Most Diverse Wimbledon Yet

In the summer of 1975, Arthur Ashe was the heavy underdog against Jimmy Connors - a brash young player who, not having lost a single set on his way to the championship match, was deemed unbeatable. Entering the final match, Ashe took an unconventional strategy. He used chips, slices, and lobs to drag Connors from one side of the court to the other, pull him into the net and back to the baseline again, and change the pace of the rally in order to throw Connors off his game. And it worked. After just over two hours and four sets of play, Ashe achieved the unthinkable. He emerged victorious as not only the Wimbledon Champion, but the first and to date only black man to take the title. This only two decades after Black players were admitted to the All England Club.

Alongside his victories on the court, Ashe was a political champion off the court. Growing up at a time when people were denied entry into tennis clubs based on the colour of their skin, he campaigned relentlessly for civil rights and racial equality in the US. Ashe stated,

"Having grown up in a segregated environment in the South I know what it's like to be stepped on, I know what it's like also to see some black hero do well in the face of adversity."

This attitude has inspired many black athletes to follow in Ashe’s path and has led the sport to celebrate rather than reject players from a wide array of national and ethnic backgrounds. This year’s tournament marked not only the 40th anniversary of Ashe’s historic win, but also the most diverse championships to date.

Serena Williams took the title of ladies’ singles champion for the 6th time. Leander Paes, led a hat-trick of wins for India by winning the mixed doubles tournament with partner Martina Hingis. And Mikael Ymer of Sweden made it to the finals of the boys’ singles draw.

One of the championship’s major headlines was German Jamaican Dustin Brown, who took just four sets to beat former champion Rafael Nadal in the second round. Also in the men’s draw, Australian Nick Kyrgios made it to the fourth round, and French men Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Gael Monfils played into the third round before being beaten by their opponents.

In the women’s draw, the young American Sloane Stephens played into the third round, and former champion Venus Williams made it to the fourth round before being knocked out by her sister, Serena. Zarina Diyas of Kazakhstan had an incredible run, upsetting the 14th ranked player Petkovic before being beaten in the fourth round of the tournament.

And of course, Heather Watson made headlines with her remarkable third round performance against Serena Williams. The world was waiting on edge as Watson pushed Williams into a third set and forced her to stop short of nothing in order to beat the young Brit.

Reflecting on this year’s anniversary of Ashe’s win, both Williams and Watson stated their respect for the champion. Williams, who met Ashe as a young player, emphasized the influence he has had in enabling African Americans to break through racial barriers not only in tennis, but in all sports.

Watson also commented on Ashe’s influence on her career. She stated:

“Without him, I don't know if I'd be playing today.”

A respected champion both on and off the court, it only seems appropriate to honour Ashe’s historic Wimbledon win by encouraging the diversity that was present over the last fortnight for this long-beloved sport, and continuing to fight for the same causes that Ashe championed.

Katie Bergamini