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She was born in Silver South California on August 25, 1927
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By 1939 she went to win the New York Woman's Paddle Ball Championship
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During the 1940s she joined the Cosmopolitan Club in New York, this is where she began to play Tennis, enter tournaments, and win matches. The club was only for African Americans because, White famous people played tennis.
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In 1940 PAL promoted paddle ball.
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She was introduced to Harlem River Tennis Courts in 1941.
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She then won 2 more ATA titles in 1944 and 1945
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She then won 2 more ATA titles in 1944 and 1945
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She lost 1 title in 1946
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Althea Gibson was the first African American to compete as a Tennis player at U.S. National Championships in 1950
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Althea Gibson was the first Black player who competed at Wimbledon, in 1951
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In 1952, 1 year after becoming the first black player to compete at Wimbledon- she was a top 10 player in the U.S.
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She graduated from Florida A&M University with a sport scholarship and graduated in 1953.
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She became #7 in the U.S. by 1953
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In 1950 Alice Marble, Former Tennis player number 1, herself wrote a piece called American Lawn Magazine. Then in 1955 she got sponsored by American Lawn Magazine.
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She won 10 straight Championships from 1947-1956
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She won a U.S. open in 1958
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She had won 56 singles and doubles by the time she was a pro in 1959
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She landed the singles tittle in 1960
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She tried to repeat her past success, but she was too old and slow she couldn't keep up with her younger team mates, so she then decided to retire. Following retirement in 1971, she was Inducted to the International Hall Of Fame.
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Beginning in 1975 she served 10 years of being a Commissioner Of Athletics for New Jersey State.
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Sadly, she died on September 28, 2003