The Night-Before Dinner Strategy Session That Helped Arthur Ashe Win Wimbledon

Arthur Ashe’s July 5, 1975 Wimbledon final-round victory over Jimmy Connors is not only regarded as one of the greatest tennis matches of all time, but one of the most tactically brilliant matches of all time.

Part of the lore of this match began the night before the final when Ashe discussed the strategy he would use against the heavily favored Connors with his agent Donald Dell and friends and fellow professionals Charlie Pasarell and Fred McNair. Pasarell, Ashe’s college teammate, roommate and one of his closest friends, writes of this famous dinner and strategy session in his book “Serving First: Dreams Realized and Lessons Learned from Family, Friends and a Life in Tennis” (More information on the book, published by New Chapter Press, can be found here https://a.co/d/09Ls4u6H)

Part of this episode is excerpted from the book here below…

At dinner that night, I recalled how (Pancho) Gonzalez had beaten Jimmy in that ’71 Pacific Southwest Open final with smart serving and soft placements. Donald, Freddie, and I each told Arthur that he had the best wide serve in the deuce court of anyone in tennis. That would swing Jimmy off the court, especially on the slick grass. From there, our recommendation was for Arthur to hit a volley that went short, soft, and low to Jimmy’s forehand, where he was much more likely to miss. In baseline rallies, the idea was very much the same: Take as much pace off the ball as possible and again, aim short, soft, and low to the Connors forehand. Since Jimmy liked to crowd the net, we also recommended that Arthur lob frequently (this too was something Arthur rarely did). And on those occasional moments when an opportunity vividly presented itself, take a good crack at the ball and end the point. Of course, while it’s one thing to come up with a great plan, it’s another thing to execute it.

Arthur proceeded to play one of the most flawless matches in tennis history. He won the first two sets, 6-1, 6-1, in 41 minutes. Amazing. When Jimmy came back to win the third, 7-5, and went up 3-0 in the fourth, it was surely tempting for Arthur to change his strategy. But he didn’t, and went on to win that set, 6-4 – the championship point, a wide serve in the deuce court that opened the court for an easy smash. This was a textbook case of someone being “in the zone.” From start to finish, Arthur was completely focused and relaxed.