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64-757: The first ABN AMRO Open tennis tournament was held in November 1972 and was won by Arthur Ashe . The following year the tournament was not organized because it switched to a March date. Originally the Rotterdam Open was an event of the World Championship Tennis circuit and in 1978 became part of the Grand Prix tennis circuit . Since 1990 it has been part of the ATP Tour. In 1984 the singles final between Ivan Lendl and Jimmy Connors

128-677: A United Negro College Fund benefit. Moutoussamy, who is of Afro-Guadeloupean and African-American heritage, is the daughter of architect John Moutoussamy . On February 20, 1977, they were married in the Church Center for the United Nations in New York City in a ceremony officiated by Andrew Young , the United States Ambassador to the United Nations . In December 1986, Ashe and Moutoussamy adopted

192-402: A 62-year-old St. Louis teacher, tennis coach, and friend of Johnson, to move to St. Louis and spend his senior year attending Sumner High School , where he could compete more freely. Ashe lived with Hudlin and his family for the year, during which time Hudlin coached and encouraged him to develop the serve-and-volley game that Ashe's now-stronger physique allowed. Ashe was able to practice at

256-431: A break point to take a 4–1 lead in the fourth set, he eventually lost in five sets. The loss from such a winning position was the biggest disappointment of Ashe's professional tennis career. At the post-match award ceremony, irritated by some of Năstase's on-court antics during the game, Ashe praised Năstase as a tough opponent and 'colourful' player, then suggested, "... and when he brushes up on some of his court manners, he

320-452: A brother, Johnnie, who was five years younger than him. The brothers were born into a family that claimed direct descent from Amar, a West African woman who was enslaved and brought to America in 1735 aboard a ship called The Doddington . Ashe family members were enslaved by North Carolina Governor Samuel Ashe . In March 1950, Ashe's mother, Mattie, died from complications related to a toxemic pregnancy (now known as pre-eclampsia ) at

384-526: A daughter. They named their daughter Camera, after her mother's professional instrument. In July 1979, at the age of 36, Ashe suffered a heart attack while holding a tennis clinic in New York. In view of his high level of fitness as an athlete, his condition drew attention to the hereditary aspect of heart disease; his mother already had cardiovascular disease at the time of her death at age 27, and his father had suffered his first heart attack at age 55, and

448-453: A family trip in Cairo, Egypt , he developed chest pains while running. He stopped running and returned to see a physician accompanied by his close friend Douglas Stein. Stein urged him to return to New York City so he could be close to his cardiologist, his surgeon and top-class medical facilities. In 1983, he underwent a second round of heart surgery to correct the previous bypass surgery. After

512-487: A line and never to argue with an umpire's decision. In 1958, Ashe became the first African American to play in the Maryland boys' championships. It was also his first integrated tennis competition. In 1960, Ashe was precluded from competing against White youths in segregated Richmond during the school year, and unable to use the city's indoor courts that were closed to Black players. He accepted an offer from Richard Hudlin,

576-607: A month later and subsequent long-term rehabilitation saw his world ranking drop to a lowly 257th before a remarkable comeback saw him rise back to 13th in the world again the following year at the age of 35. However, after undergoing heart surgery in December 1979, Ashe officially retired on April 16, 1980, at the age of 36. His career record was 818 wins, 260 losses, and 51 titles. After his retirement, Ashe took on many roles, including writing for Time magazine and The Washington Post , commentating for ABC Sports and HBO from

640-802: A panel of journalists, and the ATP Player of the Year award. In the ATP computer rankings , he peaked at No. 2 in May 1976. Ashe is believed to have acquired HIV from a blood transfusion he received during heart bypass surgery in 1983. He publicly announced his illness in April 1992, and began working to educate others about HIV and AIDS. He founded the Arthur Ashe Foundation for the Defeat of AIDS and

704-558: A prize pool of US$ 30 million, $ 3 million of which awarded to the winner of the Finals. During the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City , the stadium was converted for use as a hospital. On September 22, 2021, the stadium hosted All Elite Wrestling . Dynamite was filmed live, alongside tapings for Rampage as well as Elevation . The Dynamite and Rampage episodes were titled "Grand Slam" with Rampage expanded to two hours for

