. My family and I were avid tennis fans and I was in awe of Arthur Ashe and how he handled himself on and off the court. A few years later, in 1985, he was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
In 1979, Arthur Ashe had a Heart Attack which led to the discovery that he had heart disease. He then underwent a quadruple bypass and had blood transfusions. These blood transfusions led to him being diagnosed as HIV Positive, which he disclosed to the public on April 8,1992.
To learn that Arthur Ashe was HIV Positive devastated me as two years earlier, on the exact same date that Mr. Ashe disclosed his HIV status, Ryan White, my childhood hero, lost his life to this tragic disease after contracting the virus in much the same way. Now, people can live with HIV/AIDS, though back in those days, that was not the case.
Arthur Ashe passed away on February 6, 1993, from AIDS related pneumonia. Thereafter, I read his memoir, “Days of Grace” and was touched by his candor, and his elegance, which was as evident in his life, as it was in his death. He personified grace under pressure.
Each year, I attend U.S. Open in Flushing Meadows, New York. This year, in 2018, I attended the Open on the 50th Anniversary of Arthur Ashe winning his first U.S. Open Title. Happy Anniversary Mr. Ashe, your memory lives on!
Thank you to Elizabeth Gay at Simon & Schuster, NetGalley and Raymond Arsenault for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
Published on NetGalley and Goodreads on 10.22.18.
March 19, 2025
A slow, workmanlike slog through Arthur Ashe’s admirable life one tennis tournament after the next, each ... and ... every ... one on and on. The reader yearns for more of what’s inside Ashe’s head, some penetrating details, telling anecdotes and incisive analysis. Who was Arthur Ashe? How did he feel getting a cushy Army post at West Point that allowed him plenty of leave time to pursue his tennis career while his younger brother served three combat deployments in Vietnam with the Marines? We never find out. Same with Ashe’s gradual, some might say too gradual, awakening to the cause of civil rights. Few close friends and family members - he had many - animate or inform this book. Ashe doesn’t come alive. We learn almost nothing of his personal life. The book also misses telling anecdotes about Ashe that have appeared elsewhere. John McPhee’s famous profile of Arthur Ashe vs. Clark Graebner at the the first US Open, “Levels of the Game,” recounts unforgettably that when Ashe was a child, his father made him practice with a sawed-off broomstick to develop his hand-eye coordination before handing him a racket. We don’t get anything like that in this book. I’m a great admirer of Arthur Ashe on and off the court. I was hoping for more in this biography.
July 29, 2018
"Arthur Ashe - A Life" is a brilliantly written book that takes you deep inside a life that still brings change today. This biography will open your eyes and heart. It will instill hope and dreams. It will give your brain a workout in what's going on today around the world and how things can change, when needed. It will prove to you how special one person is and how that person can help you see your dreams.
July 29, 2018
There have been numerous books written about the great Arthur Ashe including a few written by him but none as comprehensive as the one by Raymond Arsenaut. It is comprehensive and covers all aspects of his life. I have already placed my order. I highly recommend this text.
November 9, 2020
I ended up liking this book a lot more than I initially thought I would. As a tennis player, I loved hearing about Ashe's professional journey and the strategy he used to get through tough matches. As a fellow introvert, I admired his growing confidence and increased activism while still remaining calm and soft spoken. And as a minority (in my field of work at least) it was refreshing and inspiring to see him overcome so many challenges - from figuring out how to learn tennis during the Jim Crow era in Richmond Virginia to having the pressure of essentially representing the entire African American race in every tournament he entered.
September 6, 2018
Ashe was my second childhood hero, after Mickey Mantle. And if baseball was my team sport, tennis was was my individual passion. But, Ashe transcnded sport. He had a positive impact on virtually every part of the world he touched by adhering to a stringent code of personal ethics, an extroadinary work ethic, and a deep commitment to social and civic responsibility". He was the Jackie Robinson and Mohammed Ali to the world of tennis. He had the quiet courage of Robinson, and grew into the political activism of Ali. Yes, I got caught up in the rise of the rebel Connors. But when that magical moment came at Wimbledon '75, it was all about the 'old guy': game, set, match. Ashe.
March 14, 2023
my only knowledge of Arthur Ashe and his legacy is knowing that he has a full stadium named after him in Queens that is featured during the US Open (tennis). After reading this book, I did him a great disservice in not knowing how influential he was to the black athlete and the humanitarian causes he took. He was know for tennis but also transcended tennis to a level that he received all his needed accolades in death. The world could benefit from more athletes willing to embody the life and grace of Arthur Ashe. He was definitely taken too soon and would have been the biggest cheerleader of the Williams sisters' successes.
