Biography Althea Gibson


Althea Gibson – tennis player, was born on August 25, 1027 in the city of Silver, South Carolina. Biography Althea Gibson is known as the first black woman who won the US Open.

As the daughter of a tenant-sharecropper, Althea became a tennis sensation in the 1950s. Her triumph in 1956 at the French Tennis Championship made Althea the first black woman to win the highest title in singles. The following year, she received two titles at once, beating Wimbledon, the US Championship. In 1958 the athlete repeated her achievement. After the 1958 season, Gibson left amateur sports, becoming a famous public figure.

Later, she traveled with Harlem Globetrotters, then made golf her second hobby. From 1964 to 1971 Althea Gibson was a member of the Women’s Association of Professional Golf. In 1971, the athlete was elected to the National Tennis Hall of Fame.

Additional information: Gibson is often compared with the previous tennis star Arthur Esch, as well as two leading African American tennis players in the 21st century: Serena and Venus Williams.


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Biography Althea Gibson