The Power of Arthur Ashe

Clive Myrie marks 50 years since Arthur Ashe won Wimbledon and what life was like in 1970s Britain. Ashe became the first black man to win Wimbledon in 1975, beating favourite Jimmy Connors to the title. Hear from Chris Grant and Sir Keith Ajegbo as they share their memories of how Arthur Ashe had a significant impact on their lives and what it was like for black Britons at that time. Ashe’s long-term friend and former girlfriend, Swedish tennis player Ingrid Löfdahl Bentzer gives us a unique insight into the man himself reminiscing about the day he won. Ingrid also tells us about the abuse she and Arthur received when they were together. We hear from AELTC chair and former player Debbie Jevans on the impact of that famous victory, but also what the landscape of tennis looks like today. This programme contains strong and discriminatory language.

You can listen to The Power of Arthur Ashe online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

The Power of Arthur Ashe is an episode from 5 live Sport Specials by BBC.

This episode is 59:16 long.

This episode was published on Jun 17, 2025.

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