For black athletes before the advent of
civil rights, the expected strains of competition—injury, fatigue, formidable
opposition—were compounded by a climate of prejudice. It was through
extraordinary determination that in 1957 Althea Gibson became the first black
person, male or female, to win the Wimbledon World Tennis Championship in
London, England.
In 1950, at the age of 22, she became
the first black person to play at the U.S. National Championships, nearly
beating Wimbledon champion Louise Brough. In 1951 she made her first appearance
at Wimbledon, becoming the first black person to play at the British
Championship.
Over the next three years Gibson lost
more than she won against the circuit's top women players. She nearly gave up
the game in 1955 but was persuaded by the U.S. State Department to participate
in a goodwill tennis tour of Southeast Asia and Europe the following year. The
tour proved to be a turnaround for her career—of 18 tournaments, Gibson won 16,
including the 1956 French Championships, making her the first black person to
win the title. She returned to Wimbledon that same year, but lost in the
quarterfinals to Shirley Fry.
At Wimbledon the following year,
Gibson, then 30, knew it was one of her last opportunities to take the title.
Like Jackie Robinson, who had endured heckling in his early appearances with
the Brooklyn Dodgers, Gibson withstood harsh commentary from both the crowd and
the press during early tournament play. In newspaper reports her serious
concentration was labeled sullen, and her limited remarks were called irritable
and impolite. Finally a group of sympathetic sportswriters persuaded colleagues
to treat Gibson more fairly. Her reserve, they argued, was armor against the
pressure of being the first black person to be in contention for the Wimbledon
title.
On July 6 at Wimbledon she endured not
only the oppressive heat—the temperature reached 35.5° C (96° F) in the
shade—but also bigoted remarks from intolerant tennis fans. In her early games,
many in the audience clapped at her mistakes. Still, Gibson maintained a
steadfast intensity in each of her sets, keeping the ball in play until just
the right opportunity to power in a strategic shot.
Because she was matched in the finals
against fellow American Darlene Hard, a 21-year-old whom Gibson had beaten
three consecutive times in the previous year, it was clear that Gibson had a
shot at the title. Although Hard was known as one the finest net players in the
game, Gibson countered with her own brand of aggressive net play. After a
powerful serve or severe ground shot, Gibson rushed the net to counter Hard's
volleys. Hard found it difficult to make an offensive shot, and within 25
minutes the first set was over, 6-3.
Gibson accelerated the game in the
second set with a series of powerful serves. Though Hard tried to counter with
several assaults at the net, Gibson easily returned. She so powerfully struck
back Hard's backhands that the young opponent could do little more than lob the
ball back. Shaking her head in frustration throughout the set, Hard lost her
chance at winning the Wimbledon title in less than 50 minutes, with a final
score of 6-2. The crowd responded by giving Gibson a standing ovation.
After the match Gibson and Hard walked
together to meet the Queen, and Hard kissed Gibson on the cheek after she
received the Wimbledon Trophy. The New York Times quoted a humble Gibson
as saying, “Getting my first volleys after my serves gave me plenty of
confidence. Otherwise, I didn't think I was playing that well.” When Queen
Elizabeth presented Gibson with the trophy, the champion cried, “At last! At
last!” as much in reference to the end of a trying tournament as to her many
years of playing. Upon her return to New York, Gibson was honored with a
ticker-tape parade.
