Ashe’s Triumph over Connors at Wimbledon in ’75 Was Larger than Tennis

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Ashe’s Triumph over Connors at Wimbledon in ’75 Was Larger than Tennis

This year tennis celebrates the 40th anniversary of Arthur Ashe’s shocking upset of Jimmy Connors in the 1975 Wimbledon final. One of the more talked about in tennis history because it marked the first title by a black man at Wimbledon and, because of the complete strategical 180 that Ashe executed to take down the vaunted Connors, this final is also known as one of the most compelling tactical title matches in tennis history.

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Speaking in a conference call last week, three-time Wimbledon champion John McEnroe talked of its significance, saying that Ashe's triumph, particularly the manner in which he achieved it, helped break down a lingering, pervasive and baseless stereotype about the black athlete. “Obviously in sports, at least on our side, this was a huge moment because there was talk, in some ways there still is--though it’s not nearly what it was--that black men or women were great athletes, but they weren’t the thinkers of whites,” said McEnroe. “The mere fact that he out-strategized and out-thought Jimmy was significant, that a black player in a white man’s game, still to a large degree that’s the case, was able to out-maneuver him and fool him and surprise him.”

Legend has it that Ashe went out to dinner the night before the final with confidants (Donald Dell and Charlie Pasarell) and cooked up a plan to initiate what he would later call a “radical change of strategy” to flummox Connors in the final.

Ashe also made it a point to wear his U.S.A. jacket, symbolizing that he was part of the Davis Cup team that the lone wolf Connors had eschewed. There was tension between the two players due to lingering financial and legal issues, and Ashe wisely aimed to use the tension to his advantage.

“Jimmy had problems over the years with representing his country,” said McEnroe. “I remember Arthur wearing the U.S.A on his back, how important that was. He later was my captain for four years with the Davis Cup. The meaning behind that was more subtle. Maybe people in other countries it didn’t mean so much. For me watching it, it meant something. Jimmy was the best player in the world. For [Arthur] to be able to do what he did, dominate him the first couple sets, it was extremely surprising, because it almost seemed like Jimmy was unbeatable, yet he made you think that’s what is great about sports, anything can happen. That was a pretty big moment for our sport.”

Ashe went on to defeat Connors for the first time in four career matches, in a four-set final. The Wimbledon title was his third and final at a major. He passed away in 1993 due to complications from a blood transfusion, but Ashe’s legacy continues to live and breathe.

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To this day, Ashe’s influence knows no bounds. He was more than a tennis player. He was a philosopher, an intellectual, a spirit--a leader. His victory over Connors was so well-received because Ashe as a person and as a leader was so well-received.

“Success is a journey not a destination,” he said in his book, Days of Grace. "The doing is usually more important than the outcome. Not everyone can be Number 1."

These were words that the American legend embraced throughout his life, as he lead by example, altering generational racial relations and making a lasting, heartfelt impression on athletes and people of all backgrounds.

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