3. Arthur Ashe Won His 1st Official U.S. Open at FHS While Still an Amateur, and in the Army!
Arthur Ashe had to overcome many obstacles on his way to winning his 1st U.S. Open at Forest Hills Stadium in 1968. This victory made him the first African American man to win a Grand Slam event, and the first American to win the U.S Open since Tony Trabert took home the trophy in 1955. At the time, Ashe was just 25 years old and still an amateur. This status made him ineligible to receive the first-place prize of $14,000. Instead, he took home a $20 per diem. He was also actively serving as a lieutenant in the Army when he won. Raised in a segregated Richmond, Virginia, Ashe broke racial barriers and rose to the highest levels of tennis competition. Throughout his life, he championed players of marginalized communities and those affected by AIDS, the disease that took his life in 1993. Today, the new home of the U.S. Open in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park bears his name.
