Arthur Ashe: BBC Documentary

[PDJ]

@-NN- posted a thread 'How Jimmy Connors got solved' which prompted me to find more out about Arthur Ashe.
I had a spurious knowledge, and a personal connection - my grandparents were in the Royal Box for the 1975 Wimbledon Final. But really knew little about the man, aside from my grandparents talking about the final, and his untimely demise.

I hope others will enjoy this video.

 

[treblings]

@-NN- posted a thread 'How Jimmy Connors got solved' which prompted me to find more out about Arthur Ashe.
I had a spurious knowledge, and a personal connection - my grandparents were in the Royal Box for the 1975 Wimbledon Final. But really knew little about the man, aside from my grandparents talking about the final, and his untimely demise.

I hope others will enjoy this video.

it´s a really well done documentary. i´ve seen it some time ago, and it´s and hour well spent

 

[Mainad]

@-NN- posted a thread 'How Jimmy Connors got solved' which prompted me to find more out about Arthur Ashe.
I had a spurious knowledge, and a personal connection - my grandparents were in the Royal Box for the 1975 Wimbledon Final. But really knew little about the man, aside from my grandparents talking about the final, and his untimely demise.

I hope others will enjoy this video.

Your grandparents were in the ROYAL Box??? Are we permitted to ask how they managed to get in THERE???

 

[PDJ]

Your grandparents were in the ROYAL Box??? Are we permitted to ask how they managed to get in THERE???

Member. And recently received CBE at the time.

 

[Mainad]

Member. And recently received CBE at the time.

Nice! You must be very proud. Have you been there yourself?

 

[PDJ]

Nice! You must be very proud. Have you been there yourself?

In the Royal Box? Once - guest of a former champion. Wimbledon many many times. But not last couple of years since moving to France.
I normally got press pass due to a friend so wd go quite a lot over the fortnight.
Don't hate me!

 

[Mainad]

In the Royal Box? Once - guest of a former champion.

Are we permitted to ask which one?

Wimbledon many many times. But not last couple of years since moving to France.
I normally got press pass due to a friend so wd go quite a lot over the fortnight.

Which was the best match you recall seeing there?

Don't hate me!

Of course I don't hate you but I confess to being as envious as hell!

 

[PDJ]

Best match EVER: Evert's come back from 2-5 down final set 1/4 final v Golarsa. No.1 court, 1989. Evert's last win at Wimbledon. On my birthday!
Had tickets for Centre but got in to no.1.

Magical.
Never known an atmosphere like it. Britain was clearly cheering for Chris. Just amazing.

 

[treblings]

In the Royal Box? Once - guest of a former champion. Wimbledon many many times. But not last couple of years since moving to France.
I normally got press pass due to a friend so wd go quite a lot over the fortnight.
Don't hate me!

hard not to hate you envious is the better word, as @Mainad put it

 

[-NN-]

@-NN- posted a thread 'How Jimmy Connors got solved' which prompted me to find more out about Arthur Ashe.
I had a spurious knowledge, and a personal connection - my grandparents were in the Royal Box for the 1975 Wimbledon Final. But really knew little about the man, aside from my grandparents talking about the final, and his untimely demise.

I hope others will enjoy this video.

I watched the first national broadcast and found it very interesting and illuminating overall. Sorry that I didn't see the tag sooner but I think if tags are edited in after the initial post is made, the recipient is not alerted. I was thinking of watching this again and am generally immersing myself in tennis history at the moment. I'm currently reading Rod Laver's 2014 autobiography. Thanks for sharing and it makes for a good change from all the GOAT stuff. I'll have to give this a second viewing. When I do, I'll get back to the thread with further thoughts.

 

[-NN-]

Thoughts on Arthur Ashe @pc1 @Gary Duane @NatF @urban @krosero @anyoneelsewhowouldliketocontribute ?

 

[-NN-]

Member. And recently received CBE at the time.

In the Royal Box? Once - guest of a former champion. Wimbledon many many times. But not last couple of years since moving to France.
I normally got press pass due to a friend so wd go quite a lot over the fortnight.
Don't hate me!

