THE tennisreporters.net NEWSLETTER: SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 2, No. 14

Blake inspired by Ashe legend
Pioneer died 10 years ago this week

By Sandra Harwitt
tennisreporters.net

Siggi Bucher

Only days before James Blake was about to head to Croatia as the kingpin of the US Davis Cup squad's first-round effort next week and he took time to discuss a hero of major proportions that helped open the door to tennis for him and his older brother, Thomas.

The man the 23-year-old Blake talked about was the late great Arthur Ashe, who succumbed to AIDS-related pneumonia 10 years ago this coming week. Ashe, who passed away at the age of 50, contracted aids from a blood transfusion during open-heart surgery in 1983. Until the last year of his life, Ashe managed to keep his AIDS diagnosis private, but when faced with the fact that a leading American newspaper had discovered his secret, Ashe was forced to go public.

On Feb. 6, the very day the American squad will stand in Zagreb as the draw is made for the tie between the US and Croatia, it is likely that Blake and the rest in attendance will be thinking about Ashe, a former Davis Cup player and captain, that had passed away on that day in 1993. Ashe was more than a Grand Slam champion ('68 US Open, '70 Australian, '75 Wimbledon), he was an author, a dignitary, and a champion of worthy causes. During his life, Ashe took the lead of Althea Gibson, the first African-American to win Grand Slam titles at Roland Garros, Wimbledon and US National in the '50s, and widened the opening to black athletes in tennis.

"I think to the extent even more than just the obvious, like with myself being an African-American tennis player, I think he's obviously been a role model to me, but I think he could be a role model to just about anyone," said Blake of Ashe. "His legacy is the fact that everyone who speaks of him, everyone who met him talks about the fact that he was a great person, a great humanitarian, social activist. He did whatever he could to make situations --situations for other people better. He used positive that came into his life to help others.

"And even when he was stricken with a deadly disease, he used that to help others who were in an even more unfortunate situation. Instead of saying 'why me' and taking a lot of sympathy, he used to help others, which is something I think everyone could learn from."

Blake, whose mother is Caucasian and father is an African American, grew up learning the game at the Harlem Junior Tennis program. An intelligent guy, who spent a couple of years at Harvard before joining the tour, Blake understands that the strides that Ashe made during his tennis career, breaking down long-standing prejudices that existed for African Americans, has been a huge reason why he is where he is today – the lead man of a US Davis Cup squad.

"I think being African-American, I owe him a great debt of gratitude for being able to deal with the pressures and situations," Blake said. "What I go through now and what anyone goes through is much easier thanks to what he did. It took a great man and a great athlete like him to do that, and we are so fortunate today to have had him as that role model, as that person to do that, to really break the color barrier in tennis and be such a great champion; and to be so well respected as a sportsman to where people could really add no disparaging remarks about him with any valid basis, with any evidence behind it."

RANKS OF BLACK TENNIS PLAYERS HAS GROWN
Since Ashe, there have been many black tennis players to follow in his footsteps.

Of great presence and note, there are Serena and Venus Williams, the No. 1 and No. 2 players in the world, who own nine Grand Slam trophies between them, '83 French Open champion Yannick Noah and '96 Wimbledon finalist MaliVai Washington.

Besides those names who made marks on the singles front at Grand Slams, many other black athletes put together or are putting together excellent careers as tennis players by walking through the door that Ashe opened, including, Chanda Rubin, Zina Garrison, Lori McNeil, Leslie Allen, Renee Blount, Rodney Harmon, Chip Hooper, Todd Nelson, Bryan Shelton, Ronald Agenor, Nduka Odizor, and Yahiya Doumbia.

Blake, who never knew Ashe in person, is confident that Ashe would approve of how all of the black players that have come after him have handled themselves in his wake.

"I didn't meet him when he was still around, but obviously he wanted to make things better for us and I think he'd be proud of knowing how much we've helped in the communities and the fact that we do care about that," he said. "I've seen so much effects by the Williams sisters, just being an observer and a fan before I came on tour, just to see so many young girls that idolize the Williams sisters, especially since there are not as many female spots that publicized as they are in the men's.

"So the Williams sisters become so prominent to all young girls that want to be involved in sports. They have made such a great difference, and such a great positive difference, I think that's something Arthur would be proud of."

Blake acknowledges that if it wasn't for Ashe, he might not be one of the top American players on the tennis scene these days, saying, "He inspired a whole generation of tennis players. I feel like he also inspired somebody like Mal Washington. If it wasn't for Washington growing up, there's another possibility I would not have been excited about tennis. But I'm very inspired by the fact that he inspired my dad and Mal Washington; and now seeing that there's a next generation, kind of looking around … that maybe there's some kids out there or someone who never thought about tennis now might be thinking about tennis because they see me playing it."