Gibson, Althea
1927-2003 · Contribution: 1956-1958
Tennis player and golfer
First Black woman to compete on the world tennis tour and win a Grand Slam singles title
Portraits are AI-generated interpretations, not photographs.
Quick facts
- Born
- 1927, Silver, South Carolina
- Active since
- 1950
- Category
- Sports & Athletics
- Best known for
- First Black player to win a Grand Slam tennis title
Impact on the world
Gibson integrated championship tennis, winning the sport's biggest titles at a time Black players were largely shut out of the clubs where it was played.
Sources
- International Tennis Hall of Fame
1 more sources and references are available to members.
Related visionaries
Ashe, Arthur
1943-1993
First Black man to win the U.S. Open, Australian Open, and Wimbledon men's singles titles
Garrison, Zina
1963-
Bridged the generational gap between Althea Gibson and Venus and Serena Williams in Black women's tennis
Williams, Venus
1980-
First Black man or woman to hold the world No. 1 tennis ranking since the ATP and WTA rankings began; most decorated tennis player in Olympic history
Powell, Renee
1946-present
Pioneering professional golfer and golf-club operator; the second African American woman to play on the LPGA Tour (1967), and since the mid-1990s the head professional and operator of Clearview Golf Club, the course her father built