December 8, 2018
This comprehensive biography of my favorite athlete not only tells readers everything we want to know about the great tennis player but also provides a history of race relations in tennis, of black athletes in college, and even offers interesting information about the civil rights and anti-apartheid movements. My one problem with this long (over 600 pages) biography is the repetition. I was excited to learn about UCLA's pioneering efforts to recruit black athletes and especially that Ralph Bunche was a UCLA athlete in the twenties. But I didn't need to read that information twice. Repetition is especially annoying in a long book.
January 31, 2019
I didn’t know anything about Arthur Ashe, but had heard his name before, so I wanted to find out. I don’t think I could have made it through the book if I wasn’t listening to it, because there is a lot of tennis in it (totally fair, just kind of boring to me) and it was a really deep dive on Arthur’s life (30 hours long). But it was a great look at who he was, and he was pretty amazing.
June 6, 2019
Extremely thorough, in that I started skimming some of the chapters that recounted how every set went in every match, but a really well done biography of a class act.
January 11, 2023
"A black man in a white sport."
..Jesse Jackson reminded the crowd that Arthur was a profoundly influential force, a man who knocked down walls and built bridges. Most athletes limit themselves to achievements and contributions within the lines, but Arthur found greatness beyond lines as he tourned anger into energy and stumbling blocks into steppingstones. David Dinkins, after insisting "Arthur Ashe was just plain better tha most of us" declered: "If ever there was a man who proved civility is not a weakness, it was Arthur."
Come una biografia deve essere scritta. Completa, chiara, lineare, ricca.
Magari a tratti un pochino troppo dettagliata e approfondita, ma è una delle opere più intense e belle che io abbia letto sulla vita di un atleta. C'è tutto su Arthur Ashe. Ci sono i titoli del Grande Slam vinti, i risultati di coppa Davis, le rivalità con gli altri atleti ed è tutto descritto così minuziosamente che alla fine ti sembra di averli vissuti quei game, quei set, quei match. Ci sono i dubbi, le sconfitte, gli ostacoli, le cadute che hanno caratterizzato la sua carriera sportiva.
Ma il racconto della vita fuori dal campo e delle lotte portate avanti da Arthur al di là delle linee bianche fanno perfettamente percepire la grandezza di un uomo, di un atleta che supera i limiti dello sport per diventare leggenda. Ci si può fermare al conto dei titoli dello slam per dichiarare chi sia il più grande di tutti i tempi, ma dove si posiziona un campione che ha dovuto lottare anche solo per entrare su un campo da bambino, perché il tennis era uno sport da bianchi? In quale categoria rientra chi ha dovuto lottare contro i pregiudizi razziali nelle terre di jim crow per diventare il migliore, il più forte, per avere la possibilità di competere nei più grandi tornei di tennis e vincerli?
Arthur Ashe avrà anche vinto solo 3 titoli del grande slam e davanti ai mostri sacri che di titoli ne hanno vinti venti, molti dimenticano di inserire il suo nome tra quelli dei più grandi.
Ma un uomo che, durante la sua carriera, durante la sua intera vita, anche quando negli ultimi anni la malattia aveva già deciso per lui, ha lottato e continuato a lottare non solo per i propri diritti e per ciò che amava, ma anche per i diritti altrui e per un posto migliore, in un mondo che cercava di non cambiare, sarà sempre ricordato, come riporta Raymond Arsenault, quale "hero among heroes". Ed è per questo che ogni anno, una delle più importanti finali dello sport che tanto amava, si gioca sull'Arthur Ashe stadium, per ricordare e celebrare un campione, una leggenda e un uomo che dovrebbe essere esempio per ogni atleta, ogni amante dello sport.
..Jesse Jackson reminded the crowd that Arthur was a profoundly influential force, a man who knocked down walls and built bridges. Most athletes limit themselves to achievements and contributions within the lines, but Arthur found greatness beyond lines as he tourned anger into energy and stumbling blocks into steppingstones. David Dinkins, after insisting "Arthur Ashe was just plain better tha most of us" declered: "If ever there was a man who proved civility is not a weakness, it was Arthur."
Come una biografia deve essere scritta. Completa, chiara, lineare, ricca.