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768-434: A second, at age 59, just a week before Ashe's own attack. Cardiac catheterization revealed one of Ashe's arteries was completely closed, another was 95 percent closed, and a third was closed 50 percent in two places. He underwent a quadruple bypass operation performed by John Hutchinson on December 13, 1979. A few months after the operation, Ashe was on the verge of making his return to professional tennis. However, during

832-515: A wildcard into the event after a five-year absence. In the singles, Arthur Ashe (1972, 1975–76) and Roger Federer (2005, 2012 and 2018) hold the record for most titles with three, while Ashe, Stefan Edberg (1986–87), Nicolas Escudé (2001–02), Robin Söderling (2010–11) and Gaël Monfils (2019–20) co-hold the record for most consecutive titles with two. Federer (2001, 2005, 2012, and 2018) and Jimmy Connors (1978, 1981–82, and 1984) co-hold

896-462: Is going to be even better". At this tournament, concerned that men's tennis professionals were not receiving winnings commensurate with the sport's growing popularity and to protect players from promoters and associations, Ashe supported the founding of the Association of Tennis Professionals . He went on to become its elected president in 1974. In June 1973, as a result of an ATP boycott, Ashe

960-496: Is named after Arthur Ashe (1943–1993), winner of the inaugural 1968 US Open, the first in which professionals could compete. The original stadium design, completed in 1997 , had not included a roof. After suffering successive years of event delays from inclement weather, a new lightweight retractable roof was completed in 2016 . Arthur Ashe Stadium occupies the site of the United States Pavilion , which

1024-576: The American Tennis Association (ATA). Ashe was coached and mentored by Johnson at his tennis summer-camp home in Lynchburg, Virginia , from 1953 when Ashe was aged 10, until 1960. Johnson helped fine-tune Ashe's game and taught him the importance of racial socialization through sportsmanship , etiquette , and the composure that would later become an Ashe hallmark. He was told to return every ball that landed within two inches of

1088-721: The Eastern Clay Court Championships defeating George Ball and Bob Barker in close five set matches in the semifinal and final. In 1963, Ashe won the Pacific Southwest Championships in Los Angeles on concrete defeating Rafael Osuna and Whitney Reed in the final two rounds. The following season he won the 1964 Eastern Grass Court Championships at South Orange, New Jersey defeating Dennis Ralston , Gene Scott , and Clark Graebner in close matches. In 1963, Ashe became

1152-628: The ILTF and the WCT, Ashe, as one of the 32 contracted WCT players, was barred from taking part in any ILTF Grand Prix tennis circuit tournaments from January to July. This ban meant Ashe was unable to play at the French Open and Wimbledon Grand Slam tournaments. In September, Ashe reached the final of the US Open for the second time. After leading his opponent, Ilie Năstase by 2 sets to 1 and with

1216-577: The United States . Tanasugarn won in two sets. The stadium has also hosted the first-ever outdoor regular season WNBA game in 2008 ; the Indiana Fever beat the host New York Liberty 71–55 on July 19. The game served as a fundraising event for breast cancer research. The facility features a Hawk-Eye electronic system which allows tennis players to challenge the umpire's decision on calls made throughout championships. In 2005,

1280-708: The 1967 U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships in Milwaukee defeating Marty Riessen in the final. In 1968, Ashe won the United States Amateur Championships against Davis Cup teammate Bob Lutz, and the first US Open of the open era , becoming the first black male to capture the title and the only player to have won both the amateur and open national championships in the same year. In order to maintain Davis Cup eligibility and have time away from army duty for important tournaments, Ashe

1344-541: The African-American Athlete , after working with a team of researchers for nearly six years. Ashe stated that the book was more important than any tennis titles. After Ashe publicly acknowledged that he had contracted HIV, he founded the Arthur Ashe Foundation for the Defeat of AIDS, working to raise awareness about the virus and advocated teaching sex education and safe sex . He also fielded questions about his own diagnosis and attempted to clear up

