Arthur Ashe vs Cliff Richey | US Open 1972 Semifinal

[@iliastsouktakos604]

What a rarity! The US open on grass!!! Thank you so much

[@gheffz]

Amazing, hey?!!! And it looks so good!

[@mcpheejesus5945]

This is a good one, indeed. Had me on the edge of my seat. Love all the serving and volleying, unlike today's tennis. RIP King Arthur Ashe! God bless him. Thanks for this, USTA!

[@notsohandytim5090]

McPhee: Funny how I find myself on the edge of my seat over these ancient matches.

[@incognitosuave4200]

edge of your seat? it was like watching two club players

[@notsohandytim5090]

@@incognitosuave4200: But then watching two club players back in 1972 wouldn't have looked anything like this.

[@dogbombballet]

Arthur Ashe is an incredible human being and inspired so many...

[@Gustavo-kn9nf]

Tell this to Connors.

[@eastfiftyseven]

Ashe carried himself with such grace on and off the court.

[@notsohandytim5090]

I only discovered his book "Days of Grace" last year. Now I'm a big fan of Arthur's decades later. Wish I could rewind it all to appreciate in real time.

[@theoriginalthinker9199]

I would suggest, Portrait in Motion". Great insight to Arthur Ashe and the tennis tour and players in the mid 70s

[@charlesvorones3612]

Absolutely wonderful gift to tennis fans! Thank you so much!! Great to see the all-court games where players had full command of every type of shot, instead of just crushing ground strokes (and mostly run-around forehands) of today's game which looks like expanded, outdoor table tennis on cement.

[@trevj8604]

I think it’s pretty obvious that modern day tennis has improved. Is the constant 3-5 shot rally’s every point really more entertaining than todays tennis ?

[@rooskidoctor]

Really fun to watch this clip from nearly 50 years ago. Thanks USTA. Such a different time and a different game really. Grass courts at Forest Hills, wood rackets (at least Richey's racket), and serve & volley tennis. Incredible video quality for the period as well. Keep the videos coming!

[@mikekim5135]

Agreed. I can only imagine all the wonderful content that is hidden away in the vaults of the USTA. Please upload more!!! Complete matches would be even better!!!

[@riazhassan6570]

Also, unlike today’s players who bounce the ball twenty times before they serve, these players bounced it once or twice. Great as they are, Nadal and Djokovic are irritating to watch on their serves. Others, too

[@WivoRN]

Thank you so much for the amazing gems US OPEN!

[@dbailey573]

Wow major throw back

[@muhammadfindi3284]

Tennis player style in 1970's era, their forehand and backhand so flat and simple. Arthur Ashe is one of legends tennis player in the world.

[@RichardsWorld]

Listening to those old wood rackets 😀

[@rodf9000]

I think Ashe’s was aluminum, sounded like it

[@CliffGonshery]

@@rodf9000 yes Arthur Ashe played with a Custom Aluminum and Carbon Fiber filled Racquet called the "Arthur Ashe Competition" I was a huge fan of Ash and owned one.

[@JD-jc8gp]

Great share! Please more classic 60s and 70s US open matches/highlights!

[@marcgrondin65]

at 9:02 Cliff would certainly have liked to have the hawkeye ;- )

[@fdjament]

No grunting, no fist pumping, no toweling off after every point, no endless ball bouncing before every serve...

[@marcgrondin65]

no 30 second rule ..etc.. the game was overall played at a good pace for us, the spectators.

[@ericfreeman5795]

And don't forget, the players didn't ask for 10 balls simultaneously, scattering them all over for the ball kids to chase, while they pick the fluffiest one.

[@macfamsc]

Absolutely great video!

[@jeffhermida4788]

2:07 that was awesome

[@riderskater7248]

Ashe made tennis exciting.

[@MeMe-td1ye]

No

[@Grant-gj4yi]

Connors did it better.

[@thadtuiol1717]

Back when pro tennis players still had physiques like ordinary people in offices, lol

[@vanlendl1]

Back, when you got only 25000 Dollars for a US OPEN title.

[@davanmani556]

You still have that but they play USTA.

[@radunicolae482]

Thanks, nice video

[@mauricerose3082]

"Arthur Ashe remains the only Black man to win the Singles Title at Wimbledon, the US Open, or Australian Open. He is one of only two men of Black African ancestry to win any Grand Slam Singles Title, the other being France's Yannick Noah, who won the French Open in 1983: He was the Jackie Robinson of Men’s Tennis; Arthur Ash was the pioneer of the between-the-legs shot."

[@homeelectricco]

Not even in the top 10 all time

[@fifthof1795]

Well perhaps there'd have been more if they'd played the sport rather than basketball.

[@Sticktothemodels]

@@fifthof1795 what a nuanced take there, Lol. Moron. Tennis courts, gear, coaching, and tournaments are highly inaccessible to everyone who isn’t at least upper-middle class. And considering the history of this country it isn’t hard to see the socioeconomic status of blacks typically isn’t that. Basketball courts on the other hand are in just about every single park and school in America.

[@okaunis]

@@Sticktothemodels So is algebra but America ranks very low in the world of math.

