July 6
On July 6, 1957, Althea Gibson became the first African American to ever win Wimbledon.
Althea Gibson is a legend, to say the least. She made history throughout her career, breaking through color barriers and switching sports. Gibson was the first African American to win the French Championships, now called the French Open. Her historic run continued in 1957 when she defeated Darlene Hard, becoming the first African American to ever win Wimbledon. With a passion for both tennis and golf, Gibson joined the Ladies Professional Golf Association Tour in 1964. She was the first black woman to join. After retiring from competitive sports, Gibson was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1971.
Althea Gibson died in 2003 from respiratory failure.
Sources
Althea Gibson is first African American to win Wimbledon
Althea Gibson becomes first African American on U.S. tennis tour
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