Arthur Ashe retires

Press, 18 April 1980, Page 24

Arthur Ashe retires

NZPA-Reuter San Francicso The Black American tennis star, Arthur Ashe, who underwent heart surgery five months ago, is retiring from competitive tennis. Ashe, the greatest black male player the game has seen said in San Francisco yesterday: “I won’t be entering any more tournaments. There will be no great transition because I have been in the process of doing this for years.” Ashe, aged 36, had informed 22 friends and business associates by letter that he was on the verge of announcing his retirement. He had a quadruple bypass heart operation in December after suffering a heart attack las + July. The surgery was successful and he said afterwards that he intended to resume his career, possibly competing this summer at Wimbledon, where he won the men’s singles title in 1975. Ashe said yesterday that his health was one of many factors that influenced his decision to retire from competition. “The doctors say I will live to be 100, but they won’t put it in writing,” Ashe joked. He reached the pinnacle of his career with his Wimbledon triumph after having won the United States Open championship in 1968 — the first yerar that that tournament was open to professionals — as an amateur. In the letter sent to his friends and associates, Ashe stated his feelings about continuing in the game that made him wealthy. “From today on, I will end my non-stop odyssey in search of the perfect serve and retire from competitive tennis ... in case you are wondering about niy health, I plan to live to be 100 years old.” Ashe has long-opposed South Africa’s apartheid policies in sports. The South African Government denied him a visa in 1970 when he first applied for one, but later he was permitted to play in the country. After his visits there, Ashe became an outspoken critic of South Africa and urged that it be expelled from all international tennis competition.