
My Tennis Role Model
I played competitive tennis as a child. That’s a fancy way of saying I played in tournaments, traveled to regional cities to compete, and followed my rankings in the Southeast. I began playing at a young age. I was seven years old when my sister began at eight–my mother wanted us to take lessons at the same time, so the pro let me start early. The entire time I was playing, so was Arthur Ashe, my tennis role model.
In 1963, Ashe was the first Black player on the Davis Cup Team. I was six years old. In 1965, he won both the NCAA singles and doubles title for UCLA. I was eight years old. In 1968, he won the US Open, the first Black man to do so. In 1970, when I was thirteen, he won the Australian Open. The year I went to college, in 1975, he won Wimbledon.
Ashe was always active in Civil Rights, much of it focused on South Africa’s apartheid. Because of his protests, Davic Cup expelled South Africa from competition for its hateful policies. After contracting AIDS during open heart surgery, he worked to de-stigmatize the disease and increase research and funding, speaking before the United Nations on World Aids Day in 1992. He died far too young in 1993 at age 49.
How did Arthur Ashe impact my life? He was a beautiful tennis player. Not everyone was–looking at you, Jimmy Connor. He had gorgeous strokes, pure grace on the court. Because of that, I prized more than anything a beautiful stroke. Yeah, winning was nice. But not if my stroke wasn’t smooth, poetry in motion, it was a fail. That’s all I ever wanted to be, as beautiful a player as Arthur Ashe.
My tennis role model: today’s story on Black American History impacting my life

Arthur Ashe, Best tennis players of all time, Black History Month, Black History Month 2025, Black History Month Arthur Ashe, My tennis role model
Sybil MacBeth
I did not know about your tennis career, Ellen. Always something new to learn. I love the post and the picture. In Pickleball there are inelegant , clumsy players who are good and get the job done. And then there are the elegant players who hit and move as if the court is a stage and they are in the corps de ballet. They, too, get the job done!
Ellen Morris Prewitt
Yes, it was a major part of my life and one reason I came so late to swimming: back then, they believed swimming relaxed your muscles and ruined you for tennis. One of my joys in life was at age 12 acing grown men, particularly satisfying since I truly was a scrawny thing—I didn’t get over 80 pounds until the 8th grade. 🙂
Jim Van Hecke
Great story! I bet you are still great on the court! Van
Ellen Morris Prewitt
You are sweet, but I am not! I quit playing competitively in the 11th grade. Kept up socially into my late 30s then quit altogether. I do still dream about it, though. 🙂
Marie A Bailey
Ah, a lady of many talents! Wonderful story. I wasn’t much interested in tennis when I was young. I played a couple of times as an adult, always joking that an observer wouldn’t be able to tell if I was playing tennis or golf 😉 But I remember Arthur Ashe. He made me interested in tennis. And, yes, we lost him much too young.
Ellen Morris Prewitt
Tennis or golf–that is so funny! So great you remember Ashe, and that he impacted your view of the game. So long ago…
Marie A Bailey
Indeed, so long ago. I remember when I heard that he had AIDS. I didn’t care how he got it. I was heartbroken for him.
Ellen Morris Prewitt
😪
Mary Lowry
Is that you in the Newspaper picture? Wonderful article. I didn’t know you were such an athlete!
Ellen Morris Prewitt
That is me! Sixteen years old or something. We always ushered for local tennis tournaments, which meant we got to see a lot of great players. Back then, they wouldn’t let girls be ball boys (it was literally ball boys). So ushering it was. Also back then, they gave girls useful household items as trophies. So I have a butter container, a roll server, a large ornate serving tray…. Life is so funny.