(1927-08-25)August 25, 1927[1] Clarendon County, South Carolina, U.S.
Died
September 28, 2003(2003-09-28) (aged 76) East Orange, New Jersey, U.S.
Height
5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)[2]
Retired
1958
Plays
Right-handed
Int. Tennis HoF
1971 (member page)
Singles
Career record
0–0
Career titles
56[3]
Highest ranking
No. 1 (1957)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open
F (1957)
French Open
W (1956)
Wimbledon
W (1957, 1958)
US Open
W (1957, 1958)
Doubles
Career record
0–0
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian Open
W (1957)
French Open
W (1956)
Wimbledon
W (1956, 1957, 1958)
US Open
F (1957, 1958)
Grand Slam mixed doubles results
Australian Open
SF (1957)
French Open
QF (1956)
Wimbledon
F (1956, 1957, 1958)
US Open
W (1957)
Althea Neale Gibson (August 25, 1927 – September 28, 2003) was an American tennis player and professional golfer, and one of the first Black athletes to cross the color line of international tennis. In 1956, she became the first African American to win a Grand Slam event (the French Championships). The following year she won both Wimbledon and the US Nationals (precursor of the US Open), then won both again in 1958 and was voted Female Athlete of the Year by the Associated Press in both years. In all, she won 11 Grand Slam tournaments: five singles titles, five doubles titles, and one mixed doubles title.[4] "She is one of the greatest players who ever lived", said Bob Ryland, a tennis contemporary and former coach of Venus and Serena Williams. "Martina [Navratilova] couldn't touch her. I think she'd beat the Williams sisters."[5] Gibson was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame and the International Women's Sports Hall of Fame. In the early 1960s, she also became the first Black player to compete on the Women's Professional Golf Tour.
At a time when racism and prejudice were widespread in sports and in society, Gibson was often compared to Jackie Robinson. "Her road to success was a challenging one", said Billie Jean King, "but I never saw her back down."[6] "To anyone, she was an inspiration, because of what she was able to do at a time when it was enormously difficult to play tennis at all if you were Black", said former New York City Mayor David Dinkins.[7] "I am honored to have followed in such great footsteps", wrote Venus Williams. "Her accomplishments set the stage for my success, and through players like myself and Serena and many others to come, her legacy will live on."[8]
^"Althea Gibson". ITF Tennis. Archived from the original on November 16, 2018. Retrieved November 15, 2018.
^Cite error: The named reference gibson-hof was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Networks, A&E Television (April 2, 2014). "Althea Gibson". Biography. Arena Group. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
^A&E Television Networks (2014)
^Gray & Lamb 2004, p. 214.
^Robert McG. Thomas Jr. (September 29, 2003). "An Unlikely Champion". The New York Times.
^Gray & Lamb 2004, p. 188.
^Lewis, Jone Johnson. Women's History. About.com archive Archived September 18, 2016, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved February 19, 2013.
Althea Neale Gibson (August 25, 1927 – September 28, 2003) was an American tennis player and professional golfer, and one of the first Black athletes...
wife of Larry Flynt AltheaGibson (1927–2003), American female athlete Althea Forrest, one half of vocal duo Althea & Donna Althea McNish (1924–2020),...
African-American woman to win a Grand Slam singles tournament, after AltheaGibson. The Williams sisters also won the doubles event at this tournament...
American woman to do so in the Open era, and the second of all time after AltheaGibson. She reached four consecutive major finals between 2002 and 2003, but...
'Hank' Kendall Constance Towers as Miss Hannah Hunter of Greenbriar AltheaGibson as Lukey, Miss Hunter's maid Judson Pratt as Sergeant Major Kirby Ken...
Retrieved May 8, 2020. "Chris Evert to Replace Martina Navratilova at Gibson-Baldwin Grand Slam Jam". University of Texas Frank Erwin Center. April 14...
with Russian over drugs test". BBC. 8 March 2016. Retrieved 8 March 2016. Gibson, Owen; Cambers, Simon (8 March 2016). "Maria Sharapova under pressure over...
Championships where also women could have participate. Pauline Betz and AltheaGibson won one event each respectively "Tennis Panorama News". Tennis Panorama...
Don Budge and Bill Tilden. Fellow top-ranked players Pauline Betz and AltheaGibson followed Marble by turning professional in 1947 and 1958 respectively...
French Championships and Wimbledon in 1956 with her playing partner, AltheaGibson. Buxton was born in Liverpool on 16 August 1934, one of two children...
bold indicate peer-less achievements. a Margaret Osborne duPont and AltheaGibson also hold these records; however, they attained those in the pre-Open...
in the semifinals, and lost the final against the defending champion AltheaGibson in straight sets. In 1961, she won the title, defeating top-seeded Sandra...
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