[trivfun]

I am not sure it was an article per se. Angela contacted everyone in the media she could think of and told Althea's story to anyone who'd listen. The press all over the world picked it up and ran a story, but I don't think it was a syndicated article necessarily. Angela is actually quite good at getting publicity. I don't know if that's what she did after she stopped playing tennis. I remember in the 70's and 80's she was always on British TV around Wimbledon time complaining how the All England Club had snubbed giving her membership because she was Jewish. It got really boring hearing her trot the same story out year after year. When you think what a relatively unremarkable player she was, she certainly managed to keep herself in the news.

One thing I was disturbed by Angela was not the discrimination was her double standard with Althea. Angela excepted her to overcome the discrimination while she kept complaining about it which resulted in her inability to overcome it. It was as if she was living through her. I know that lot of country clubs discriminated against Jews but she expected Althea to overcome Forest Hills which discriminated against Ralph Bunche by winning there in 1957 and 1958and still discriminated against blacks till 1990's.

My thought was: discrimination was there but Angela used it to get her own way. She had an Anglo-Saxon complex towards players like Angela Mortimer and others because she had an admiration for them and wanted to be like them. I look at her and she has dyed her hair blonde. Man oh Man!

 

[chris whiteside]

Angela does refer specifically to Tennis World (A British publication as opposed to the now defunct American World Tennis). I believe this may still be published.

It began with Open tennis in 1968 but I gave it up after a couple of years finding it superficial particularly with regard to results.

 

[trivfun]

Angela does refer specifically to Tennis World (A British publication as opposed to the now defunct American World Tennis). I believe this may still be published.

It began with Open tennis in 1968 but I gave it up after a couple of years finding it superficial particularly with regard to results.

I noticed in your slogan about the draw. Tracy Austin commentatiting for the USA network in America said that it was pure luck. McEnroe (commentating with her) and Ted Robinson agrees, do you think it was luck?

 

[chris whiteside]

I noticed in your slogan about the draw. Tracy Austin commentatiting for the USA network in America said that it was pure luck. McEnroe (commentating with her) and Ted Robinson agrees, do you think it was luck?

Of course, it's pure luck - at least that's what 99.99% of me says - although with all you see in films etc now the other 0.01% wonders could there possibly be something going on?

The odds against the draw working out exactly as it did are astronomical - of the bookie's 6 favourites 5 are in the top half - the Rusian world #2 is in the bottom half. Also EVERY player who has beaten her this year is in the top half. It's gut-wrenchingly sickening. I can but hope the unlikely will happen and Vaidisova can play to her maximum, although she has not played since Wimby, or Kuznetsova can play that one tournament in 20 she is capable of.

It does women's tennis no good - one player gets a cake-walk to the final and has a big advantage in it as the player she faces has probably had long and tough quarters and semis and has used up most of their reserves.

 

[Johnny O]

Of course, it's pure luck - at least that's what 99.99% of me says - although with all you see in films etc now the other 0.01% wonders could there possibly be something going on?

The odds against the draw working out exactly as it did are astronomical - of the bookie's 6 favourites 5 are in the top half - the Rusian world #2 is in the bottom half. Also EVERY player who has beaten her this year is in the top half. It's gut-wrenchingly sickening. I can but hope the unlikely will happen and Vaidisova can play to her maximum, although she has not played since Wimby, or Kuznetsova can play that one tournament in 20 she is capable of.

It does women's tennis no good - one player gets a cake-walk to the final and has a big advantage in it as the player she faces has probably had long and tough quarters and semis and has used up most of their reserves.

Of course it's random and luck! Can you imagine the scandal if it turned out it wasn't? If it was going to be rigged, it wouldn't be rigged this way; it would be rigged so that the Williams' sisters were in opposite sides of the draw and were the players with the "cake-walk" as they're the only players the American TV audience will tune in to watch in a prime time final. The TV ratings for the past few years without them have been a disaster and the final is in jeopardy of being moved back to an afternoon match. There's no way the draw is rigged for anyone.

 

[trivfun]

Here is the person who defeated Althea in the 1946 ATA championships. That got everyone's attention about Althea's potential because she never played the game seriously that much but got to the finals where a doctor/player spotted her and asked if she would like to play in the U.S. Nationals.

