Why Me?

Arthur Ashe was one of the greatest tennis players of his era. He overcame prejudice to be the best in his sport. He was often underestimated and put down yet nothing stopped him from achieving his goal. He grew up in segregated Richmond, Virginia. When he was only six years old, his mother passed away. To avoid his loneliness he decided to do something which had not been done by some one black. He started playing tennis and once he entered the court he performed flamboyantly. His greatest year, professionally, was 1969, when he won both the US Open and the Davis Cup for America. Yet later in that year he was denied entrance to a South African tournament because of his color. Perhaps because of this, his life's crusade after tennis was helping African Americans achieve equality. He left tennis and started fighting for the rights of blacks in USA. As he was famous person electronic and print media gave him a lot of coverage. In effect, he raised the world’s awareness to the oppressive form of government (apartheid) of South Africa.

Buoyed by Arthur Ashe’s initial efforts, blacks in South Africa slowly but surely began to see change come about in their country. At last South African embassy was compelled to issue him a visa. By the mid-1970’s, people began to whisper that perhaps Arthur was spending too much time on his causes and not enough time on his game, so it would be impossible for him to become a national champion again.
Arthur began to refocus on his game, determined to reach the level of play he once enjoyed and he made it by winning Wimbledon. But the story did not finish here.

In 1980, he had a heart stroke; in the hospital during surgery he was given HIV reactive blood. This HIV made the hero a zero. He fought for thirteen years bringing much awareness and attention to AIDS worldwide. During this time 34 business groups, 55 worlds’ largest hospitals and 4000 renowned doctors tried to save his life but on Feb 6, 1993 he expired. While he was taking last breaths of his life one of his fans wrote him a letter. He asked him there are more than five hundred billion people on this planet but why God has chosen you for this malignant disease.


WHY ME?

Arthur replied him in such words that need to be cast in golden frame and hung in every home, office and place. Arthur replied, every year fifty million children start playing tennis, out of them only five million become professional tennis players. From these only fifty thousands enter into the professional courts, out of which only five thousands are able to reach grand slam. Only fifty reach at Wimbledon, from these only 4 make it to semifinal. Out of those 4, only 2 play the final and only one player wins the title. When I was holding a cup I never asked God "Why me?" And today in pain I should not be asking God, "Why me?".

He created the Arthur Ashe Foundation for the Defeat of AIDS, received the first Annual AIDS Leadership Award from the Harvard AIDS Institute, and addressed the United Nations on World AIDS Day.