History Lesson

An excerpt from the Undefeated -

The day Althea Gibson became the first black tennis player to win Wimbledon
Gibson took the women’s singles and doubles crowns in 1957
BY RHIANNON WALKER

Althea Gibson walks through a cheering crowd while
preparing to play in the 1957 Championships at Wimbledon.
AFP/AFP/Getty Images

One of 17,000 people in attendance was Queen Elizabeth II. Traditionally a fan of horse racing, Queen Elizabeth had graced Wimbledon for the first time. So of all the things Gibson had done on this day, playing in sweltering heat and shattering the 80-year color barrier at Wimbledon, remembering when she was supposed to curtsy for the queen was the most trying thing she had to do on July 6, 1957, she joked to reporters.

https://theundefeated.com/features/the-day-althea-gibson-became-the-first-black-tennis-player-to-win-wimbledon/