Althea Gibson: A Dominant Tennis Player
Althea Gibson, Tennis Pro
The life of Althea Gibson, a dominant tennis player in the 50s, was filled with successes that influenced the participation of African Americans in tennis, as well as leading the way for female tennis players by being the first black, male or female, to win a Grand Slam title.
Althea was born on August 25, 1927 in Silver, South Carolina, but was raised in Harlem where she had a less than opulent life. For recreation, Althea began playing table tennis at a young age. Buddy Walker, a musician, noticed Althea’s interest in the game and introduced her to tennis at the Harlem River Tennis Courts. An active member in the tennis community named Dr. Walter Johnson also noticed Althea and invested his time and money into helping with her training. Dr. Johnson put Althea into better competitions, as well as setting up contacts with the USTA to introduce …show more content…
In 1942, Althea entered and won her first tournament that was sponsored by the all-black African Tennis Association. Four years later she moved to North Carolina to receive tennis training, and in 1947 she won the first of ten consecutive ATA women’s singles championships. Until 1950, Althea and other African American tennis players were only allowed to play in the ATA and could not compete against any white players. However, Althea was finally given the opportunity in 1950 to play in the Forest Hills National Grass Court Championship in New York, the first African American player of either sex to be allowed to enter. One year later she became the first African American to be invited to Wimbledon, the All-England Championships. These two tournaments would be the foundation for Althea’s continuous growth in the sport of tennis. She played in many more large tournaments and in 1956 she struck big at
The life of Althea Gibson, a dominant tennis player in the 50s, was filled with successes that influenced the participation of African Americans in tennis, as well as leading the way for female tennis players by being the first black, male or female, to win a Grand Slam title.
Althea was born on August 25, 1927 in Silver, South Carolina, but was raised in Harlem where she had a less than opulent life. For recreation, Althea began playing table tennis at a young age. Buddy Walker, a musician, noticed Althea’s interest in the game and introduced her to tennis at the Harlem River Tennis Courts. An active member in the tennis community named Dr. Walter Johnson also noticed Althea and invested his time and money into helping with her training. Dr. Johnson put Althea into better competitions, as well as setting up contacts with the USTA to introduce …show more content…
In 1942, Althea entered and won her first tournament that was sponsored by the all-black African Tennis Association. Four years later she moved to North Carolina to receive tennis training, and in 1947 she won the first of ten consecutive ATA women’s singles championships. Until 1950, Althea and other African American tennis players were only allowed to play in the ATA and could not compete against any white players. However, Althea was finally given the opportunity in 1950 to play in the Forest Hills National Grass Court Championship in New York, the first African American player of either sex to be allowed to enter. One year later she became the first African American to be invited to Wimbledon, the All-England Championships. These two tournaments would be the foundation for Althea’s continuous growth in the sport of tennis. She played in many more large tournaments and in 1956 she struck big at