From the 1950s, but in today’s paper:
https://www.wsj.com/articles/two-women-who-defied-prejudice-at-wimbledon-11562245200
Rarely remembered, however, is a prejudice-defying moment in 1956. That’s when Althea Gibson and Angela Buxton, an African-American and a British Jew, teamed up to win the women’s doubles championship.
. Gibson had famously broken the sport’s color line a few years earlier, but her greatest success came just after she and Buxton teamed up.
, Buxton began winning regularly on the junior tennis circuit and took lessons at London’s renowned Cumberland Club. But her coach informed her that she could never join the club, regardless of her talent, she told an interviewer in 2016. “You’re perfectly good, but you’re Jewish,” she recalled him saying. “We don’t take Jews here.”
, Buxton began winning regularly on the junior tennis circuit and took lessons at London’s renowned Cumberland Club. But her coach informed her that she could never join the club, regardless of her talent, she told an interviewer in 2016. “You’re perfectly good, but you’re Jewish,” she recalled him saying. “We don’t take Jews here.”
With the French Open, one of the sport’s four Grand Slam tournaments, set to begin, neither woman had a regular doubles partner. Buxton’s coach Jimmy Jones suggested that they team up again. The pair cruised to victory on the red clay courts to take the doubles crown, and Gibson won the singles title as well, becoming the first black Grand Slam champion in both.
Gibson dominated, and the pair quickly took the first set 6-1 from two Australians. In the second set it was Buxton’s turn to rise to the occasion with a breathtaking drop volley to prevent a pivotal break of Gibson’s serve. They went on to win the close set 8-6, giving them the championship. The next day, Buxton noted, one British newspaper headlined the victory as “Minorities Win.”
The two women never played together again, and Buxton’s career was cut short by a wrist inflammation. But they remained friends until Gibson’s death in 2003.
I was listening to one of the famous players of yesteryear (forgot her name!), and she was saying how years ago there were many young, good players (she won her first major at 14 or something).
She said it has been a long time since a young player has been able to do this. Women’s tennis has become so much more of a “strength” sport that a 15-year old just doesn’t have the strength yet.
Go Coco!