[@ericfreeman5795]

​@@homeelectriccoMaybe not. But 76 singles titles, 44 in the open era, including 3 Grand Slam singles titles, plus 18 doubles titles, including 2 Grand Slams in doubles, 4 Davis Cup Championship wins and 1 WCT year end title, ain't too shabby. So I don't understand the purpose of your comment, discrediting Ashe's tennis career. He did a lot more than the majority. Sure, Serena Williams is the greatest black player of all time, and probably the greatest women's player in history, but Arthur Ashe did blaze the trail for many future players, and was an excellent role model for youngsters to follow.

[@christschool]

I never knew Martin Sheen was a professional tennis player.

[@CrazyAboutVinylRecords]

9:01 Hawkeye would have called that ball good today.

[@RondelayAOK]

Interesting to actually see Cliff Ricey play. I'd read of him, but had never seen him.

[@kingtrawal]

Why is this picture quality better than some matches from the 90s????

[@davanmani556]

They used Betamax tapes and in the 80’s used VHS which was poor quality over time.

[@gabrielesantucci6189]

​@@davanmani556Yes...in fact the images from the 80s/90s are almost always terribile...even some from the 50s and 60s in black and withe are better than on VHS!

[@FleagleSangria]

I love this close up camera work. I wish they would do that now. Looks like they are playing in a cow pasture though lol

[@riazhassan6570]

Arthur Ashe, taken early by a vicious disease that nobody understood at that time

[@KingCast65]

And by the politics of Reagan. People know. Red Cross knew. Reagan failed to order mandated testing, fact.

[@riazhassan6570]

@@KingCast65 Didn’t know that. Thanks. One had a special regard for Ashe. Apart from his fine game, he was a fine person whose manners and demeanour contrasted sharply with those of some of his contemporaries

[@martydav9475]

@@riazhassan6570 He would never have behaved the way Connors and McEnroe behaved at times - he was too well- mannered and gentlemanly for that.

[@jaysherman4149]

Please something, anything of Pancho Segura. No videos of him playing seem to be available. How did he make that grip change on ROS...

[@ampiciline]

I LOVE cliff service motion ...its like Pancho Gonzales serve and Rod laver serve

[@KingCast65]

Thanks. I met Arthur in '89. What took so long to upload this gem?

[@jgamez5023]

The championship match that followed between Nastase Vs Ashe was absolutely amazing! I wish technology hadn't killed the serve and volley game. Such a shame!

[@markhobson5769]

RIP Arthur Ashe (1943-1993).

[@ST-xg3gy]

Cliff reminds me of dude at the rec.

[@pierresoorden5975]

Davis Cup Australian Open, US Open, Wimbledon, French Open

[@wkozwkoz6255]

constant attack... no matter how fast your serve is.. no matter what is your height.. serves that can be returned.. no long rallies.. honestly speaking.. that tennis is more atractive for viewers.. compared to what we have got today..

[@marianpalko2531]

2:23 11:33 Point in slow motion.

[@lenwelch2195]

Ashe was like Mandlikova, Goolagong. All in or all out u never knew if he’d hit a winner r start knowing winners every where.

[@whuang03]

Seems like they used the same sound effect guy from Bruce Lee movies..

[@lassel1644]

Some nice tennis going on. Ashe had a metal i believe steel racket.

[@Nirky]

Playing with low power (& control) wooden rackets, it was an advantage to come to the net asap.

[@MeMe-td1ye]

Wood has better touch

[@formeyousee]

They serve 2 points faster than Nadal serves 1 point.

[@pierresoorden5975]

Serve and volley

[@jameshartford3464]

They are cracking the balls. Please bring back wood racquets to Tennis again

[@martydav9475]

@@WillBaileyHoldfastNetworks Federer, Dimitrov, Feliciano Lopez, Gasquet etc would do well with wooden racquets but the power game players - which is most of them today - would have their game pretty much neutralised by the wooden racquets, so what would they do?

[@datacipher]

@@martydav9475 yeah those guys are real pushers right! Ridiculous. By the way, Federer shanked backhand like crazy on some days with the original pro staff, with wood his backhand is going to get very very ugly at times.

[@davanmani556]

I think you if you put commitment to research technology like they did with graphite.

[@edsonjosedasilva7486]

Boa noite, eu Edson dou aulas de tênis , e tenho uma raquete igual a essa, do Arthur eche é uma raridade.essa raquete tem quase cinquenta anos.

[@yanu7414]

So us open used to be grass tournament?

[@joseph_432]

For the vast majority of its existence. The us open has been played on grass, clay, and hard court. Note connors won on all 3.

[@danguee1]

Try Google.

[@johnzuniga1966]

Era tenis o lucha en el barro?

[@preciousjey]

More Cliff Richey matches and Nancy Richey.

[@landon_the_filmmaker]

Does Cliff remind any one else of Martin Sheen?

[@ricardovargas7432]

3:53 line judge plus foot foul judge?

[@SyncopateTheShot]

Arthur looks like Pistol Pete at 2:09. :)

[@fridghk]

Se esses caras jogassem hoje não disputariam nem Challenger

[@terencewinters2154]

Lt. A.A. was the quiet leader of the U.S. davis cup team comeback to world prominence taking the younger connors gerulaitis mcenroe tanner generation under his wing . And he wrote books.