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1408-707: The Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health before his death from AIDS-related pneumonia at the age of 49 on February 6, 1993. On June 20, 1993, he was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by United States President Bill Clinton . Arthur Ashe Stadium , the main court for the US Open and the largest tennis arena in the world , is named in his honor. Arthur Ashe was born in Richmond, Virginia , to Arthur Ashe Sr. (d. 1989) and Mattie Cordell Cunningham Ashe on July 10, 1943. He had

1472-693: The National Guard Armory indoor courts and in 1961, after lobbying by Johnson, was granted permission to compete in the previously segregated U.S. Interscholastic tournament and won it for the school. In December 1960 and again in 1963, Ashe was featured in Sports Illustrated , appearing in their Faces in the Crowd segment. He became the first African American to win the National Junior Indoor tennis title. Ashe

1536-457: The Rotterdam Open has been part of three major tennis circuits: WCT circuit (1972–1977), Grand Prix circuit (1978–1989) and ATP Tour (1990–). 51°52′59″N 4°29′24″E  /  51.883°N 4.49°E  / 51.883; 4.49 Arthur Ashe Arthur Robert Ashe Jr. (July 10, 1943 – February 6, 1993) was an American professional tennis player. He won three Grand Slam titles in singles and two in doubles. Ashe

1600-625: The South African government seeking to end their Olympic ban and re-join the Olympic movement, Ashe was finally granted a visa to enter the country for the first time, to play in the South African Open. He lost in the final to Jimmy Connors , but won the doubles with partner Tom Okker. Despite boycotts against South African sport, Ashe believed that his presence could help break down stereotypes and that by competing and winning

1664-605: The U.S. Davis Cup team retained the cup, beating Romania in the final challenge round, with Ashe winning both his singles matches. The same year, Ashe applied for a visa to play in the South African Open but was denied the visa by the South African government who enforced a strict apartheid policy of racial segregation. He continued to apply for visas in the following years and the country continued to deny him one. In protest, he used this example of discrimination to campaign for U.S. sanctions against South Africa and

1728-463: The U.S. team become Davis Cup champions after victory in the final in Adelaide against defending champions, Australia. His only loss in the 12 Davis Cup tournament singles matches he played that year, was in the last dead rubber game after the U.S. team had already clinched victory. The season closed with Ashe the winner of 10 of 22 tournaments with a 72–10 win-loss match record. In September 1969,

1792-506: The age of 27, when Ashe was 6. Ashe and his brother were raised by their father, who worked as a handyman and salaried caretaker/Special Policeman for Richmond's recreation department. Ashe Sr. was a caring father and strict disciplinarian who encouraged Ashe to excel both in school and in sports, but forbade him to play American football , a popular game for many boys, due to his son's slight build, something that meant Arthur's childhood nicknames were "Skinny" and "Bones". The Ashes lived in

1856-499: The ban but lost a lawsuit to force Pilić's participation at Wimbledon during the ban period. As a member of the ATP board, Ashe voted to boycott the tournament, a vote that was only narrowly passed when ATP chairman, Cliff Drysdale abstained. Commentators considered that the boycott demonstrated the power of the fledgling ATP, and showed the tennis associations that professional players could no longer be dictated to. In November 1973, with

1920-555: The best black tennis player in Richmond at the time began to teach Ashe the basic strokes and encouraged him to enter local tournaments. Ashe attended Maggie L. Walker High School in Richmond, Virginia, where he continued to practice tennis. Ron Charity brought him to the attention of Robert Walter Johnson , a physician, and the coach of Althea Gibson , who founded and funded the Junior Development Program of

1984-542: The boycott of South African players after he had tried to purchase tickets for some young Africans for a tennis match in South Africa, and was told to use an "Africans only" counter. In the media, Ashe called for South Africa to be expelled from the professional tennis circuit and Davis Cup competition. In May 1975, Ashe beat Björn Borg to win the season-ending championship WCT Finals in Dallas . On July 5, 1975, in

