There, assisted by pro Fred Johnson and Rhoda Smith, Gibson's game and deportment improved-though she bristled at the strict rules of behavior. After considerable practice, he had her play at the Harlem River Tennis Courts, where she attracted the eye of Juan Serrell, a member of the upscale Cosmopolitan Tennis Club. Buddy Walker, a neighborhood play leader, recognized her ability at street tennis, played with a wooden paddle, and handed Althea her first stringed racket. From an early age, Gibson's love of sports distracted her from everything else. Everybody said so." How this girl, considered "nothing but trouble," became the first African American to win the Wimbledon Tennis Championship in 1957 is both stylishly and compellingly told in this picture-book biography. Grade 2–5-"Althea Gibson was the tallest, wildest tomboy in the history of Harlem.
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