Arthur Ashe's legacy lives on in Washington, D.C.
The Citi Open — an annual tennis tournament held in Washington, D.C. — has a rich history tied closely to tennis legend Arthur Ashe.
The year was 1968; Ashe was driving through D.C. with his close friend and agent Donald Dell, who had a vision of organizing a tennis tournament in the District.
Dell asked Ashe if he would participate if a tournament was created. According to Citi Open tennis director Jeff Newman, Ashe responded with something along the lines of "If you pick a place that is naturally integrated, I'll play in the tournament, and I'll support it."
Less than a year after Ashe won the 1968 U.S. Open and became the first African-American tennis player to win a Grand Slam tournament, Dell, along with friends Steve Potts and John Harris, welcomed Ashe's request. They began hosting the tournament in an integrated neighborhood at the corner of 16th and Kennedy Streets adjacent to Rock Creek Park — the location where the tournament is still played nearly a half century later.
During the tournament's early stages, Ashe displayed his tennis prowess year after year. He entered the draw 11 times, eventually hoisting the championship trophy in 1973. Known as one of the most prominent figures in the sport, his appearances effectively jump-started the tournament's popularity. Other African-American tennis players, including James Blake and Sloane Stephens, have also won tournament titles, in 2002 and 2015, respectively.
As the longest running ATP Tour event in the U.S., the Citi Open, formerly known as the Legg Mason Tennis Classic from 1994 to 2011, has since grown to become one of the most popular ATP/ WTA events in the country. Top players such as Andy Murray, Kei Nishikori, and Marin Cilic have all made appearances in recent years as well, giving fans some of the finest tennis competition on the East coast.
In addition to these on-court successes, the everlasting impact that Ashe left on the surrounding area is something that is still evident.
The Washington Tennis and Education Foundation (WTEF), owner and beneficiary of the Citi Open, continues to keep Ashe's dreams alive. Along with their sustained impact as owners of the tournament, WTEF officials have hosted programs for the past two decades, such as the Arthur Ashe Children's Program, aimed at providing at-risk youth unique opportunities to learn both in the classroom and on the tennis court.
Through the outreach of the WTEF, surrounding communities continue to band together, using the game of tennis as a helping hand. In the tournament's early days, Ashe taught children to play the game at WTEF clinics.
"(The WTEF) has programs to assist those in disadvantaged areas with the opportunity of using tennis as a hook to get them in the classroom, and provide choices for kids that otherwise don't have those choices," Newman said.
He praised the WTEF's continued efforts, telling a story of two at-risk brothers. One joined the program; the other didn't.
"One was in their program and thrived and became a great student and athlete. The other, who didn't go into their program, unfortunately, got influenced by others and went to jail, and ultimately passed away," Newman said. "It's stories like that where the tennis helps influence kids into making the right decisions."
Newman, tournament director since 2000, added, "without Ashe's support, I don't think the tournament would have ever gotten off the ground," he said. "He was the name that really drove it and made it happen."
In 2015, the combined pursue the men's and women's tournaments was about $1.9 million. The event, to be held July 16-24 in 2016, has an average attendance of about 72,000.
The event's impact on the community can't be over-estimated, Newman said.
"It truly does influence youth to want to participate in athletics and sports," he said. "When you see these players so close, it really influences kids to want to pick up a racket."
Facts about the Citi Open:
• According to the ATP Tour, the Citi Open is one of 13 level 500 tournaments worldwide.
• The Citi Open has been a part of the WTA schedule since 2011.
• In 2015, Sloane Stephens won the first WTA title of her career in Washington, beating Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-1, 6-2. It was the first time Stephens had advanced to a WTA final.
• Past champions in the men’s event include Arthur Ashe, Ivan Lendl, Jimmy Connors, Yannick Noah, Andre Agassi and Andy Roddick.
Source: ATP, Citi Open