Magari a tratti un pochino troppo dettagliata e approfondita, ma è una delle opere più intense e belle che io abbia letto sulla vita di un atleta. C'è tutto su Arthur Ashe. Ci sono i titoli del Grande Slam vinti, i risultati di coppa Davis, le rivalità con gli altri atleti ed è tutto descritto così minuziosamente che alla fine ti sembra di averli vissuti quei game, quei set, quei match. Ci sono i dubbi, le sconfitte, gli ostacoli, le cadute che hanno caratterizzato la sua carriera sportiva.
Ma il racconto della vita fuori dal campo e delle lotte portate avanti da Arthur al di là delle linee bianche fanno perfettamente percepire la grandezza di un uomo, di un atleta che supera i limiti dello sport per diventare leggenda. Ci si può fermare al conto dei titoli dello slam per dichiarare chi sia il più grande di tutti i tempi, ma dove si posiziona un campione che ha dovuto lottare anche solo per entrare su un campo da bambino, perché il tennis era uno sport da bianchi? In quale categoria rientra chi ha dovuto lottare contro i pregiudizi razziali nelle terre di jim crow per diventare il migliore, il più forte, per avere la possibilità di competere nei più grandi tornei di tennis e vincerli?
Arthur Ashe avrà anche vinto solo 3 titoli del grande slam e davanti ai mostri sacri che di titoli ne hanno vinti venti, molti dimenticano di inserire il suo nome tra quelli dei più grandi.
Ma un uomo che, durante la sua carriera, durante la sua intera vita, anche quando negli ultimi anni la malattia aveva già deciso per lui, ha lottato e continuato a lottare non solo per i propri diritti e per ciò che amava, ma anche per i diritti altrui e per un posto migliore, in un mondo che cercava di non cambiare, sarà sempre ricordato, come riporta Raymond Arsenault, quale "hero among heroes". Ed è per questo che ogni anno, una delle più importanti finali dello sport che tanto amava, si gioca sull'Arthur Ashe stadium, per ricordare e celebrare un campione, una leggenda e un uomo che dovrebbe essere esempio per ogni atleta, ogni amante dello sport.
August 18, 2022
I rated the first part of the book , his childhood to his retirement from professional tennis only 4 stars. It was the part of this 32 hour audio book from his retirement to his death and memorial that I rated at OVER 5 stars ,
Arthur Ashe was much more than the first negro to win grand slam events and one of the top ranked tennis players of his time. He was an extremely positive , clear thinking, courageous . compassionate, likeable human being!!! A FANTASTIC ROLE MODEL. A REAL LIFE HERO.
I was very impressed and deeply moved about how bravely lovingly and selflessly he conducted himself the last 10 years of his life after being given a blood transfusion during surgery that was infected with HIV at a time when that was a death sentence.
Regarding his heart attack ( In July 1979, at the age of 36,) I can not help but point out how his trainer and host fed him "plenty of steak and rice" every night .That was the only mention of his diet ( see my review of Genius Foods ) .The meat industry that is destroying deforesting our planet
causing ever worsening droughts that threaten our food supply also pays "experts "to write books telling you that eating meat does not cause heart attacks . While Ashe had a history of heart attacks in his family tree I note that he after he his heart attack when he switched to a heart healthy diet his did not have another serious heart attack .
Arthur Ashe was much more than the first negro to win grand slam events and one of the top ranked tennis players of his time. He was an extremely positive , clear thinking, courageous . compassionate, likeable human being!!! A FANTASTIC ROLE MODEL. A REAL LIFE HERO.
I was very impressed and deeply moved about how bravely lovingly and selflessly he conducted himself the last 10 years of his life after being given a blood transfusion during surgery that was infected with HIV at a time when that was a death sentence.
Regarding his heart attack ( In July 1979, at the age of 36,) I can not help but point out how his trainer and host fed him "plenty of steak and rice" every night .That was the only mention of his diet ( see my review of Genius Foods ) .The meat industry that is destroying deforesting our planet
causing ever worsening droughts that threaten our food supply also pays "experts "to write books telling you that eating meat does not cause heart attacks . While Ashe had a history of heart attacks in his family tree I note that he after he his heart attack when he switched to a heart healthy diet his did not have another serious heart attack .
