Althea Gibson


Also found in: Dictionary, Thesaurus, Medical, Wikipedia.

Gibson, Althea

(ălthē`ə), 1927–2003, African-American tennis player, b. Silver, S.C. In 1948 she won the first of 10 straight national black women's singles championships. She was the first African American to play in the U.S. grass court championships at Forest Hills, N.Y. (1950), and at Wimbledon, England (1951). In addition to many international tournament victories, she won the French women's singles championship in 1956 and the U.S. and British championships in both 1957 and 1958. She retired from competition in 1958. In 1971 she was named to the National Lawn Tennis Hall of Fame.

Bibliography

See her autobiography, I Always Wanted to Be Somebody (1958).

Gibson, Althea

(1927–  ) tennis player; born in Silver, S.C. The first black player to win a major tennis championship, she won the Italian (1956–57), Wimbledon (1957–58), and the U.S. Open (1957–58). After retiring from tennis, she became a professional golfer on the ladies' tour.
Mentioned in ?
References in periodicals archive ?
Would Althea Gibson have imagined what these two black girls would achieve in the game of tennis?
The indomitable Williams sisters; Since their professional tennis debut in 1994 the accomplishments of the phenomenal Venus and Serena Williams have been astounding at the very least. as Elizabeth B.Mupfumira reports, the Williams sisters have not only turned the game on its head--their indomitable spirit is awesomely inspiring
Born the child of sharecroppers, Althea Gibson grew up in Harlem and struggled in school and in life until she found she excelled at games.
Great reads for young girls
Mehru, 60, said: "Few people know that Althea Gibson won Wimbledon in the '50s, or that Mary Seacole worked as a nurse with Florence Nightingale in the Crimea.
Fun with a serious message; ORGANISERS OF EVENT TO MARK BLACK HISTORY MONTH DELIGHTED AT RESPONSE
Chris Evert, Michelle Akers, Althea Gibson, Amelia Earhart, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Mary Lou Retton, Tara Lipinski and Martina Navratilova, with famous photographers and photojournalists such as Mary Ellen Mark, Dorothea Lange, Ansel Adams, Annie Leibovitz, Tina Barney, Lee Friedlander, Justine Kurland, Ruth Orkin, Eve Fowler, Andrea Modica, Charles Harbutt, Robert Mapplethorpe and Pulitzer Prize winners Annie Wells, April Saul, Melissa Farlow and Rick Rickman.
Game face; what does a female athlete look like? (Sports & Recreation)
html) Information on baseball's Jackie Robinson, tennis player Althea Gibson and other black athletes is found on this site from Sports Illustrated for Kids.
Web sites for Guys. (Book Mark IT)
Venus was equally proud of her victory over Belgian Justine Henin in last year's final which made her the first African American to retain the title since one of her heroines, Althea Gibson, who did it in 1957 and 1958.
Tennis: Venus looks to head into orbit
Este privilegio lo tuvo Althea Gibson, cuando en 1956 se alzo con los maximos honores en el prestigioso certamen tenistico que se juega en cancha de arcilla.
Pintan de negro el deporte blanco
The pictures in Game Face include celebrated sports stars, such as Marion Jones, Chris Evert, Althea Gibson, Amelia Earhart, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Mary Lou Retton, Tara Lipinski and Martina Navratilova alongside dozens of anonymous amateurs.
Play like a girl: Game Face: What Does a Female Athlete Look Like? brings women's passion for sports to the fore
She beat fellow-American Davenport in the final on the Centre Court, becoming the first African-American to capture the title since Althea Gibson in 1958.
Team-mates set for US final showdown
This was another triumph for the American Dream, Venus following in the footsteps of Althea Gibson - the last black female to win in 1958 - Arthur Ashe and Zina Garrison.
TENNIS: WIMBLEDON 2000 - VENUS OVER THE MOON; STRAIGHT-SETS WIN ENDS DAVENPORT'S REIGN IN SW19 Out of this world as Williams finds Heaven on Earth
Serena (left in photo) became the first African-American woman to win a Grand Slam crown since Althea Gibson won the last of her five titles in 1958, and the fifth-youngest woman to win the title.
Double-Teaming
Althea Gibson was the first prominent African-american tennis player.
Women of the tennis court

Encyclopedia browser ?
Full browser ?