Overview

• This year’s theme, “75 Years of Breaking Barriers,” puts Gibson front and center with silhouette artwork, signage, merchandise and on-site programming across Flushing Meadows.
• Fans are engaging with the 2019 Gibson statue as a photo stop, and Venus Williams nodded to Gibson’s style with a pleated white skirt before calling the recognition essential.
• Althea Gibson Estate administrator Michelle Curry welcomed the attention as overdue and described it as joyful yet bittersweet since Gibson died in 2003.
• Frances Tiafoe, speaking after his second-round win, credited Gibson for opening doors for today’s stars, while Ben Shelton met Gibson’s family and said her and Arthur Ashe’s breakthroughs shaped his own path.
• Coverage underscores how Gibson’s 1950 debut was minimized at the time, with The New York Times mentioning her win only in the 17th paragraph and officials placing her match on distant Court No. 14.