September 3, 2025
I enjoyed learning a lot about one of tennis's great personalities. He died way too young from AIDS (acquired from a dirty blood transfusion) and I wonder how instrumental he would have been the rest of his life advocating for so many worthy causes. The book was very inspiring to me. On the downside, the audio reading of it was at times horrible... mispronounced words/names. I suspect the printed material was dropped into AI, which was very disappointing. Still, I recommend it to anyone who wants to know more about Arthur and the evolution of black athletes from the 60's through the early 90's.
August 21, 2020
This is one of the best biographies I've ever read, and I'm not even that much of a tennis fan. Raymond Arsenault's "Arthur Ashe: A Life," like the man himself, is engaging, compassionate and one of a kind. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.
April 1, 2019
This book is just too long.
It’s been trendy to do biographies that encompass, Not just the man, but his times.
That’s fine. I’m a fan. It’s just that Ashe’s bio just stretches on and on.
Between the history of tennis, the history of blacks in tennis, the history of tennis organizing agencies, the history of black tennis organizing agencies, tennis unions, college tennis, Davis cup, South Africa, AIDS the exhaustion sets in.
Ali’s latest very good bio is more than a hundred pages shorter. Ali is a more consequential figure, arguable. Ali was a far more provocative figure, inarguable.
The book just shouldn’t be this long.
Ashe’s greatness can be distilled down when he himself notes that his political activism with South Africa in the 70’s might have been an overreaction for his early demurrals on civil rights. Anyone who questions his motives that closely is a man of rare perception.
It’s been trendy to do biographies that encompass, Not just the man, but his times.
That’s fine. I’m a fan. It’s just that Ashe’s bio just stretches on and on.
Between the history of tennis, the history of blacks in tennis, the history of tennis organizing agencies, the history of black tennis organizing agencies, tennis unions, college tennis, Davis cup, South Africa, AIDS the exhaustion sets in.
Ali’s latest very good bio is more than a hundred pages shorter. Ali is a more consequential figure, arguable. Ali was a far more provocative figure, inarguable.
The book just shouldn’t be this long.
Ashe’s greatness can be distilled down when he himself notes that his political activism with South Africa in the 70’s might have been an overreaction for his early demurrals on civil rights. Anyone who questions his motives that closely is a man of rare perception.
September 6, 2018
I learned a lot about this wonderful athlete, person and leader. There is a lot in the book, too. But, all great stuff and hats off to author for the exhaustive research!
February 24, 2019
Rather dense, sometimes maddeningly so. There are lots of quotes and passages from other books, including ones that Arthur Ashe himself wrote. Still, this is the story of one of my heroes, and every passage and every anecdote shows why.
December 21, 2020
What a life and legacy Arthur Ashe had and left behind. This is a big one, but it inspires with every brushstroke of this elaborate painting of a man.
From his ongoing consciousness of his underdog status in terms of race, class, a non-traditional sport body in a non-traditional sport, to how all of these facets of his identity informed his activism, decades before he became a pariah for HIV/AIDS, Ashe managed to pack a lot of living into his 50 years on earth.
His activism, or struggles with activism, as a sports figure, really grew with his coming of age. I feel like most athletes, or perhaps more specifically, most black athletes, have some kind of struggle with this, but the public perception/persecution of them shifts, and that's what makes it different. I think about the differences that have occurred, even between "shut up and dribble" to the NBA bubble, and can draw a direct line back to Muhammed Ali. It's also important that Ashe tolerated McEnroe's behaviour that seemingly went against his own values, because he felt that dood was expressing his own frustrations that he could never do-like McEnroe was his "Luther" (anger translator, not foxy British detective).
South Africa is also a fascinating character in this tale-I wonder if there is another contemporary issue on the continent that Americans are willing to take up for. If you can think of one, please comment. The athletic sanctions and boycotts are interesting-I mean, trying to do that against China by expressing support for Hong Kong protesters downright shut down the Houston Rockets and then the NBA just before the 'Rona.
I also love that the players were betting on themselves when they found out that the odds were all fixed wrong, and of course, the players were penalized, but, again an NBA parallel because this is the sport I have the most experience with-entire networks of refs were embroiled in betting and they stay living with little consequences, relatively. Tell me that sports are not structured like slavery (or capitalism, really), when they are all fixed so that the players consistently get the least of the profits from their own work.
I read more about tennis and tennis players that I have ever wanted to know. It's interesting that Michael Chang is never mentioned, though his contemporary, Pete Samprass is. Imagine my surprise when I finally go to look up this Yannick Noah that I've been reading all about, and at first glance, I think-I know his face! But I don't, his son, Joachim, just looks exactly like him. Damn.
