What was Arthur Ashe's Net Worth?
Arthur Ashe was an American professional tennis player who had a net worth of $2 million at the time of his death. After adjusting for inflation, this is equivalent to $4 million today. Ashe was the first black man to win singles titles at the US Open, Australian Open, and Wimbledon. He also claimed two Grand Slam titles in doubles. Diagnosed with HIV/AIDS, Ashe became a significant AIDS activist before passing away from complications of the disease in early 1993.
Early Life and High School
Arthur Ashe Jr. was born on July 10, 1943, in Richmond, Virginia to Arthur Sr. and Mattie. He had a younger brother named Johnnie. When Ashe was six, his mother died from complications related to pre-eclampsia. Raised by his father in the caretaker's cottage of the 18-acre Brookfield park, the largest blacks-only public playground in Richmond, Ashe began playing tennis. Noticed by tennis instructor Ron Charity, he continued playing tennis at Maggie L. Walker High School and was mentored by physician and coach Robert Walter Johnson. For his senior year, Ashe transferred to Sumner High School in St. Louis, Missouri, due to racial segregation restricting his tennis opportunities in Richmond. In St. Louis, he lived with and was coached by Richard Hudlin.
Higher Education and Military Service
In 1963, Ashe enrolled at UCLA on a tennis scholarship. Coached by J. D. Morgan and frequently practicing with his tennis idol, Pancho Gonzales, Ashe was also a member of the ROTC. After graduating with a BA in business administration, he joined the US Army and was assigned to the US Military Academy at West Point. There, he worked as a data processor and headed the Academy's tennis program. Ashe was discharged in early 1969 as a 1st Lieutenant and received the National Defense Service Medal.
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Tennis Career
Ashe won his first major tennis tournament in 1961 at the Eastern Clay Court Championships. Two years later, he won the Pacific Southwest Championships in Los Angeles and became the first black tennis player to play for the US men's national team at the Davis Cup. In 1964, Ashe triumphed at the Eastern Grass Court Championships and won both the NCAA singles and doubles titles in 1965. Although he faced defeats in the Australian Championship finals in 1966 and 1967 against Roy Emerson, Ashe won the US Men's Clay Court Championships in 1967. His breakthrough year came in 1968 as he won both the US Amateur Championships and the US Open, making him the first black man to win the US Open. He also helped the US men's national team win consecutive Davis Cups in 1968, 1969, and 1970.
Ashe's second Grand Slam singles title came in early 1970 at the Australian Open, where he defeated Dick Crealy in straight sets, becoming the first non-Australian player to win the title in 11 years. He reached the Australian Open final again in 1971 but lost to Ken Rosewall. However, he won the doubles title at the French Open with Marty Riessen that year. In 1972, Ashe experienced a notable loss to Ilie Năstase in the US Open final after holding a 4-1 lead in the fourth set. The following year, after obtaining a visa to apartheid South Africa, Ashe won the doubles title with Tom Okker at the South African Open. In 1975, he won the WCT Finals against Björn Borg and upset defending champion Jimmy Connors to win Wimbledon. Ashe continued to play for a few more years, winning the Australian Open doubles title with Tony Roche in 1977. After heart surgery, he retired in 1980.
(Photo by Harry Dempster/Daily Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
Post-Tennis Career
Post-retirement, Ashe wrote for Time magazine and the Washington Post, and provided commentary for ABC Sports and HBO. He founded the National Junior Tennis League and served as captain of the US men's national tennis team at the Davis Cup from 1981 to 1985. Additionally, Ashe was a prominent civil rights activist, participating in anti-apartheid protests in South Africa and advocating for racial integration.
Marriage and Child
In early 1977, Ashe married photographer and graphic artist Jeanne Moutoussamy. A decade later, the couple adopted a daughter named Camera.
Health and Death
In 1979, Ashe suffered a heart attack and underwent a quadruple bypass operation at the year's end. He had a second heart surgery in 1983 to correct the earlier procedure. Following this, Ashe became the national campaign chairman for the American Heart Association. In 1988, after experiencing paralysis in his right arm, it was discovered he had contracted HIV from blood transfusions during his second heart surgery. Keeping his diagnosis secret until 1992, Ashe then founded the Arthur Ashe Foundation for the Defeat of AIDS. He passed away from complications of the disease on February 6, 1993. Ashe was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in June of that year.
