DURHAM, N.C. –  This month, the world is celebrating 55 years since Arthur Ashe’s historic win at the U.S. Open, but a sacrifice on the part of his younger brother is what made his victory possible.

What You Need To Know

• This year marks the 55^th anniversary of Arthur Ashe winning the U.S. Open
• He is still the only Black man to ever win the championship
• An author and tennis player is shedding light on Johnnie Ashe’s sacrifice for his brother

In 1968, Arthur Ashe became the first and only Black man to ever win the U.S. Open championship, breaking down color barriers and inspiring a generation of up-and-coming athletes. 

Judy Allen Dodson gets ready to serve (Spectrum News 1/Rachel Boyd)

“When you see someone that looks like you doing amazing things, you too feel that you can do it too,” Judy Allen Dodson, an avid tennis player, said. 

There are courts and streets all over the United States honoring Arthur Ashe’s legacy. In fact, he even played in Durham as a child.

But the name Johnnie Ashe rarely gets mentioned.

Dodson has idolized Arthur Ashe since she first started playing tennis as a young girl, and yet, she had never heard of Arthur’s lesser known, but no less important, younger brother.

“In 2015, I watched ESPN and it was '30 for 30,' and I saw this gentleman speaking so highly and so lovingly and caring about Arthur Ashe, and I thought, ‘Who is this gentleman?’” Dodson said. “And guess what? It was Johnnie Ashe, his brother.”

The natural historian dove deeper into the brothers’ story and discovered one she wanted to share with kids on selfless acts of service. 

Top-seeded Arthur Ashe returns a shot from Terry Addison of Australia during their match in the National Clay Court tennis tournament in Indianapolis, Ind., on Tuesday, July 22, 1969. Ashe, from Gum Springs, Va., easily won the second-round match, 6-0, 6-1. (AP Photo)

The peak of Arthur’s tennis career was also the peak of the Vietnam War, but during that time, the military wouldn’t call two brothers into active duty at the same time.

Johnnie’s tour was ending in 1968, meaning they could now send Arthur overseas and end his journey to the U.S. Open. Johnnie Ashe chose to re-enlist and serve an extra tour in Vietnam to ensure that his brother wouldn’t be drafted without getting the chance to change history. 

“He was so protective of his brother and his brother's legacy for years and he never thought it was a big deal. He thought, ‘Oh, that's just my brother. Anybody would do that for their brother,’” Dodson said. “For a long time, Johnnie didn't even tell Arthur that he had even done anything like that for him. The only person that Johnnie told for years was his father.”

Johnnie eventually made a career out of the military and Arthur went on to win several other championships, including Wimbledon and the Australian Open. 

“And I thought, the kids have to know that story, because that's not only about tennis, that's about selflessness, that's about brotherly love, sibling love, that's about family love and legacy and giving of yourself when you don't have to,” Dodson said. “That's integrity.”