Althea Gibson Research Paper

Althea Gibson is such a influential person because while her early life was very rough, she overcame many hardships, and she became the first African American to play international tennis. She also broke the color barrier for African American athletes and changed the world forever.

Althea Neale Gibson was born on August 25, 1927 (Source Card #1). As a young child, Althea suffered many hardships. They had to live on public assistance for a while. She also had a very hard time in school (Source card #1). Althea loved sports but she was also a tomboy (Source Card #5). At the age of 9 she played paddle tennis and then later played basketball and softball (Source Card #4). "As a young girl in Harlem, New York, Althea Gibson was a local table tennis champion. Her skills were eventually noticed by musician Buddy Walker, who invited her to play tennis on local courts" (Source Card #1). Dr. Hubert Eaton and Dr. Robert W. Johnson were physicians who helped teach Althea how to play and were giving her lessons (Source Card #5). …show more content…
It was called the Cosmopolitan Club (Source Card #5). " She was the sport’s top female player in the late 1950s, winning five Grand Slam singles events. Over the course of her career, she won more than 50 other tournaments. Nearly 5 feet 11 inches tall, Gibson had an impressive reach and delivered a strong, intimidating serve." (Source Card #2). Gibson became the first African American to play at the Wimbledon (Source Card #3).Gibson and Buxton won the doubles at the Wimbledon in 1956 (Source Card #4). She won the French Open in 1956 also(source card #3). After losing the Australian Open in 1957, she didn't lose a game the rest of the year (Source Card #4). Before she would play at the Harlem Globetrotters games, they would pay her $100,000 to play a few sets (Source Card #3). William Darben and Althea Gibson got married in 1965 but they got a divorce in 1975 (Source Card