Arthur Ashe

^{Who are these two fellas and why would they be featured in the same #FanTeaser this time of year?}

If you asked yourself, what the heck is a trumpeteer doing in the #FanTeaser, then you’ve probably not been watching any of the U.S. Open Tennis Championships the past couple of weeks.

The trumpeteer in question, Louis Armstrong, is the namesake of the smaller of the two show courts at New York’s USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, Queens, NY.

The original Louis Armstrong Stadium stood from 1978-2016. The current version opened in 2018 and features a 14,000 seating capacity and a retractable roof. The stadium got its name from Armstrong who settled in the nearby Corona neighborhood in 1948 and spent his final three decades there with his wife, Lucille.

Before becoming a tennis venue, the location was called the Singer Bowl and used for the 1964 World’s Fair. It began hosting jazz events following Armstrong’s death in 1971 and was renamed for him before it became a tennis venue in 1978.

As for the other fella, Arthur Ashe, he really requires no introduction.

One of the greatest American tennis players of his generation (and beyond), Ashe won three Grand Slam events during his career (U.S. Open, Australian Open, and Wimbledon) among his 76 total career titles. His U.S. Open title in 1968 was the first of tennis’ open era.

With a seating capacity of 23,771, Ashe Stadium is the largest tennis venue in the world. Opened in 1997 and dedicated in the late Arthur Ashe’s honor, it replaced the former Armstrong Stadium as the premier site on the grounds. Its retractable roof was added in 2016.

^{Louis Armstrong and Arthur Ashe are the namesakes of the two stadiums where the U.S. Open Tennis Championships are contested.}

Just to review, The Fan Teaser was the creation of former Ann Arbor News Sports Editor Geoff Larcom. Longtime friend and fellow Ann Arbor News alum, Pat Schutte, took it to heights previously unknown. We aim to keep it alive here at The Sports Fan Project. The cropped photo and the accompanying clue give you an idea as to who or what the image is of. We invite you to use the Comment option to take a crack at solving the Teaser and, if you’re so inclined, participate in some good-spirited banter with your fellow sports fans. The Fan Teaser will appear each Friday morning with the reveal coming to you Sunday.

**^{A now golden moment to be sure. Who’s}**
**^{shaking hands here and why?}**

Sometime today, the All English Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club will crown its 2025 Wimbledon Gentlemen’s Singles Champion. And, for the 50th consecutive year, it will not be a black man.

On July 5, 1975, American Arthur Ashe became the first and to the moment, only, man of color to win this prestigious tournament.

Ashe defeated top seed and defending champion, Jimmy Connors, 6-1, 6-1, 5-7, and 6-4, to claim the final of his three Grand Slam singles titles (also the U.S. Open, 1968, and Australian Open, 1970).

Jimmy Connors and Arthur Ashe — **^{Jimmy Connors, left, shakes Arthur Ashe’s hand following Ashe’s 1975 Wimbledon Gentlemen’s Championship. (Photo from Mirropix/Getty Images).}**

The photo for this week’s Fan Teaser was captured at the net following Ashe’s victory. It was the first all-American men’s final since 1947.

As defending champion and nearly 10 years younger than Ashe, Connors was a heavy favorite. In fact, he’d never lost to Ashe in their prior head-to-head meetings and Connors had not lost a set in any of his six Wimbledon matches leading up to the final. Tennis observers have long said Ashe played an almost perfect match from a tactical perspective.

Additionally, there was bad blood between the two players. Connors was embroiled in a $10 million “restraint of trade” lawsuit against the American Tennis Professionals (ATP) – of which Ashe was president at the time – for its refusal to allow him to participate in the 1974 French Open as a contracted member of the World Team Tennis organization. Adding more fuel to the fire, Connors filed a $5 million libel suit against Ashe two days before Wimbledon began. The libel suit was for comments Ashe had written to ATP members in his role as president criticizing Connors’ derogatory comments toward Davis Cup Captain Dennis Ralston as well as Connors’ “unpatriotic boycott” of Davis Cup after he was not selected for the team in 1972. In the video highlights of their 1975 finals’ match below, you’ll notice Ashe wore red, white, and blue wrist bands as well as his USA Davis Cup warm up as a not-so-subtle rebuke of Connors.

^{Highlights from the Arthur Ashe-Jimmy Connors 1975 Wimbledon Gentlemen’s Singles Championship.}

^{A look back at the importance of Arthur Ashe.}

Just to review, The Fan Teaser was the creation of former Ann Arbor News Sports Editor Geoff Larcom. Longtime friend and fellow Ann Arbor News alum, Pat Schutte, took it to heights previously unknown. We aim to keep it alive here at The Sports Fan Project. The cropped photo and the accompanying clue give you an idea as to who or what the image is of. We invite you to use the Comment option to take a crack at solving the Teaser and, if you’re so inclined, participate in some good-spirited banter with your fellow sports fans. The Fan Teaser will appear each Friday morning with the reveal coming to you Sunday.

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