Althea Gibson

PlayerAmateur Era to 1967USA

First Black Grand Slam champion, Wimbledon winner in 1957 and 1958

Overview

Gibson broke the tennis color line after years of segregation, winning the French Championships in 1956, her first major, then Wimbledon and the US in both 1957 and 1958, five major singles titles in all. A powerful athlete from Harlem, she later played professional golf. Arthur Ashe and the Williams sisters followed the road she opened.

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