In 2015, the BBC released a documentary on Arthur Ashe to celebrate the 40th anniversary of his Wimbledon men’s singles title. Arthur Ashe: More Than a Champion is a biopic of the legend of the sport. His rise to tennis prominence is traced in parallel to the American Civil Rights movement, along with his unique response to the social injustice of the era. This film is a comprehensive examination of the man that starts with his boyhood in segregated Richmond through his final days as his life was claimed by AIDS.
While there are many great books that delve into detail on the life and lasting societal impact of Ashe, this documentary is an excellent “Cliff’s Notes” version that hits the major points of his story. Both on-court and off-court events are stitched together with observations from key figures who knew him well. That includes Arthur’s brother Johnnie, Donald Dell, Billie Jean King, Ilie Năstase, Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, John McEnroe, and Serena Williams. Additionally, the soundtrack is extremely well-curated.
This documentary runs roughly in parallel with the book “Ashe vs Connors: Wimbledon 1975 – Tennis that went beyond centre court” which was reviewed on this site last week. However, the film pays significantly more attention to Ashe’s life after tennis. That includes his time as the captain of the Davis Cup, political activism, and his untimely death from AIDS.
Since the impetus for this film was the 40th anniversary of his Wimbledon singles title, his opponent in that match, Jimmy Connors, would seem to be an obvious narrator. However, he was absent from the documentary other than the clips of the match and associated press conferences. It is a stunning omission.
The film emphasizes the remarkable parallels between Ashe and Billie Jean King. Both players were born in the same year and arguably could have won many more titles without the distraction of their off-court advocacy and activism. Consequently, it was poetic that Billie Jean King won the women’s title at Wimbledon in 1975 and thus was the player who danced with him at the traditional champions dinner.
Per his narration in the documentary, John McEnroe believes he was a better person due to the time he spent with Ashe. All the others who participated in this project unanimously echoed that sentiment. Arthur Ashe changed tennis. He also changed the world, and we are all in a better place because of him.
Arthur Ashe: More Than a Champion was produced by the BBC, but is not currently offered for streaming on their platform. However, the full length video is available on YouTube.