His relationship with Billie Jean King was also infinitely interesting, as well as his reformation from being a chauvinist. I really wish he could've seen Venus and Serena, as well as that blockhead McEnroe claim that Serena essentially "played good for a girl".
Basically, this quote from late in his life sums it all up:
"I hate injustice much more than I love decorum." (534)
(mic drop).
From his ongoing consciousness of his underdog status in terms of race, class, a non-traditional sport body in a non-traditional sport, to how all of these facets of his identity informed his activism, decades before he became a pariah for HIV/AIDS, Ashe managed to pack a lot of living into his 50 years on earth.
His activism, or struggles with activism, as a sports figure, really grew with his coming of age. I feel like most athletes, or perhaps more specifically, most black athletes, have some kind of struggle with this, but the public perception/persecution of them shifts, and that's what makes it different. I think about the differences that have occurred, even between "shut up and dribble" to the NBA bubble, and can draw a direct line back to Muhammed Ali. It's also important that Ashe tolerated McEnroe's behaviour that seemingly went against his own values, because he felt that dood was expressing his own frustrations that he could never do-like McEnroe was his "Luther" (anger translator, not foxy British detective).
South Africa is also a fascinating character in this tale-I wonder if there is another contemporary issue on the continent that Americans are willing to take up for. If you can think of one, please comment. The athletic sanctions and boycotts are interesting-I mean, trying to do that against China by expressing support for Hong Kong protesters downright shut down the Houston Rockets and then the NBA just before the 'Rona.
I also love that the players were betting on themselves when they found out that the odds were all fixed wrong, and of course, the players were penalized, but, again an NBA parallel because this is the sport I have the most experience with-entire networks of refs were embroiled in betting and they stay living with little consequences, relatively. Tell me that sports are not structured like slavery (or capitalism, really), when they are all fixed so that the players consistently get the least of the profits from their own work.
I read more about tennis and tennis players that I have ever wanted to know. It's interesting that Michael Chang is never mentioned, though his contemporary, Pete Samprass is. Imagine my surprise when I finally go to look up this Yannick Noah that I've been reading all about, and at first glance, I think-I know his face! But I don't, his son, Joachim, just looks exactly like him. Damn.
His relationship with Billie Jean King was also infinitely interesting, as well as his reformation from being a chauvinist. I really wish he could've seen Venus and Serena, as well as that blockhead McEnroe claim that Serena essentially "played good for a girl".
Basically, this quote from late in his life sums it all up:
"I hate injustice much more than I love decorum." (534)
(mic drop).
November 4, 2019
There is much to be said for the contradictions of an individual’s life – especially when that individual is the first high profile African American male tennis player, winner of the US Open, of Wimbledon and assorted other titles, and is from the segregated South, growing up in the Jim Crow era in the former capital of the Confederacy; a city that in the 1950s filled in its public swimming pools rather than desegregate. Arthur Ashe’s life story is one that should and could take us into so much that is essential to grasp in a fully nuanced way so many of the political, social and cultural struggles and shifts of the mid-to-late 20th century in the USA. His life encapsulates so much of that era – Jim Crow, civil rights, increasingly contested Black activism, the anti-apartheid movement, AIDS activism and so much more – while also drawing us into a powerful strand of US politics of the era – liberal conservatism, or conservative liberalism.
Much as Raymond Arsenault engages with this context and the era, he keeps a tight focus on Ashe in a way shaping our engagement with the era through his eyes – which I see as a fully understandable biographical tactic, and valuable if we can assume that readers have a wider engagement with the era and the issues, and can therefore contextualise what is going on. I’m not sure that is necessarily something we can assume of readers, whatever the biographical focus – but the approach gives us a very strong sense of Ashe’s life, his perspectives and outlooks. We get a clear sense of the ways he shied away from political engagements, of his slow realisation of a social responsibility as a high profile athlete. We also very clearly get the sense that fundamentally, and of course, Ashe was a tennis player; there’s lots of tennis – shaped, contextualised and framed by and framing its relevant political, economic, social and related circumstances. There’s much about specific significant tournaments and games – which means Arsenault has done well to address multiple audiences, from the tennis fans to those like me, not much interested in the tennis per se and more interested in Ashe the public figure.