Best match EVER: Evert's come back from 2-5 down final set 1/4 final v Golarsa. No.1 court, 1989. Evert's last win at Wimbledon. On my birthday!
Had tickets for Centre but got in to no.1.

Magical.
Never known an atmosphere like it. Britain was clearly cheering for Chris. Just amazing.

Fascinating and beautiful information.

Splendid.

And of course we won't hate you.

You help me to keep a brighter outlook on life when wading through the murky waters of TT. Even through just words on a forum, your warmth is palpable. Thanks for that.

 

[pc1]

Thoughts on Arthur Ashe @pc1 @Gary Duane @NatF @urban @krosero @anyoneelsewhowouldliketocontribute ?

I always felt that Ashe was one of those underrated talents in tennis. People often discuss what a humanitarian he was but people forget what a fantastic tennis player and talent he was also. Ashe's backhand was one of the finest one handed backhands I've seen. He could do anything with that backhand and he was one of the few players who legitimately had a superior backhand to forehand. He could hit his backhand as hard as anyone but he also could hit with incredible variety and touch on that side as evidenced by his 1975 Wimbledon win over Jimmy Connors. His forehand was also a very powerful shot.

Ashe's serve was superb. He had excellent power on his flat first serve but he also had perhaps the finest slice serve I've ever seen for a righty player. Ashe could hook you off the court with that slice serve.

His volley was very good with his backhand volley about as good as anyone's. His forehand volley was fine but he did often tend to net the shot in going for too much.

Ashe was really not a great percentage player. He went for too many low percentage shots. He often went for the lines on shots that he should have been more conservative on. That was the main reason why his winning percentage was never as high as it should have been imo.

At the same time if he wanted to be, Ashe could play exceptionally well off the baseline. I remember Ashe in 1975 (I think shortly after Ashe won Wimbledon so he was very confident) outrallying Guillermo Vilas from the baseline at the Cow Palace in San Francisco in winning the first set 6-0!

There are very few players in the history of tennis with great power off every stroke but Ashe was one of them. He had a lightning serve and great slice serve. Great power off backhand and forehand and a very penetrating volley.

Ashe's movement was very good but he wasn't as fast as a Laver or Nastase.

He seemed also to be a very mild mannered man with a good sense of humor.

 

[Gary Duane]

Thoughts on Arthur Ashe @pc1 @Gary Duane @NatF @urban @krosero @anyoneelsewhowouldliketocontribute ?

Have to watch the doc, but I'm a huge admirer of Ashe. He was almost too intelligent to be winning athlete.

 

[NatF]

Thoughts on Arthur Ashe @pc1 @Gary Duane @NatF @urban @krosero @anyoneelsewhowouldliketocontribute ?

I'll watch this over the weekend.

 

[PDJ]

Fascinating and beautiful information.

Splendid.

And of course we won't hate you.

You help me to keep a brighter outlook on life when wading through the murky waters of TT. Even through just words on a forum, your warmth is palpable. Thanks for that.

What a lovely thing to write. Genuinely touched. Thank you.
One gets so used to people jumping all over you for an opinion that doesn't match their own that you become so immune to it (and cynical) that kind words are a shock!
Once again, thank you.

 

[treblings]

i know this has been posted here before, but i think it fits nicely into this thread about the great Arthur Ashe

 

[MLRoy]

I remember watching a couple of his matches on TV when I was a kid. He was as "serve & volley" as you can get. Not that great from the baseline. To name a tennis stadium after him, I'm sure you know, has more to do with politics, and the horrible way he died, than his enviable tennis career. It's all politics in the US, unfortunately.

I remember him more so for great tennis insights. He was an excellent TV commentator. That may sound like faint praise, but how many great tennis commentators can any of us name? What was striking to me when he commentated was something you never saw in his interviews: he had a GREAT sense-of-humor. Everyone knew he had HIV. He was very upfront about that. And, sometimes I'd wonder if because of the medication he was on, or what ever (if I liked a drink or three, and I had HIV, NO ONE would be telling me when i could drink, job or no job), maybe knowing your time WAS truly short, it freed him to be less guarded, and more in-the-moment. I miss his smart & witty commentating very much, poor sweet man.