Download Althea Gibson

Althea Gibson
South Carolina
Early life
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Born: 25. August 1927, Clarendon County, South Carolina, USA
She was struggling in school
Played ping pong
Introduced to Harlem River Tennis Courts in 1941
Won a local tournament just after one year of training
Gibson won 10 straight championships from 1947-1956
Went to college on a sports scholarship
Making History
• Was first invited to Wimbledon in 1951, because of article written by former
no. 1 tennis player in the world Alice Mable. She was the first Afro-American
invited to the tournament
• A year later, she was a Top 10 player in the U.S. She then climbed even
higher, to No. 7 in 1953.
• In 1956, she won the French Open. Wimbledon and U.S. Open titles
followed in 1957 and 1958. In all, Gibson powered her way to 56 singles and
doubles championships before turning pro in 1959.
Pro
• As a professional, Gibson continued to win, she won the singles title in 1960
• Tried a lot of other sports, before going back to tennis. But she never found
the levels she had before
• Beginning in 1975, she served 10 years as Commissioner of Athletics for the
state of New Jersey
• She was also a member of the governor’s council on physical fitness
Her later life
• Nearly went bankrupt
• She developed serious heart problems
• On September 28, 2003, Gibson died of respiratory failure in East Orange,
New Jersey