Althea Gibson (August 25, 1927 – September 28, 2003) was an American sportswoman who became the first African-American woman to be a competitor on the world tennis tour on August 22, 1950. She is sometimes referred to as "the Jackie Robinson of tennis" for breaking the "color barrier".

Biography

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Born in Silver, South Carolina, Gibson was raised in Harlem, New York, where she excelled in horsemanship, but also competed in golf and basketball. With the assistance of a sponsor, in 1946 she moved to Wilmington, North Carolina for tennis training and in 1947, at age 20, she won the first of ten straight black national championships run by the American Tennis Association, the then governing body for black tournaments. Forced to play in what was basically a segregated sport, at age twenty-three Gibson was finally given the opportunity to participate in the 1950 US Open at Forest Hills, New York.

She continued to improve her tennis game while pursuing an education. In 1953, she graduated from Florida A&M University on a tennis and basketball scholarship, and moved to Jefferson City, Missouri to work as an athletic instructor at Lincoln University. With the color barrier broken, she was able to compete against the best and her game improved to where she won the 1955 Italian Open. The following year, she won her first of the 4 Grand Slam events in Paris, capturing the French Open singles and doubles titles. She followed this up by becoming the first black person to win a Wimbledon Championship, capturing the doubles title with Englishwoman, Angela Buxton. At the US Open that year she made it to the singles finals but lost to Shirley Fry.

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boxofchocs (Jeff Nischwitz) Thu, 31 Dec 2009 15:51:02 -0000
""No matter what accomplishments you achieve, somebody helps you." Althea Gibson Who do you need to thank for their help & support in 2009?
"No matter what accomplishments you achieve, somebody helps you." Althea Gibson
seizetrusuccess (Seize True Success) Thu, 31 Dec 2009 15:33:30 -0000
"No matter what accomplishments you achieve, somebody helps you." Althea Gibson
"No matter what accomplishments you achieve, somebody helps you." Althea Gibson
dhelbig (dhelbig) Thu, 31 Dec 2009 15:33:30 -0000
"No matter what accomplishments you achieve, somebody helps you." Althea Gibson
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etiquettebitch (Etiquette Bitch) Thu, 31 Dec 2009 15:23:23 -0000
RT @etiquetteguy: "No matter what accomplishments you achieve, somebody helps you." ~ Althea Gibson (thanks to Edge Ohio) This is so tru ...
"No matter what accomplishments you achieve, somebody helps you." ~ Althea Gibson (thanks to Edge Ohio) This is so true. Happy New Year!
etiquetteguy (Jay Remer) Thu, 31 Dec 2009 12:40:52 -0000
"No matter what accomplishments you achieve, somebody helps you." ~ Althea Gibson (thanks to Edge Ohio) This is so true. Happy New Year!
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reshmapkraj (reshma) Thu, 31 Dec 2009 08:28:09 -0000
Althea Gibson: Tennis Player (Ferguson Career Biographi - eBay ...: eBay: Find Althea Gibson: Tennis Player (Fe.. http://bit.ly/4tWjqH

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