Fred Bowen's "The Score" column,
August 30, 2002, Washington Post

These Guys Could Play

It's "the world's toughest tennis." The U.S. Open. Two weeks of the biggest names in the game: The Williams sisters -- Serena and Venus. Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi. Lleyton Hewitt and Jennifer Capriati.

Arthur Ashe and Louis Armstrong.

You will hear those last two names a lot this week, even though neither of these legends is even alive. You see, the two main tennis venues at the U.S. Open are named Arthur Ashe Stadium and Louis Armstrong Stadium.

So who were these guys? Let me tell you.

Arthur Ashe

Arthur Ashe was a terrific tennis player. He used a big serve and a blistering backhand to win 33 professional tournaments, including three major titles (1968 U.S. Open, 1970 Australian Open and 1975 Wimbledon). But Ashe was more than a tennis player.

When Ashe played, there were almost no African American tennis professionals. Ashe showed that you didn't have to be a kid from a fancy tennis club to make it to the top. Ashe learned the game on the public courts of Richmond, Virginia. And, unlike American tennis champions Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe, whose screaming and yelling during matches could be an embarrassment, Ashe always was a complete gentleman. He was cool and calm even in the most nerve-wracking moments.

After he retired from playing tennis, Ashe again showed he wasn't just another jock. Intelligent and thoughtful, Ashe wrote the book "A Hard Road to Glory," a history of African American athletes since 1946. Ashe also was active in the fight to end apartheid, the terrible racial segregation system in South Africa. When he became sick with AIDS, Ashe fought to raise money and awareness of the disease. He died in 1993.

On the court and off, Arthur Ashe was a true champion.

Louis Armstrong

I am not sure that Louis Armstrong ever sweated through a set of tennis or even held a racquet in his life. But that doesn't mean that Armstrong couldn't play.

Louis Armstrong could play all right. He played the trumpet. In fact, Armstrong may have been the most important musician in the history of jazz, the great American music.

Before Armstrong came along in the 1920s, jazz musicians played the music's complicated melodies all together. Louis Armstrong was such a fabulous trumpet player that he became one of jazz's first soloists, the musician who steps out in front of the group and plays alone, making up music on the spot. Armstrong's playing (and singing) made him one of the world's most famous musicians for almost 50 years.

So why name a tennis stadium after a trumpet player? Well, late in his life Armstrong lived in Queens, New York. But maybe there's another reason. At its best, tennis is a bit like jazz. After years of practice, a player is out there all alone making up notes or shots in front of thousands of fans. If the player doesn't know what he or she is doing, the melody -- or the match -- can be lost.

But when everything is going right, when the band is cooking or the match is tight, then tennis, just like jazz, can be beautiful.

Fred Bowen writes KidsPost's Friday sports column and is the author of sports novels for kids. Write to him at KidsPost, 1150 15th St. NW, Washington, DC 20071.

Or e-mail (with "The Score" in the subject field): kidspost@washpost.com.

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