[@joseppi4cinqua]

That ball was clearly on the line. What a terrible call.

[@nicholasschroeder3678]

They miss hit a lot of shots. The rallies are so short. It was just a hell of a lot harder to hit flush with those tiny wooden rackets.

[@alanbarrados4178]

Actually Ashe's was an aluminum composite here

[@danguee1]

@@alanbarrados4178 I had one as a teenager. Pig of a racquet, Still a very small head. Sweet spot the size of a pea!

[@alanbarrados4178]

@@danguee1 I had one as well in 1982 I liked the look of it - actually the small head helped my game improve

[@johnsmith1789]

And yet with that tiny sweet spot you can see a twist serve better than anyone on these comments can hit with all the modern strings and technology. @ 2:05

[@nicholasschroeder3678]

@@johnsmith1789 It's a lot like the changes in golf with equipment. It was just much harder with the old stuff. But of course everyone had and has the same stuff, so It evens out. Just out of idle Covid curiosity, I looked up the course record at my home course. It's still the 63 I used to marvel at as a kid. The scorecard was posted at the starters window, and it was set in '71 I think. Considering all the evolution in equipment, that's pretty remarkable. I know that with the new stuff I was hitting Driver wedge on holes that had been Driver mid-iron with the old equipment.

[@guimov1984]

volley ends when sampras retired in 2003 ☹

[@gomezaddams4347]

Not quite. Fed was still volleying quite a bit even into 2006, but the string technology killed all court tennis pretty soon after that. Such a shame, as tennis was far more engaging in the 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s.

[@monstertrucktennis]

@Nikhil Joshi heaven forbid there be any variety, creativity, or courage on a tennis court.

[@pallavchoudhary8636]

I think it was good for the game...same pattern on every ball...is pretty boring don't u think

[@guimov1984]

@@pallavchoudhary8636 back in the days maybe. but nowadays when i see players hit the ball during 1-2 mins, it is boring as well lol. volley game are very short points but very intense

[@martydav9475]

@@gomezaddams4347 Yes much more variety and contrasts back then, on properly different surfaces, with different styles of tennis testing a player's technique far more than today's homogenised courts do with baseline grinding dominating. What on earth is a player like Djokovic, who is so mediocre at volleying, doing with five Wimbledon titles? Of today's major players, only Tsitsipas is trying to play a Federer-type , all-court attacking game, the rest is mostly baseline grinding.

[@usaslakt]

Thought that was Martin Sheen against Ashe....

[@patrickkelly9110]

Thé tiebreak system used here was most unfair to Richie , glad that got improved . Also richeys great backhand return was plum in the line clearly but the commentator sees it out ... go figure

[@davanmani556]

True with Rosie Casals in the ‘71 Finals vs. BJK.

[@preciousjey]

Would like to get used to my Wooden Fiberglass Open Throat racquet.

[@fifthof1795]

Forgot the US Open used to be played on grass.

[@joeenglert]

he hit good with those terrible ashe head racquets,,the only pro that could use em,,,just like connors with the t 2000

[@slackblabbath8528]

Great day for African American sports. Great athlete. Gone too soon and Very much missed

[@Jerome1965]

But Thad, their playing arm was Popeye-sized… those wooden rackets created enormous underarms…

[@MeMe-td1ye]

Tennis was better back then; more skill, less drugs

[@pierresoorden5975]

6-0, 6-0, 6-0

[@maxsonthonax1020]

Cliff Richard

[@TennisOnAction]

Looks like Wimbledon

[@formeyousee]

US Open on grass courts.

[@homeelectricco]

When was the US Open played on grass I've been watching tennis since the mid-70s never saw it on grass

[@petesimmonds8846]

It was always played on grass until 1975, then on green clay for a few years, then hard court. The French was the only slam NOT played on grass until this point. So Rod Laver and Don Budge's calendar grand slams were won on only two surfaces.

[@dks13827]

Finals: Smith beat Nastase

[@iliastsouktakos604]

Forest hills

[@giovanigoncalves8433]

us open played on the grass, did not know

[@PrometheusGroup777]

Once played on clay w/Vilas and Connors

[@justuszaino1478]

First comment

[@florencia1969]

Malos..malos...ni siquiera pasaban la pelota sobre la red...hoy en día perderían 6-0 y directo para su casa....

[@incognitosuave4200]

man the tennis was so bad back then. they make the same amount of errors as a club player

[@MeMe-td1ye]

Both could kick your butt at tennis

[@tomcooper6108]

Thank gawd for racket technology.....we'd still be watching this crap.

[@drbonesshow1]

A bad player with the best racket is that your dream?

[@ericbarry570]

You obviously know very little about tennis.

[@pallavchoudhary8636]

Exactly this feels so boring same pattern of serve and volley on every ball

[@akifabeed1045]

And for making the grass bounce the ball higher at Wimbledon too

[@martydav9475]

@@pallavchoudhary8636 Whereas baseline grinding is so exciting.