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2048-426: The caretaker's cottage in the grounds of 18-acre Brookfield park, Richmond's largest blacks-only public playground, which had basketball courts, four tennis courts, a pool, and three baseball diamonds. Ashe started playing tennis at seven years of age and began practicing on the courts where his natural talent was spotted by Virginia Union University student and part-time Brookfield tennis instructor Ron Charity, who as

2112-535: The challenge round to win their third consecutive Davis Cup. Ashe then turned professional, signing a five-year contract with Lamar Hunt 's World Championship Tennis . In March 1971, Ashe reached the final of the Australian Open again but lost in straight sets to Ken Rosewall . In June that year, Ashe won the French Open men's doubles with partner Marty Riessen . In 1972, due to a dispute between

2176-498: The color scheme for the courts was changed from green to electric blue inner courts and a light green outer court. All US Open Series events now use this color scheme, providing television viewers a more easily trackable ball — with the yellow tennis balls contrasting more visibly against the blue courts. On July 26–28, 2019, the stadium hosted the Fortnite World Cup , a three-day long esports tournament with

2240-525: The country as it approached racial integration. He was arrested on January 11, 1985, for protesting outside the Embassy of South Africa, Washington, D.C. , during an anti-apartheid rally. He was arrested again on September 9, 1992, outside the White House for protesting on the recent crackdown on Haitian refugees. In 1988, Ashe published a three-volume book titled A Hard Road to Glory: A History of

2304-740: The design of a stadium roof in North America." Notably, the site of the Ashe center featured poor soil conditions. It had previously been Manhattan's Corona Ash Dumps (featured prominently in F. Scott Fitzgerald 's The Great Gatsby as the Valley of Ashes) and prior to that a natural wetland swamp. For the new roof, a very light solution was critical. The roof has two 800-ton fabric panels made of 210,000 square feet (20,000 m ) of lightweight PTFE membrane which can open or close on glides, up to 25 feet per minute, to create an opening roughly

2368-562: The early 1980s until a few months before his death, founding the National Junior Tennis League, and serving as captain of the U.S. Davis Cup team from 1981 to 1985. He was elected to the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1985. Ashe was an active civil rights supporter. He was a member of a delegation of 31 prominent African Americans who visited South Africa to observe political change in

2432-624: The expulsion of the nation from the International Lawn Tennis Federation ( ILTF ) but, in defense of the individual South African players, refused the call from activists to forfeit matches against them. In January 1970, Ashe won his second Grand Slam singles title at the Australian Open . With the competition somewhat depleted by the absence of some world-class National Tennis League (NTL) professional players barred by their league from entering because

2496-527: The facility, it has a DecoTurf cushioned acrylic surface. On August 25, 1997, the stadium opened by hosting the US Open , with Whitney Houston singing " One Moment in Time " during the stadium's inauguration ceremonies and dedicating the performance to the late Arthur Ashe. The first official match played on the court was at the 1997 US Open between Tamarine Tanasugarn of Thailand and Chanda Rubin of

2560-415: The financial guarantees were deemed too low, Ashe defeated Dick Crealy in straight sets in the final to become the first non-Australian to win the title since 1959. In March 1970, triggered by South Africa's refusal to grant Ashe a visa to play there, the country was expelled from the Davis Cup competition for its racial policy. In September 1970, Ashe helped the U.S. Davis cup team defeat West Germany in

2624-450: The first all-American Wimbledon final since 1947, Ashe, seeded sixth and just a few days short of his 32nd birthday, won Wimbledon at his ninth attempt, defeating the overwhelming favorite and defending champion, Jimmy Connors. Ashe had never beaten Connors in any of their previous encounters and Connors had not dropped a set in any of the six earlier rounds, but Ashe played an almost perfect game of tactical tennis to win in four sets. In

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2688-819: The first black player ever selected for the United States Davis Cup team . In 1965, ranked the number 3 player in the United States, Ashe won both the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) singles title and the doubles title (with Ian Crookenden of New Zealand), helping UCLA win the NCAA team tennis championship. In 1966 and 1967, Ashe reached the final of the Australian Championship but lost on both occasions to Roy Emerson . He won

