The Belt’s transition from Arthur Ashe to Jimmy Connors was clearcut. The transition of the belt from Connors to John McEnroe? A bit murkier.

The next recipient of “The Belt” brought a Rock’N’Roll-like flair to the game, and finally made it “cool” to be an American tennis fan.

The series opens at the start of the Open Era, when Arthur Ashe made his way to the forefront of tennis, but also American politics.

The purpose of The Belt is to determine which American male, at any given time in the Open Era, held the mantel of being the best American man in tennis.