American tennis legend Althea Neale Gibson also played golf professionally. Despite being born on August 25, 1927, she sadly passed away on September 28, 2003. She is also among the first Black athletes to play international tennis despite its color barrier. Then, in 1956, she won the French Championships, a Grand Slam event, becoming the first African American woman to do it. She triumphed at Wimbledon and the US Nationals at random until 1958. She received two votes from the Associated Press for Female Athlete of the Year.
She also took home 11 Grand Slam titles in total. She also entered the women’s Professional Golf Tour for the first time in the early 1960s because of how difficult the competition was. She was regarded as the sports maverick. Discover your personal favorites from the top 9 Althea Gibson quotes right now.
It’s great to be the winner, but you can’t eat your crown.
Altera Gibson
“I always wished I could do something. If I succeeded, it was partially due to my willingness to suffer greatly along the way and also because many others were sympathetic enough to assist me. Altera Gibson
A far cry from being made to sit in the colored section of the bus headed into Wilmington, North Carolina’s downtown, to shaking hands with the Queen of England.
Altera Gibson
In the world of sports, people are generally accepted more for their actions than for who they are.
Altera Gibson
“In sports, you simply aren’t regarded as a true champion until you have successfully defended your championship. Winning it twice demonstrates your superiority; winning it once can be an accident. Altera Gibson
6th of 9 Althea Gibson Quotes
“No matter what accomplishments you make, somebody helped you.”― Althea Gibson
“Most of us who aspire to be tops in our fields don’t really consider the amount of work required to stay tops.”― Althea Gibson
“I don’t want to be put on a pedestal. I just want to be reasonably successful and live a normal life with all the conveniences to make it so.”― Althea Gibson
Top 79 Serena Williams Quotes
“I think I have done enough for sports and made enough of a name for myself to deserve some sort of backing – most of the other girls have it.”― Althea Gibson
You may also like: Josh Okogie