Wimbledon, England – On July 5, 1975, heavy underdog Arthur Ash became the first and only black man to win the Wimbledon singles title, beating defending champion Jimmy Connors, who didn’t drop a set for the final. Half a century later, the upset is largely remembered for how it happened as a result.
The critical center court match pitted Professor Ash, 32, and the 23-year-old left-handed Connors, who had just challenged Ash in court. Connors filed a lawsuit in June 1975 alleging that former Tennis Association president Ash had slandered him in a letter to the ATP that criticized Connord for not playing for the US Davis Cup team.
On this day, the last 50 years after the gentleman, three tennis numbers reflect how Ash, who won three majors, knocked out Connor, who won eight. Ash dumped his trademark power game and decided to play, dominating the Connors 6-1, 6-1, 5-7, 6-4. And how Ash left a lasting legacy in her life that ended due to AIDS-related pneumonia at 49.
Below is an edited excerpt from a two-week Wimbledon interview. A friend of British journalist Richard Evans, author and tennis historian Ash. Then Stan Smith won the US Open in 1971 and Wimbledon in 1972, and was Ash’s Davis Cup teammate and friend.
Richard Evans: It was just a privilege to be there because Arthur Ash didn’t win, we were all stunned – he wasn’t a favorite for Jimmy Connors, but he won it. The most extraordinary Wimbledon Finals I’ve ever seen, and I’ve seen some. It was really all about understanding how he had to play to beat Jimmy Connors.
Chris Eubanks: Most often, players go to court, they burn guns, especially in the finals. They want to play with their strengths. He took a completely different approach.
Stan Smith: Jimmy won in ’74 – defeating Ken Rosewall in the final. He flew high, I think he’s as confident as ever, so I made it even more noteworthy that it happened.
Richard Evans: Charlie Pasarel (Ash’s friend and fellow player); Arthur; another player called Freddie McNair. And then, Arthur’s best friend and agent, Donald Dell went to the Playboy Club (night) before the Wimbledon final. And they sat down and mapped plans. Because they agreed with everything and knew that if Arthur went out to Wimbledon’s centre court he would lose because it was something the Connors loved. Jimmy was a little guy (5 feet 10). He couldn’t create his own strength. He needed to develop his opponent’s strength. So they said, “Okay, we don’t give him anything.” And to our surprise, Arthur began the match, softballing him, dropping him, lobing him, and pushing the ball over the net. And Connors had nothing to cooperate with.
Smith: You can think about it, you can develop a strategy, you can dream of it working, but it was pretty amazing to actually go out and implement that strategy. You need to have the ability to do it. Many players can think about that strategy, but they cannot apply it. He was done with a really good touch and feel.
I think he just got completely flummoxed what was going on. He was back and ready for that big serve. Arthur was sliced things big and Jimmy was back to the side as he returned the ball, so he hit Arthur the whole court. I’m sure he thought he’d switch or change his strategy. He is probably still shocked by what it happened and how it happened.
Evans: The most extraordinary aspect of it was that you could imagine and play sports. It was to ask the champion stars to play the most important matches of their lives and completely change their style. Many will say that it is impossible. Arthur stuck to that. He stuck with that when Connors returned to win the third set. He didn’t. Push, shouve and drop shots, and Jimmy fell apart once more. All I’ve ever seen was the most amazing tactical match or sporting moment.
Smith: You’ve never really seen anything like that – a complete switch in style of play, not just strategy, but also the style of style, a guy who didn’t go that well. And I didn’t see it again from Arthur in any other game he played. We played each other a few times and I saw him play and he was on tour so it was a bit of a one-off, which is pretty amazing.
Evans: Arthur was far more popular than Jimmy, who had fans, so the whole crowd was baffled but pleased, but they couldn’t do anything for him. We (Arthur and I) talked a lot about it over time. That was his great ambition as a tennis player. It was raised to believe he was the pinnacle of sport. It would have been a real shame if his career had ended without saying, “I’m a Wimbledon champion.” He deserves to be a Wimbledon champion, and my god, he won it.
Smith: I think he was proud that he had Jimmy out of balance so much. When Arthur looked back on this, I think he was even more pleased with the way it happened and the fact that this lawsuit really disappeared (Connors dropped it shortly after Wimbledon’s defeat). And I don’t think he had any really bad feelings with Jimmy. He wasn’t that type of guy. In fact, one of the strengths he had was that he didn’t have grum and people realized that they had different motivations, why they thought things and why they did things, and he accepted it before moving on and still tried to improve the world.
Eubanks: I think it was a historically big moment. Clearly, he won the US Open in 68, marking the beginning of an open era, a major historic milestone, but I think everyone knows the fame surrounding Wimbledon. It’s good that he was able to come back and win it seven years after his first Grand Slam. Such historical events, such historical events, are a bit poetic, with being Americans, winning in America and winning at Wimbledon on these sacred grounds. It’s incredible and it’s a great honor to be able to follow in his footsteps.
Smith: It makes him sad that he is not here that he can’t do it (celebrating the 50th anniversary of his title).
Eubanks: I think there are certain names that will live on time. Even the younger generations who may not know much about Arthur and his legacy, “Hey, who is Arthur Ash, and why is there a world’s largest tennis stadium named after him?” And when I see everything he could achieve in court, everything he could accomplish from the court as a humanitarian, I think he could only see the life he lived in. It’s about your impact on sports and the world. I think that the impact will continue to be felt by many children and people in tennis players and around the world for years to come.
Smith: Arthur was a very cheerful man. He was keeping up with current events and certainly he was passionate about helping others. He was involved in the issue of apartheid, and he was involved in the issue of mental and AIDS. He is a great friend, he has a sense of humor and came up with some very funny comments along the way. His favorite T-shirt was “Citizens of the World”, and he saw the big picture of his life, and that was the most notable thing about him.
Eubanks: I think (I think it was calm that was unique about him. He never allowed his feelings to be far from him. No matter how stressful the situation was, no matter what kind of adversity he dealt with in court, he treated it from the court. He was always respectful, always a gentleman, and he was always a role model that you want your kids to see, and yet still a champion of his own. He was able to showcase that you can become a champion and still be able to pay certain respects. It shows a certain class and politeness that many kids and many tennis fans want to see.
Evans: He was very respected. Arthur didn’t change. He always knew exactly what he was doing. And he was a shooter, Yeller, not a banner warbar, but he was later arrested in DC (outside the South African embassy in 1985, outside the White House in 1992 in protest of Haitian refugees’ rights). He would have been disappointed that more black players didn’t pass faster, but there was a great development in that respect. He would want more. He goes out there and helps the youngster become tennis players.
Eubanks: I think it’s continuing to grow, and it was a real honor to be part of it and see the generation that came afterwards. I really believe that children can see people who appear to be successful in a particular field. I think we will help the sport continue to grow, and enable the cultural significance of Arthur, Altea (Gibson, five major titles including Wimbledon in 1957) that more and more people of color, and love it, and even from being involved in the sport from a fan’s perspective.
