“10s Whenever” Newsletter Vol. 136

Written by: Staff on 19th February 2014

"10s Whenever" Newsletter Vol. 136 |

(Above: At the French Open in 1956, Althea Gibson became the first African-American to win a Grand Slam tennis tournament)

She Was Somebody Alright – Althea Gibson

By: Staff

Often referred to as the Jackie Robinson of tennis, Althea Gibson was born to sharecropper parents in South Carolina on August 25, 1927. Defying all odds, she became the first African-American tennis Grand Slam champion and arguably the greatest female athlete of all-time.

When she was 3, Althea’s family moved to Harlem and a life filled with hardship as the Gibsons were on public assistance for a time. Growing up, Althea disliked going to school, so much that she often played hooky. Her father was very strict on these occasions but also taught her to box, a skill that would come in handy in their rough neighborhood.

Tall and graceful, Althea found refuge in sports. Tennis, however, was segregated and Althea had to learn the game on courts only after they were closed at night. But within a year after first picking up a racket, 15-year-old Althea won the Girl’s Championship of the American Tennis Association. (An African-American organization established to promote tournaments for black players.)

Gibson won ATA Women’s titles in 1944 and 1945 and, a record 10 straight championships from 1947-1956. But were it not for Alice Marble, she might never have competed in tennis’ Grand Slams.

Marble, a former # 1 player, wrote a piece in American Lawn Tennis magazine lambasting her sport for excluding a player of Gibson’s caliber. Marble’s article caught notice and in 1951, Gibson became the first African-American player ever invited to Wimbledon. A year later, she was a Top 10 player and climbed to No. 7 in 1953.

But it was in 1956 that Althea first shocked the world at Roland Garros. At 5’11’ and incredibly powerful, she won the singles title in straight sets. She also won the doubles crown with Angela Buxton who was Jewish and herself banned from places like the L.A. Tennis Club.

In all Gibson would power her way to 56 singles and doubles championships and 11 Grand Slam titles, including the singles crown at Wimbledon and the U.S. Nationals (now the U.S. Open) in 1957 and 1958. But, inexplicable as it sounds, often Althea was not allowed in the locker rooms or dining areas of tournament venues. She would literally come in and exit through the back door.

Hardly shy, the racial hardships that Althea endured only made her more determined. “I didn’t give a darn who was on the other side of the net. I’d knock you down if you got in my way.”

But tennis was an amateur sport, and even the under the table money just covered expenses. In 1959 Gibson turned pro, but there was no women’s tour so she had to depend on exhibitions.

Amazingly, Gibson turned to golf, making history once again as the first black woman on the LPGA. While she became one of the top female golfers, she didn’t dominate and eventually returned to tennis.

With the advent of tennis’ Open Era in 1968, Gibson tried to repeat her past success and garner some of the lucrative prize money. But at 41, she couldn’t keep up with her younger counterparts. Finally, Althea came to realize that she must retire.

In 1971 Althea was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame, the first African-American so honored. Unfortunately, just as in her early childhood, Gibson’s last years were dominated by hardship.

After a stroke, in 1994 Althea was so destitute that she couldn’t pay her rent or cover the cost of her medications. She reluctantly confessed to Angela Buxton that she was even suicidal. Without informing Althea, Buxton wrote a letter to a tennis magazine.

Funds poured in from all over the world for Althea, totaling nearly $1,000,000. Overwhelmed by the generosity of her peers and fans, her health nonetheless continued to decline. On September 28, 2003, she died of respiratory failure in East Orange, New Jersey. She was 76.

Though Althea didn’t go looking for the role of pioneer, she was one. A college graduate, she traveled the world playing a game she loved. She was by far the best women’s player of her era as evidenced by her singles record at Grand Slam events, an impressive 53-9 — 16-1 at Wimbledon, 27-7 at the U.S., 6-0 at the French and 4-1 at the Australian.

Along an incredible life’s journey in which she broke down so many barriers, Gibson also wrote a book, recorded an album, appeared in a movie and even ran for New York State Senate. She once hit batting practice at Yankee Stadium with Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris who were in awe of her amazing athletic prowess. And in 2001, Althea’s picture was featured on the Wheaties cereal box.

Given the title of her autobiography, I Always Wanted to Be Somebody, Althea Gibson achieved that and far, far more. She was somebody all right.

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