In 1941, Althea Gibson started to play in the American Tennis Association (ATA), the African American equivalent to the USLTA. Thanks to a collection made by her neighbours, she had the opportunity to become a member and take lessons at the Harlem Cosmopolitan Tennis Club, a club for African American players. Young Althea quickly became good at this game and was the New York paddle champion in 1939, at the age of 12. She made her debut with a racket in the streets of Harlem, playing paddle-tennis, a game adapted from tennis, played on a smaller court without double lanes (not to be confused with the sport known as padel in modern days). The facts: Althea Gibson’s long journey to compete at WimbledonĪlthea Gibson was born in 1927 on a cotton farm in North Carolina, but she grew up in New York, where her family, hit by the Great Depression, moved in 1930. It also maintained old-fashioned traditions such as the white dress code and the fact that the defending champion was always the first to play on the Centre Court. Wimbledon was played on grass, a surface that is usually more suitable for serve and volley players. Considered by many as the most intimidating court in the world, with its famous Rudyard Kipling quote above the entrance (“If you can meet with triumph and disaster and treat those two impostors just the same”), the Centre Court had seen the best players of all time competing for the title. Held at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club since 1877, it moved to its current location in 1922, the same year when the Centre Court was built. Neck PickupĦ-Saddle String-Through-Body Tele® with Block Steel Saddlesįender® USA 250L Nickel Plated Steel (.009-.Wimbledon is the oldest and the most prestigious tennis tournament in the world. Satin Urethane Finish on Back, Gloss Urethane Finish on Frontģ-Position Blade: Position 1. String-through-body bridge with block steel saddles Two Player Series single-coil Telecaster pickups Versatile enough to handle almost anything you can create and durable enough to survive any gig, this workhorse is a trusty sidekick for your musical vision. The feel, the style and, most importantly, the sound-they’re all there, waiting for you to make them whisper or wail for your music. Bold, innovative and rugged, the Player Telecaster is pure Fender, through and through.
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