February 10, 2004 -- One tennis legend paid tribute to another in Harlem last night.
Billie Jean King joined former Mayor David Dinkins in honoring the late Althea Gibson at an event sponsored by the Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce and the Harlem Jazz and Music Festival.
The Post presented a $2,500 check to the Althea Gibson Foundation to assist in finishing tennis courts in Harlem's Fredrick Johnson Park, a few blocks from where Gibson grew up.
Gibson, the first black woman to win Wimbledon and the U.S. National title, died last September at 76.
"Her struggles never impeded her success," King said.
Dinkins also honored Gibson's climb to become a champion in the 1950s.
"It was difficult, particularly for a black woman to play tennis but she did so with grace, dignity courage and athleticism," he said."