2752-490: The lead-up to the final, the two players' relationship was already strained. Connors was suing the ATP, with Ashe as its president, for $ 10 million for alleged restraint of trade after opposition from the ATP and French officials meant he was refused entry to the 1974 French Open as a contracted member of World Team Tennis (WTT). Just two days before the start of the Wimbledon tournament, it had been announced that Connors

2816-483: The match and wore his U.S.-emblazoned Davis Cup warm-up jacket when walking out onto Centre Court and during the award ceremony while receiving the trophy and winner's cheque for GBP £10,000 (1975 equivalent US$ 23,000). Soon after the final, Connors dropped the libel suit. Ashe played for a few more years and won the Australian Open doubles with Tony Roche in January 1977, but a left foot heel injury requiring surgery

2880-498: The misconception that only homosexual and bisexual men or IV drug users were at risk for contracting HIV. In a speech to the United Nations General Assembly on World AIDS Day , December 1, 1992, he addressed the growing need for AIDS awareness and increased research funding, saying: "We want to be able to look back and say to all concerned that we did what we had to do, when we had to do it, and with all

2944-412: The record for most finals contested at four. In the doubles, Anders Järryd (1987, 1991, 1993, 1995), Nenad Zimonjić (2009–10, 2012–13) and Nicolas Mahut (2014, 2016, 2018, 2020) co-hold the record for most titles with four, while Frew McMillan holds the record for most back-to-back titles with three straight wins (1974–76). Source: Past winners from official site Since its inception in 1972

3008-472: The resources required." Two months before his death, he founded the Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health to help address issues of inadequate health care delivery and was named Sports Illustrated magazine's Sportsman of the Year . He also spent much of the last years of his life writing his memoir, Days of Grace , finishing the manuscript less than a week before his death. In October 1976, Ashe met photographer and graphic artist Jeanne Moutoussamy at

3072-416: The size of 17 Olympic swimming pools. The stadium is not fully conditioned; a new chilled water ventilation system controls humidity when the roof is closed. The new cantilevering design is supported by eight columns that sit on concrete bases, each supported by 20 piles driven 150 to 200 feet deep and has a data acquisition and recording system along with synchronized cameras to interpret the data created by

3136-514: The special. The event marked AEW's debut show in New York City and the first professional wrestling show ever held at the tennis complex. "Grand Slam" was held at the stadium again in 2022, 2023, and 2024. On November 3, 2022, the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show announced the primary event will move to Arthur Ashe Stadium in 2023. Lacking a roof, where relatively strong and unpredictable winds could occur inside

3200-453: The stadium, events were vulnerable to inclement weather—and five straight years of rain delays occurred during the US Open men's singles final from 2008 to 2012. Despite the original design's lacking provisions for a roof, the USTA announced in 2013 plans to construct a roof for the stadium using a 5,000-short-ton (4,536-tonne) superstructure —having consulted "with every architect involved in

3264-575: The story about Ashe that forced him to publicize his illness. Arthur Ashe Stadium Arthur Ashe Stadium is a tennis arena at Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in Queens , New York City. Part of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center , it is the main stadium of the US Open tennis tournament and has a capacity of 23,771, making it the largest tennis stadium in the world. The stadium

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3328-429: The story. Ashe decided to preempt USA Today ' s plans to publish the story about his illness and, on April 8, 1992, publicly announced he had contracted HIV. He blamed USA Today for forcing him to go public with the news but also stated that he was relieved that he no longer had to lie about his illness. After the announcement, hundreds of readers called or wrote letters to USA Today criticizing their choice to run

3392-486: The surgery, Ashe became national campaign chairman for the American Heart Association. In September 1988, Ashe was hospitalized after experiencing paralysis in his right arm. After undergoing exploratory brain surgery and a number of tests, doctors discovered that he had toxoplasmosis , a parasitic disease that is commonly found in people infected with HIV. A subsequent test later revealed that he

