1. Althea Gibson
South Carolina

2. Early life
Born: 25. August 1927, Clarendon County, South Carolina, USA
She was struggling in school
Played ping pong
Introduced to Harlem River Tennis Courts in 1941
Won a local tournament just after one year of training
Gibson won 10 straight championships from
Went to college on a sports scholarship

3. Making History
Was first invited to Wimbledon in 1951, because of article written by former no. 1 tennis player in the world Alice Mable. She was the first Afro-American invited to the tournament
A year later, she was a Top 10 player in the U.S. She then climbed even higher, to No. 7 in 1953.
In 1956, she won the French Open. Wimbledon and U.S. Open titles followed in 1957 and In all, Gibson powered her way to 56 singles and doubles championships before turning pro in 1959.

4. Pro
As a professional, Gibson continued to win, she won the singles title in 1960
Tried a lot of other sports, before going back to tennis. But she never found the levels she had before
Beginning in 1975, she served 10 years as Commissioner of Athletics for the state of New Jersey
She was also a member of the governor’s council on physical fitness

5. Her later life Nearly went bankrupt
She developed serious heart problems
On September 28, 2003, Gibson died of respiratory failure in East Orange, New Jersey