Black In Time Presents Althea Gibson: The World's First African American Tennis Player

The daughter of sharecroppers, Althea Gibson became a tennis sensation in the 1950s. Her 1956 triumph at the French Tennis Championships (later known as the French Open) made her the first African American ever to win a major singles title. The next year she won singles titles at both Wimbledon and the U.S. Championships, and repeated the feat in 1958.

Althea, often referred to as the Jackie Robinson of tennis, broke the colored barrier on the world tennis tour. She retired as an amateur after the 1958 season, having become an acclaimed public figure.
Before the open era began, there was no prize money, other than an expense allowance, and no endorsement deals. To begin earning prize money, tennis players had to give up their amateur status. As there was no professional tour for women, Gibson was limited to playing in a series of exhibition tours.

In 1971, Gibson was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame, and in 1975, she was appointed the New Jersey state commissioner of athletics. After 10 years on the job, she went on to work in other public service positions, including serving on the governor's council on physical fitness. In later years, she suffered two cerebral aneurysms and, in 1992, a stroke. A few years later, Gibson called her former doubles partner, Angela Buxton, and told her she was considering suicide, as she was living on welfare and unable to pay for rent or medication. Buxton arranged for a letter to appear in a tennis magazine. She told Gibson nothing about the letter, but the Gibson received nearly almost $1 million from supporters around the world as a result of the impassioned play.

On the opening night of the 2007 US Open, the 50th anniversary of Gibson's victory at the US Championships in 1957, Gibson was inducted into the Court of Champions.

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• tennis
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• Wimbledon