Achievements of Charlotte Cooper, Althea Gibson and Jennifer Capriati are still big tennis news

Though there is a century span between their playing careers, Jennifer Capriati, Althea Gibson and Charlotte Cooper share the common bond of being Grand Slam title-winning tennis aces. However, it was only possible to secure these multiple competitions victories via the exhibition of resolve and skill by each player.

Charlotte Cooper lit up the early days of women’s tennis, with a dynamic yet graceful playing style that helped her claim five Wimbledon singles titles, as well as the Olympic crown at the 1900 games in Paris. She first reigned at the All England Club in 1895, as she won out against Helen Jackson Atkins, and she claimed the championship for a second time by beating Alice Simpson Pickering the following year. Cooper did not have things all her own way, as she lost out in 1897 to Blanche Bingley Hillyard, who would also take the crown from Cooper in 1899 and 1900. In the meantime, Cooper had triumphed in the 1898 Wimbledon final over Louise Martin, and she at last beat Hillyard in an All England Club showdown in 1901. Charlotte Cooper would again taste defeat in the 1902 and 1904 Wimbledon finals, yet she finally secured her fifth championship in 1908, at the age of 37.

As great a force in 50s tennis as Cooper had been at the turn of the century, Althea Gibson was not only an exemplary champion, but – as the first Africa-American woman to play on the tour - also a ground-breaking athlete. Gibson was born in South Carolina, but grew up in Harlem, and had to wait for her opportunity in tennis as racial segregation impeded her progress. She first played at the US Championships in 1950 and won her maiden Grand Slam title six years later, when she triumphed at the French. Gibson was dominant in the women’s game at the tail-end of the 50s, as she won both Wimbledon and the US Championship in 1957 and 1958, as well as securing numerous doubles crowns. In both of those incredible years, Althea Gibson was recognised by the Associated Press as their Female Athlete of the Year, and she retired, at the top of her sport, in 1958.

 

It appeared for several years that, in spite of her youthful promise, Jennifer Capriati would never quite scale the title-winning heights of Cooper and Gibson. But battling through personal difficulties, Capriati demonstrated determination and skill to finally claim the Grand Slam titles that her ability warranted. She turned professional aged just 13, in 1990, and was soon demonstrating her precocious talent as she reached the Wimbledon and US Open semis. Steffi Graf was beaten in Barcelona in 1992, to secure Olympic gold for Capriati, but the early 90s were a difficult period for the young tennis star as she struggled to cope with the pressures of fame and expectation. There were run-ins with the law before she refocused her attentions on tennis, and the opening years of the 21st century brought major championship success at last, as Capriati triumphed in both the Australian and French Opens in 2001, and again in the Australian in 2002. Capriati has won 14 titles over the course of her career but injury problems have blighted her in recent years and it is uncertain if she will play professional tennis again.

But even if Capriati has swung her racket at a major tennis championship for the last time, her legacy has been secured by that belated trio of Grand Slam titles.