Althea Gibson was a black professional tennis player and professional golfer. She was also first Black athlete to cross the color line of international tennis and In 1956 she became the first African American to win a Grand Slam title (the French Championships). The following year she won both Wimbledon and the U.S. Nationals (precursor of the U.S. Open), then won both again in 1958, and was voted Female Athlete of the Year by the Associated Press in both years. In all she won 11 Grand Slam tournaments, including six doubles titles, and was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame and the International Women's Sports Hall of Fame. In the early 1960s she also became the 1st Black player to compete on the women's professional golf tour.
Althea Gibson was born on this day in 1927 in Clarendon, SC. She was the first Black American to win Wimbledon.
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