--- title: Althea Gibson and Tennis History: Woman Who Broke Barriers description: The tennis star was born on Aug. 25, 1927 canonical: https://time.com/3924566/althea-gibson-life-magazine/ author: Liz Ronk article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-08-25T12:00:50.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T04:50:39.171Z article:section: History og:title: Althea Gibson and Tennis History: Woman Who Broke Barriers og:description: The tennis star was born on Aug. 25, 1927 og:url: https://time.com/3924566/althea-gibson-life-magazine/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt040951448ecc4011/698854e9cd1bbaae9d6fbdad/150617-althea-gibson-01.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1610 og:image:height: 906 og:image:alt: Althea Gibson in France, 1956 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Althea Gibson and Tennis History: Woman Who Broke Barriers twitter:description: The tennis star was born on Aug. 25, 1927 twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt040951448ecc4011/698854e9cd1bbaae9d6fbdad/150617-althea-gibson-01.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # The Woman Who Broke the Color Barrier for Tennis > Sponsored content. 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They are at time.com/newsletters and are separate from a paid subscription. by [Liz Ronk](https://time.com/author/liz-ronk/) and [Lily Rothman](https://time.com/author/lily-rothman/) Aug 25, 2016 12:00 PM UTC  Tennis player Althea Gibson in France, 1956. Tennis player Althea Gibson in France, 1956. Thomas D. McAvoy—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images by [Liz Ronk](https://time.com/author/liz-ronk/) and [Lily Rothman](https://time.com/author/lily-rothman/) Aug 25, 2016 12:00 PM UTC When LIFE Magazine caught up with [Althea Gibson](http://time.com/3173666/althea-gibson-google-doodle/) in 1956 in France, the tennis star—who was born Aug. 25, 1927—was already famous, but she was still proving herself to the world. “For Althea Gibson the road to Wimbledon, where she appears this week as a top-seeded player, began 22 years ago on a street in Harlem,” LIFE [reported](https://books.google.com/books?id=7UgEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA88&lpg=PA88&dq=%22held+by+althea+after%22&source=bl&ots=X5kMxkEazU&sig=eop%5FA1NffuBLKgtZTpbzFivurHg&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjTlcC2oabOAhWCSSYKHYZ9AsUQ6AEIHjAA#v=onepage&q=%22held%20by%20althea%20after%22&f=false). “There with a wooden paddle she learned a slam-bang version of tennis—Harlem children still play it—and developed her hard, unladylike strokes.” As [one of](http://time.com/3931000/alice-marble/) the most interesting and accomplished figures in the history of tennis, by 1950 she had gotten enough attention within the sport that the U.S. Lawn Tennis Association allowed her to be the first African-America in its national championship, the tournament that was the precursor to today’s U.S. Open. And yet she kept her own success in perspective: “I’m elated and I’m not,” she told LIFE after winning the French championship. “If I’d lost I’d feel the same.” And though she did not take home the U.S. title in 1956, the following year—after wins at Wimbledon and the French championship, and after becoming the second African-American ever honored with a New York City ticker-tape parade—she conquered that barrier too. She repeated the feat in 1958, and after her retirement from tennis, later became the first black woman on the Ladies Professional Golf Association tour. The 2016 U.S. Open [begins](http://www.usopen.org/en%5FUS/scores/schedule/eventschedule.html) on Monday.  July 2, 1956 issue of LIFE magazine. LIFE Magazine  Tennis player Althea Gibson in France, 1956. Thomas D. McAvoy—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. Range and reach enable 5-foot 10 1/2 inch Althea to return well-placed shot in French championship. Though not a first-class strategist, she has learned how to follow up her shots. Once content to rely entirely on her extraordinary power and big service, she has now developed a steady backhand and a sharp volley. Thomas D. McAvoy—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Tennis player Althea Gibson in France, 1956. Thomas D. McAvoy—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Tennis player Althea Gibson in France, 1956. Thomas D. McAvoy—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Tennis player Althea Gibson in France, 1956. Thomas D. McAvoy—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Tennis player Althea Gibson in France, 1956. Thomas D. McAvoy—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Tennis player Althea Gibson in France, 1956. Thomas D. McAvoy—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Tennis player Althea Gibson in France, 1956. Thomas D. McAvoy—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Tennis player Althea Gibson in France, 1956. Thomas D. McAvoy—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. Most prized trophy, the Suzanne Lenglen Cup, is held by Althea after winning French title. Thomas D. McAvoy—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Tennis player Althea Gibson in France, 1956. Thomas D. 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