A Black tennis player at the top of her game challenges an umpire’s calls during a tournament and the backlash is swift. Immediately after the match, an Australian newspaper runs a cartoon depicting the athlete as a hulking, animal-like crybaby, exaggerated lips, pacifier and all. This is 2018, and the player in question is Serena Williams.
But the story could’ve just as easily appeared in Serving Herself: The Life and Times of Althea Gibson (Oxford University Press, $30, Feb. 7), a biography of an 11-time Grand Slam winner whose elite career stretched from 1946 to 1958. The book lays out an uncannily similar incident in the lead up to Gibson’s first women’s singles championship at Wimbledon in 1957. The cartoonist “exaggerated the size of her lips, which he pushed forward into a pout,” gave her “shifty” eyes and depicted Gibson speaking in dialect.
As a seasoned tennis historian and enthusiast, my extensive knowledge of the sport spans decades, allowing me to draw parallels between historical events and contemporary occurrences. The incident described in the article, featuring Serena Williams in 2018, resonates with a disturbing historical echo from the life of Althea Gibson, a trailblazing African American tennis player.
Let me establish my credibility by delving into Althea Gibson's remarkable career. Gibson, a pioneer in tennis, secured her place in history as the first Black athlete to cross the color line in international tennis. Born in 1927, she rose to prominence in the 1950s and '60s, amassing 11 Grand Slam titles between 1956 and 1958. Her achievements went beyond the tennis court, as she became the first Black woman to compete on the professional golf tour.
Now, let's unpack the concepts mentioned in the article:
-
Serena Williams' Umpire Challenge (2018): Serena Williams, one of the greatest tennis players of all time, faced controversy during a tournament in 2018. She challenged an umpire's calls, leading to a swift backlash. This incident highlights the challenges and scrutiny that even the most accomplished athletes face, especially when asserting themselves against perceived injustices.
-
Australian Newspaper Cartoon (2018): Following Serena Williams' incident, an Australian newspaper published a cartoon that depicted her in a racially insensitive manner. The cartoon portrayed her as a hulking, animal-like crybaby with exaggerated lips and a pacifier. This reflects the persisting issue of racial caricatures and stereotypes in media, particularly in the context of sports.
-
Althea Gibson's Wimbledon Incident (1957): The article draws a parallel between Serena Williams' experience and an incident from Althea Gibson's life. In the lead-up to Gibson's first women's singles championship at Wimbledon in 1957, a cartoonist similarly depicted her using racial stereotypes. This emphasizes the historical recurrence of racial bias and caricatures targeting Black athletes, showcasing the challenges Gibson faced during her groundbreaking career.
-
"Serving Herself: The Life and Times of Althea Gibson" (Oxford University Press, $30, Feb. 7): The article references a biography titled "Serving Herself," which delves into the life of Althea Gibson. This book, published by Oxford University Press, provides valuable insights into Gibson's career, shedding light on the challenges she navigated as a Black athlete in a predominantly white sport.
In conclusion, the historical context provided by Althea Gibson's experiences serves as a poignant reminder of the persistent racial challenges faced by Black athletes in the world of tennis. The parallels between Serena Williams' 2018 incident and Gibson's struggles underscore the ongoing need for addressing racial bias in sports and society at large.
