Fifty years ago, Arthur Ashe made history by becoming the first African American to win the US Open Men’s Singles Championship. LIFE magazine asked Zimmerman to photograph Ashe during and after his epic five set victory over Tom Okker. Crossing the Line: Arthur Ashe at the 1968 US Open is a gorgeous, new photo book by Hannibal that presents a striking portrait of Ashe with exclusive interviews and essays by John McEnroe, Tom Okker, Olympic gold medalist Simone Manuel and many others. The book is available on Amazon beginning July 15th. A selection of Zimmerman’s Ashe photographs can also be seen in an outdoor exhibition at the 2018 US Open (Aug 27-Sept 9) and will be featured in a feature-length documentary, Ashe ’68, due out next month.

Below: Arthur Ashe holds trophy after winning US Open Men’s Singles Title, Forest Hills, Sept 9, 1968. Photograph © John G. Zimmerman Archive.