True heroism is remarkably sober, very undramatic. It is the not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others at whatever cost. – Arthur Ashe
True Heroism
Arthur Ashe was an American professional tennis player who won three Grand Slam titles.
Ashe was the first black player selected to the United States Davis Cup team. He is the only black man ever to win the singles title at Wimbledon, the US Open, and the Australian Open.
He retired in 1980. He was ranked world No. 1 by Harry Hopman in 1968 and by Lance Tingay of The Daily Telegraph and World Tennis Magazine in 1975. In the ATP computer rankings, he peaked at No. 2 in May 1976.
Ashe is believed to have contracted AIDS secondary to a blood transfusion during heart bypass surgery in 1983.
He was posthumouosly awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Bill Clinton in 1993.