In that sense, this is a well prepared, comprehensive biography that is traditionally, conservatively (even) structured beginning with birth and ending with death (or in this case, commemoration – the contested statue in Richmond takes up much of the conclusion) and consistently linear in form. It is hard not to see Ashe as a singular figure straddling many boundaries, notably ‘race’, commercialisation (with the Open era) – I hesitate to say ‘professionalisation’ in that is seems that despite being amateur, Ashe had a powerfully ‘professional’ outlook of focus, discipline (despite his tendency to drift on court) and concern over financially securing his future. All in all, an engaging read that is suspect will appeal more to the tennis fan/aficionado than a historian of political activism like me.
Much as Raymond Arsenault engages with this context and the era, he keeps a tight focus on Ashe in a way shaping our engagement with the era through his eyes – which I see as a fully understandable biographical tactic, and valuable if we can assume that readers have a wider engagement with the era and the issues, and can therefore contextualise what is going on. I’m not sure that is necessarily something we can assume of readers, whatever the biographical focus – but the approach gives us a very strong sense of Ashe’s life, his perspectives and outlooks. We get a clear sense of the ways he shied away from political engagements, of his slow realisation of a social responsibility as a high profile athlete. We also very clearly get the sense that fundamentally, and of course, Ashe was a tennis player; there’s lots of tennis – shaped, contextualised and framed by and framing its relevant political, economic, social and related circumstances. There’s much about specific significant tournaments and games – which means Arsenault has done well to address multiple audiences, from the tennis fans to those like me, not much interested in the tennis per se and more interested in Ashe the public figure.
In that sense, this is a well prepared, comprehensive biography that is traditionally, conservatively (even) structured beginning with birth and ending with death (or in this case, commemoration – the contested statue in Richmond takes up much of the conclusion) and consistently linear in form. It is hard not to see Ashe as a singular figure straddling many boundaries, notably ‘race’, commercialisation (with the Open era) – I hesitate to say ‘professionalisation’ in that is seems that despite being amateur, Ashe had a powerfully ‘professional’ outlook of focus, discipline (despite his tendency to drift on court) and concern over financially securing his future. All in all, an engaging read that is suspect will appeal more to the tennis fan/aficionado than a historian of political activism like me.
July 21, 2024
A really long trudge through this very comprehensive book about an incredible person on and off the court. Arthur Ashe would leave his mark in a historical white person sport. Arthur would have outstanding coaches, mentors, father and other father figures in life that helped him perfect his tennis game and help develop his tremendous character off the court. He would traverse the United States playing in countless amateur tennis matches and eventually play college tennis at UCLA. He would join the military as a result of the Vietnam war but his tennis success would allow him to continue playing tennis and serve his country at West Point. After winning a grand slam single title he would receive a standing ovation from fellow cadets at West Point which he states was very moving and appreciated. Tennis went through a number of challenges when Ashe was playing and trying to be allowed to play given he was black. Additionally a number of local and worldwide politics and life events would take place while Ashe was playing. Ashe would win 5 grand slam singles and doubles titles. His next tennis love was coaching and mentoring others including the Davis Cup, which was a top honor for him. Ashe would eventually retire from tennis but he would continue fighting for causes important to him in ways he preferred. Really incredible the thousands of people he helped after tennis, the thousands of interviews, fundraising, etc. his work schedule after tennis was nonstop including after coming down with AIDs. I did feel the book could have been condensed. Possibly not detailing hundreds of his tennis matches. The author does bring the book together at the end with Obama describing his 2 African American idols, Ali and Ashe. Obama’s description of the 2 athletes is spot on and is a nice end to a book about a tremendous tennis player,educator, mentor, and an American with such tremendous character exemplary for everyone.
January 12, 2019
I became aware of this book after Obama listed it on his 2018 recommendations.
Growing up in the 1980s Arthur Ashe was a pretty big deal, but I think it's fair to see he has now been forgotten compared to other pioneering black athletes like Muhammad Ali or Jackie Robinson. Before reading this book pretty much all I knew about Arthur Ashe was that:
(i)he played tennis,
(ii) he was pretty good,
(iii) he was more "woke" than average
(iv) he was one of the earliest and most prominent people to be diagnosed with HIV.
This biography is well researched and fairly comprehensive, so of course I learned all the standard biographical stuff, but some particular aspects that stood out to me
(1) The transition of tennis from an amateur sport to full professionalization in "the Open Era". This had an enormous impact on Ashe's life as he almost certainly would not have made as much money or become as much of an icon if this didn't happen.
