Frances Tiafoe, who was honored by the ATP 2020 with the award named after Arthur Ashe for his humanitarian commitment, wrote a letter to the namesake.
by Jens Huiber
last edit: Jan 6, 2021, 1:19 pm
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© Getty Images
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Arthur Ashe died in New York City in 1993. The former Wimbledon champion had been given blood contaminated with the HIV virus during a heart operation, at that time a fatal error in the vast majority of cases. Ashe’s achievements go far beyond tennis. In addition to his success on the big courts in the tennis circuit, it was above all his commitment to racial discrimination that made Arthur Ashe a point of reference for generations after him.
No wonder the USTA, the American tennis association, named the largest tennis stadium in the world after Ashe. The ATP also commemorates the three-time major winner (US Open 1968, Australian Open 1970 and Wimbledon 1975) every year with the Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award. This went to Frances Tiafoe in 2020. He was born in 1998, so Ashe can only know from stories.
Serena, Gauff, Monfils and Tsonga at the start
Tiafoe, who opens its 2021 tennis season in Delray Beach this week, is well aware of the importance of Arthur Ashe. And wrote a public letter to the namesake of the award, which was published on the ATP website. Last summer, Tiafoe published a video entitled “Racquets down, Hands up”, in which he drew attention to violence against dark-skinned fellow citizens. The colleagues Serena Williams, Cori Gauff, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Gael Monfils were also there.
“I wanted to show people that everyone is important,” writes Tiafoe. “It doesn’t matter who you are, where you come from, or what skin color you have. Everyone has the opportunity to be special. I was one of those kids who didn’t have much of a chance of making it this far. Receiving this award simply reminds me that I have to pass something on to the next generation. “
Tiafoe – Ashe could have been President of the United States
Addressing Arthur Ashe, France Tiafoe continues: “I wasn’t lucky enough to be there when you worked, but I know you were so much bigger than tennis. In all honesty, you could have been president. I always remember something that you once said: ´With what we get, we can fight our lives. With what we give, we can give life. “
Nothing Arthur Ashe ever did was aimed at himself, Tiafoe said. Ashe always tried to be human first and then an athlete second. “It’s always been about helping others. That is really inspiring. ”
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