3456-412: The tournament, it would stand as an example of the result of integration, and help bring about change in apartheid South Africa. He reached the singles final again in 1974, losing in straight sets to Connors for the second consecutive year. In 1977, Ashe addressed a small crowd of boycott supporters at the U.S. Open and admitted that he had been wrong to participate in South Africa and once again supported

3520-417: Was HIV-positive. Ashe and his doctors believed he contracted the virus from blood transfusions he received during his second heart surgery. He and his wife decided to keep his illness private for the sake of their daughter, who was then two years old. In September 1992, Ashe suffered a mild heart attack. In 1992, a friend of Ashe who worked for USA Today heard that he was ill and called him to confirm

3584-747: Was active in other organizations, later pledging the Upsilon chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity and becoming a member/brother of the fraternity. After graduating with a bachelor's degree in Business Administration , Ashe joined the United States Army on August 4, 1966. He completed his basic training in Washington and was later commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Adjutant General Corps. He

3648-628: Was assigned to the United States Military Academy at West Point where he worked as a data processor. During his time at West Point, Ashe headed the academy's tennis program. He was promoted to 1st Lieutenant on February 23, 1968, and was honorably discharged from the Army on February 22, 1969, as a 1st Lieutenant. He was awarded the National Defense Service Medal for his service. In 1961, Ashe won

3712-516: Was awarded a tennis scholarship to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in 1963. During his time at UCLA, he was coached by J. D. Morgan and practiced regularly with his sporting idol, Pancho Gonzales , who lived nearby and helped hone his game. Ashe was also a member of the ROTC , which required him to enter active military service after graduation in exchange for money for tuition. He

3776-418: Was built for the 1964 New York World's Fair and demolished in 1977. The facility, which opened in 1997, replaced Louis Armstrong Stadium as the primary venue for the tournament. It cost $ 254 million to construct, and it originally had 22,547 seats, 90 luxury suites, five restaurants, and a two-level players' lounge, making it by far the largest tennis-only venue in the world . Like the other 32 courts in

3840-434: Was interrupted in the 2nd set (6–0, 1–0) due to a bomb threat and the match was not finished as Lendl was not prepared to play on. Since 2004, former Dutch tennis player Richard Krajicek has been the tournament director. A record 115,894 people attended the 2012 edition tournament when Roger Federer returned for the first time in seven years. This record was broken in 2018 when 120,000 fans attended after Federer accepted

3904-695: Was now suing Ashe for $ 5 million for comments in a letter Ashe had written to ATP members in his role as president, criticizing Connors' insistence that Davis Cup captain Dennis Ralston should be fired and Connors' "unpatriotic" boycott of the competition which had started after Ralston left him out of the team against the West Indies in Jamaica in March 1972. On the final day, Ashe pointedly and symbolically wore red, white and blue wristbands throughout

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3968-573: Was one of 13 seeded players and 81 players in total who withdrew from the Wimbledon tournament to much public criticism. The catalyst for the boycott was that Yugoslavian ATP member Niki Pilić had been suspended for nine months by his tennis federation after allegedly refusing to represent them in a Davis Cup tie against New Zealand in May, something Pilić denied. The ban was upheld by the ILTF though they reduced it to just one month. The ATP contested

4032-437: Was required to maintain his amateur status. Because of this, he could not accept the $ 14,000 first-prize money, which was instead given to runner-up Tom Okker , while Ashe received just $ 20 daily expenses for his historic triumph. His ability to compete in the championship (and avoid the Vietnam War) arose from his brother Johnnie's decision to serve an additional tour in Vietnam in Arthur's place. In December 1968, Ashe helped

4096-427: Was the first black player selected to the United States Davis Cup team , and the only black man ever to win the singles titles at Wimbledon , the US Open , and the Australian Open . He retired in 1980. Ashe was ranked world No. 1 by Rex Bellamy, Bud Collins, Judith Elian, Lance Tingay, World Tennis and Tennis Magazine (U.S.) in 1975. That year, Ashe was awarded the 'Martini and Rossi' Award, voted for by

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