(2) Ashe's very deep and extensive involvement in speaking out on Apartheid and "the South Africa question". I had a vague awareness of this, but people have now forgotten how big of an issue this was throughout the 70s and 80s.
On the critical side I will note a couple of things:
(1) In striving to be comprehensive I do feel it does get bogged down a bit. It seems practically every tournament Ashe ever entered is described. After Ashe's big triumph at Wimbledon in 1975 the rest of the book is rather anticlimactic.
(2) I didn't feel I got a strong sense of who Ashe was in his personal life. The focus is very much on his political activism and leadership efforts within tennis. I learned that he was a thoughtful, disciplined and independent-minded person, but not that much of an idea of what he was like in private and among his non-tennis friends.
Growing up in the 1980s Arthur Ashe was a pretty big deal, but I think it's fair to see he has now been forgotten compared to other pioneering black athletes like Muhammad Ali or Jackie Robinson. Before reading this book pretty much all I knew about Arthur Ashe was that:
(i)he played tennis,
(ii) he was pretty good,
(iii) he was more "woke" than average
(iv) he was one of the earliest and most prominent people to be diagnosed with HIV.
This biography is well researched and fairly comprehensive, so of course I learned all the standard biographical stuff, but some particular aspects that stood out to me
(1) The transition of tennis from an amateur sport to full professionalization in "the Open Era". This had an enormous impact on Ashe's life as he almost certainly would not have made as much money or become as much of an icon if this didn't happen.
(2) Ashe's very deep and extensive involvement in speaking out on Apartheid and "the South Africa question". I had a vague awareness of this, but people have now forgotten how big of an issue this was throughout the 70s and 80s.
On the critical side I will note a couple of things:
(1) In striving to be comprehensive I do feel it does get bogged down a bit. It seems practically every tournament Ashe ever entered is described. After Ashe's big triumph at Wimbledon in 1975 the rest of the book is rather anticlimactic.
(2) I didn't feel I got a strong sense of who Ashe was in his personal life. The focus is very much on his political activism and leadership efforts within tennis. I learned that he was a thoughtful, disciplined and independent-minded person, but not that much of an idea of what he was like in private and among his non-tennis friends.
October 8, 2020
5+ stars for Arthur Ashe and his incredible legacy. I attended Arthur Ashe’s Alma mater, UCLA, and would constantly see his name all over campus. I’m embarrassed to say that I didn’t know much about him other than his impressive tennis career and record setting as the first Black male athlete to win the US open and Wimbledon. As I read this biography, I could not have been more inspired by his moral character, intelligence, commitment to racial justice and equity, and more. I don’t know that men come much greater than Ashe and I am truly surprised that his life story has not gotten more mainstream attention from Hollywood- it is compelling and admirable in the highest degree. His tragic death from AIDS, which he unknowingly contracted through a blood transfusion after a heart surgery, at such a young age is devastating to me, particularly when I consider what an impact he had on the sports world and the nation in less than 5 decades of life. Rather than feeling self-pity or depression, he continued to advocate for and lift up others until the very end of his life.
3.5 stars for the book. There were some really suspenseful chapters and excellent writing, but I felt it could have been more tightly edited. It is very long and some of the level of detail in the tennis matches and tennis politics was a bit of a slog. I do appreciate that it fully delved into all aspects and periods of Ashe’s life.
3.5 stars for the book. There were some really suspenseful chapters and excellent writing, but I felt it could have been more tightly edited. It is very long and some of the level of detail in the tennis matches and tennis politics was a bit of a slog. I do appreciate that it fully delved into all aspects and periods of Ashe’s life.
June 20, 2024
A biography of the black tennis player and his struggles and efforts to be successful in life. His mother died when he was a child and he was raised by his father and stepmother in times when discrimination was rife. He experienced it personally when he was not allowed to play in courts, schools were either for white or black students, but some people helped him and he devoted all his time and effort to tennis. In this book, we learn how he was discriminated against in this sport even when he showed that he was a good player. For example, he was not allowed to participate in certain tournaments or the Davis Cup. With time things started changing but he never forgot what racism felt like. In addition to tennis, with time he became an activist, defending the situation of Negros, and raising his voice against apartheid in South Africa. He was passionate about everything and never spent one minute in peace. As time passed by, he was a tennis player, a businessman, a social figure, a writer, an activist, a lecturer, and a teacher. His tennis would have been better if he hadn't been engaged in so many things, but he did not care. He had to defend his people. I got the impression that racism had affected him so much that he had to stand out, always be acknowledged, and that his actions were always visible. A very long book.
