Meet Althea Gibson: The Woman Who Changed The Face of Tennis

In a time when the clothes, shoes, balls, and people in tennis were white — Althea Gibson broke down barriers. Gibson was born to sharecroppers Daniel and Annie Gibson in Silver, South Carolina, a small town surrounded by cotton fields, on August 25, 1927. Her family moved to Harlem in New York City when she was 3 years old. The street Gibson lived on was a play area where kids used to play all kinds of sports. It was here that she got introduced to paddle tennis.

Her skills caught the attention of Buddy Walker, who introduced her to tennis. Gibson began lessons at the Cosmopolitan Tennis Club in the Sugar Hill section of Harlem, a private tennis club for the black middle classes. At the age of 15, she began playing in the American Tennis Association (ATA), and she won the first tournament she entered.

When Althea Gibson started her professional career, she worked with the Caribbean-born tennis coach Sydney Llewellyn, who helped her with the mental aspect of her game. As a black woman, she faced discrimination at tournaments such as not being allowed in the clubhouse or locker room. There were even times when she couldn’t stay at hotels and had to sleep in her car. Gibson eventually found a friend in Angela Buxton, who also faced discrimination because she was Jewish. Gibson and Buxton’s friendship and successful partnership won them doubles titles at the French Open.

In 1956, Gibson became the first black player to win a Grand Slam title with victory at the French Championships. The following year, she wrote history once again by winning Wimbledon. Winning the most prestigious tennis prize in the world introduced Gibson’s to a wider audience globally. In her career, she went on to win 11 Grand Slam tournaments. As a black woman, she opened the doors for other trailblazers that came after her such as Arthur Ashe, the Williams sisters and Coco Gauff. Althea Gibson is an example of overcoming adversity and not letting anything hold you back.