One of Ashe's prime moments in his career is when he defeated Jimmy Connors at Wimbledon in 1975, to take the Wimbledon singles title. All of these accomplishments lead to a successful tennis career for Ashe, but his success mainly had a huge impact on tennis as well. The ATP wouldn't be nearly as successful in his era if it wasn't for his contributions. .
"From what we get, we can make a living; what we give, however, makes a life." This was Arthur Ashe's motto. By a glimpse of his lifespan we can see that his statement is valid. Because of Ashe's outstanding achievements in tennis he broke down barriers for segregation and made it more acceptable for African American athletes to progress. Arthur Ashe was to tennis what Jackie Robinson was to baseball. He brought promise to the eyes of African American's across the land. Unlike some of today's athletes, Arthur Ashe wasn't self-centered. It wasn't always about him and how he benefited from his actions; he thrived upon the thought that his actions would help someone else out. In 1968, after winning the U.S. Open, Ashe decided to give back to the community by helping create the USTA National Junior Tennis League. This league was an inner-city program designed to promote tennis for young athletes. This benefited young African American children especially because it gave them a chance to play tennis and not be subjected to segregation while doing so. This was a huge contribution on Ashe's part as the USTA is the biggest tennis organization promoting tennis across the United States today. Later on in Ashe's career he raised the issue of blacks having low standards for academic admittances into college. Since he raised the issue, standards were raised for African Americans and millions of dollars were contributed to the United Negro College Fund. .
"I know if could never forgive myself if I elected to live without humane purpose, without trying to help the poor and unfortunate, without recognizing perhaps the purest joy in life comes with trying to help others.