August 12, 2021
“Arthur Ashe suffered many defeats, including a cruel and untimely death. Yet he was undefeated in the realms that mattered most - heart, soul, integrity, and character. In this important sense, there is no shadow to darken his legacy. What remains is the radiance of a good and great man whose inner light shines outward for all of us to see.” Thus concludes this magisterial biography of a great humanitarian, who transcended his sport, and established a legacy dominated more by what he gave than what he got. The work is noteworthy for the balanced handling of the important phases in Ashe’s life, without too much emphasis on some parts more than others. It is also brutally honest in documenting Ashe’s life as he lived it, rather than as a re-telling with an over-reliance on interpretations of the same. This is a 629-page volume, which upon reaching its end, leaves the reader wanting more….
October 26, 2018
A detailed account of Arthur Ashe’s life that brought great insight to his experiences and character. The account of his tennis career managed to escape the constraints of a season by season, major by major account and illustrate the challenges he faced off the court as well. His emergence as a leader of his sport at the onset of the open era and the awakening and evolution of his social conscience are significant aspects of the book the shed new light on Ashe if they, like I, have waited 25 years since Days of Grace for this book. Further to the journalistic discipline that informs the book there is moving warmth when talking about his win at Wimbledon, his romance with Jeanne and his fatherhood.
January 4, 2022
The most strategic word I can use to describe Arsenault's biography of Ashe is "absorbing". It is not only a meticulously researched account of Ashe's life, but also an engrossing history of the Open era in professional tennis as well as the telling of a key angle of the anti-apartheid movement. Drawing upon Ashe's memoirs and extensive interviews with family, friends, and businesspeople, the author skillfully lays out his subject in over 600 pages -- but the length is not at all daunting. The best biographies enable a reader to relive the life of the featured person and I rank Arsenault's book among the best in this genre. It is clear why Ashe was, and still is, a revered figure in American history. This volume will be moving to my classroom library.
November 30, 2018
What a great biography. For tennis fans, a must read. Ashe’s life overlaps with some of the most important developments in professional and amateur tennis, and the coming of the Open era. For anybody, Ashe stands as a monumental example of human inspiration and magnificence, and that part of his story is well told here. He was a man who saw his talents and accomplishments as a means to an end, being the betterment of mankind. The biography can get a bit tedious in its coverage of tennis matches and tennis politics, but I suppose those parts serve the passioned tennis audience well. An inspiring story.
December 11, 2018
Arthur Ashe was so much more than a tennis champion. It is why I admire him so much, along with millions of other people of course. I read his memoirs and a few biographies. This one felt like it covered every match he ever played from his junior tennis days through professional tennis. I re-read the chapter on his Wimbledon win several times .... it felt as if I was right there cheering him on.
But the scope of his awesome human status lies in his being in constant motion to do whatever he could to improve the human condition. My belief is that you can never read enough about Arthur Ashe. Humans like him do not come along very often.
But the scope of his awesome human status lies in his being in constant motion to do whatever he could to improve the human condition. My belief is that you can never read enough about Arthur Ashe. Humans like him do not come along very often.
November 22, 2023
Incredibly detailed biography of Ashe. There is (no surprise) lots of tennis. To a casual tennis fan who is not very knowledgeable about all of the tennis politics leading up to the start of the Open Era, it is a bit much to digest and keep straight. There are so many acronyms throughout this book that I think poor Mr. Arsenault's 'caps lock' had to be replaced before he finished typing the manuscript -- some paragraphs get a little dizzying with them: ATA, WTT, USLTA, WCT, ILTF, etc.
All in all, though, I learned a lot about an incredible human. It was inspiring to read about his evolution as a player and as an advocate for human rights.
All in all, though, I learned a lot about an incredible human. It was inspiring to read about his evolution as a player and as an advocate for human rights.
June 27, 2019
I will agree that this is quite the comprehensive book on Ashe’s life. A great man, and inspiring man, I found myself bogged down by the tedium of every set description through Ashe’s professional career. The book picked up some once Ashe retired, and truly picked up the pace in the last two years of his life. While I admire the precision and detail that the author devoted to Ashe’s life, it was a very tedious read and took me almost 3 times as long as it takes me to read any other book.
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