In 1968, Arthur Ashe Made History At The U.S. Open

When Arthur Ashe won the men's singles final at the first U.S. Open in 1968, he made history as the first African-American man to win the Open. That record holds to this day. Photos show a pensive Ashe with his arm around his proud father, Arthur Ashe Sr., his silver trophy tray held in one hand. Over the years, Ashe would be remembered as a tennis champion, but also as a champion of civil and human rights. Tennis was the portal through which he became famous, but by the time he died at age 49, he'd grown so much larger than the sport. Raymond Arsenault is the author of a new, extensive biography: Arthur Ashe: A Life . He says that 1968 was the start of a new chapter for Ashe. "Sixty-eight really begins his life as the Arthur Ashe that we know," Arsenault says. "He did great things before 1968, was one of the greatest players in the world already. But as a human being, as someone who transcended sports, it began in '68." 1968 was a traumatic, turbulent year. Martin Luther King Jr and