Althea Gibson and Her Journey To A Grand Slam Title
Althea Neale Gibson slammed through the color barriers across sports for people of color! Not only was Althea the first black athlete, male or female, to win a major tennis championship, but she was also the first black female to play in the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA). Born in South Carolina in 1927 as the daughter of sharecroppers who shortly after her birth relocated to 143rd Street in Harlem, NY, little did they know the impact that then little Althea would have on the world.
After school Althea would play paddleball in front of her family’s home on the street with neighborhood children but her skills were quickly realized and by the age of 12, she became New York City’s women’s paddle tennis champion. Her achievement inspired her community and funds were raised to pay for lessons and a junior membership at the all-black Cosmopolitan Tennis Club. Starting in 1947, she would go on to win ten straight American Tennis Association (ATA) titles and earned a tennis scholarship to Florida A&M and became a member of the Beta Alpha chapter at Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority.
During her time at university, Althea focused on competing as an elite player, but most of the United States Tennis Association (USTA) tournaments took place at white-only clubs, which limited Althea’s ability to climb up the ranks. In 1950, in reaction to lobbying and public outcry demanding a change, Althea became the first black player to receive an invite to play at the National Championship (now the US Open) just days after turning 23. This was the first time an athlete of color, man or woman, ever played on that stage. In 1951 she would become the first black athlete to compete at Wimbledon and by 1952 she was the 7th best ranked player by the USTA, an organization just a few short years ago wouldn’t let her enter the white-only barrier. By 1956, Althea Gibson won her first Grand Slam tournament at Roland Garros, becoming the first black athlete to ever win a Grand Slam.
1957 was in her words, “Althea Gibson’s Year”! She was first seed at Wimbledon, which she won becoming the first black athlete to win the tournament and the first champion to receive the trophy for Queen Elizabeth II herself. "Shaking hands with the Queen of England”, she said, "was a long way from being forced to sit in the colored section of the bus." She went on to also dominate and win at the now US Open that year and would defend both her Wimbledon and US National titles in 1958. Her accomplishments earned her the recognition of Female Athlete of the Year by the Associated Press in 1957 and 1958, and she became the first black woman to be the cover star of Sports Illustrated and Time. In 1958, Althea would retire from tennis due to the sports lack of winning pot, aka prize money. For reference, it would take another 15 years before women would make a living playing tennis on an elite level.
After leaving tennis behind, Althea looked toward the entertainment industry, but at the age of 37 she set her sights towards a new sport, golf! In 1964, Althea would become the first black woman to join the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) tour. Unfortunately, being a woman and being a person of color made her golf aspirations very difficult and she was regularly banned from competitions. Regardless of the barriers set in her path she forged through and became one of LPGA’s top money earners for five years.
Althea passed away in 2003 at the age of 76 leaving behind a legacy to be celebrated. She won a total of 11 Grand Slams and forever be a pioneer for women and athletes of color in sports.
I am honored to have followed in such great footsteps", said 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."
Althea's accomplishments were more revolutionary because of the psychosocial impact on Black America. Even to those Blacks who hadn't the slightest idea of where or what Wimbledon was, her victory, like Jackie Robinson's in baseball and Jack Johnson's in boxing, proved again that Blacks, when given an opportunity, could compete at any level in American society. -William C. Rhoden
Billie Jean King said, "If it hadn't been for [Althea], it wouldn't have been so easy for Arthur, or the ones who followed."
(A statue of Althea Gibson sits in front of Arthur Ashe Stadium at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center was unveiled in 2019.)
