40th Anniversary of Arthur Ashe Wimbledon Win
Today marks the fortieth anniversary of Arthur Ashe’s historic victory over heavily favored Jimmy Connors at the All England Club. With his win he also became the first black man to win Wimbledon and remains the only black man to have won, even after all these years. In fact the only other black man to have won a Grand Slam tournament is Yannick Noah, who Ashe befriended and mentored. The victory was also notable for its connotations of wisdom over vigor. Ashe was 31 years old at the time, nine years older than Connors. To this day, the match stands out as an example of strategy besting power, wisdom triumphing over youth and grace overcoming boldness.
Look through some of the photos from that momentous win here.