The person who beat her was Roumania Peters, one half of the team of "Pete" and "Repeat" team with her sister Margaret.

 

[Rollo]

Bump up for "Big Al"

 

[nat75]

Very interesting thread! Thanks for bringing it up! :yeah:

 

[Rollo]

A good action pic of Althea at Wimbledon in 1956. She had run so fast up to the net that she slipped and went under and through!

 

[Rollo]

Gibson on the streets of New York in 1957. She learned a form of tennis here with paddles

 

[Rollo]

Please check out this AMAZING footage of Althea! Much of it I have not seen before-and previously seen footage has much better sound and speed here:

A big plus-it is over 10 minutes long.

Une championne de tennis : Althea Gibson - Vidéo Ina.fr

 

[Rollo]

Althea (in foreground) winning the 1956 French over Angela Mortimer

 

[Wolbo]

Please check out this AMAZING footage of Althea! Much of it I have not seen before-and previously seen footage has much better sound and speed here:

A big plus-it is over 10 minutes long.

Une championne de tennis : Althea Gibson - Vidéo Ina.fr

Very nice find! Most of these old B&W clips are often just one or two minutes long newsreels so it's pretty rare to find a 10 minute video. The quality is pretty good to, it's always nice to watch a video where you can actually see the ball!. And to top it off it's a good video to practice the French language.

 

[rucolo]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/968547782767316992

 

[rucolo]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/968560177967521794

 

[rucolo]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1036217155237437440

 

[Rollo]

Happy to hear she will be honored by the US Open. Her story could easily be made into a movie-and Venus Williams would be the perfect person to play her!

Venus has her height and build, Althea's affinity got the net and even her stoic outward personality.

Some context for the photo above:

The year is 1950. The lady next to Althea is Alice Marble. It was thanks to Marble that the USLTA finally allowed Gibson to enter the US Nationals. After Gibson's initial entry was rejected Alice wrote a blistering letter shaming the USLTA.

Reluctantly the association had to allow Gibson to play. The photo above captures the moment Marble walked Gibson to an outside court for her firs round match.

The unofficial color barrier at the US Nationals had finally been broken.

 

[Rollo]

Found this nice series of photos about Althea from the Wilmington-Star


Photos: PHOTOS: Althea Gibson - Wilmington Star News - Wilmington, NC

 

[Austimrunner1]

On May 25, 1951, the Detroit Free Press declared that a revolution in women's tennis was coming in the form of Althea Gibson as Louise Brough, Margaret Osborne duPont, and Patricia Canning Todd were on their last legs. The newspaper also said that Beverly Baker and Nancy Chaffee were part of this revolution. No mention of Maureen Connolly (the next hyper-dominant player), Doris Hart, or Shirley Fry was made. Gibson's coach, a Mrs. Hoxie, claimed that Brough, duPont, and Todd were ready to step down.

Bolderdash. And bolderdash to Angela Buxton's claim that Gibson was on par with Alice Marble.

A lot of propaganda was being put out about Gibson's abilities.

Gibson's win-loss record in Grand Slam and all tournamemts by opponent:

Total: 10-9 plus 15-13 = 25-22

Darlene Hard 3-0 plus 3-0 = 6-0
Louise Brough 1-1 plus 5-2 = 6-3
Maria Bueno 0-0 plus 2-0 = 2-0
Christine Truman 1-0 plus 0-0 = 1-0
Dorothy Cheney 0-0 plus 1-0 = 1-0
Margaret Osborne duPont 0-0 plus 1-0 = 1-0
Yola Ramirez 1-0 plus 0-0 = 1-0
Sandra Reynolds 1-0 plus 0-0 = 1-0
Ann Haydon Jones 1-0 plus 0-0 = 1-0
Shirley Fry 0-3 plus 3-1 = 3-4
Beverly Baker Fleitz 1-2 plus 0-1 = 1-3
Angela Mortimer 1-0 plus 0-4 = 1-4
Maureen Connolly 0-2 plus 0-2 = 0-4
Doris Hart 0-1 plus 0-3 = 0-4

 

[rucolo]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1166048717587304449

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1166080285076799489