Who is your favourite post 1968 & not currently ranked GB player? WOMEN - FINAL

brittak · Satellite level

Who is your favourite post 1968 & not currently ranked GB player? WOMEN - FINAL

brittak · Satellite level

Has to be Ginny for me. I vividly remember her winning Wimbledon in 1977 with her stunning win over Chris Evert in the SF. She was also a stalwart of GB tennis for so long and for me would deserve to win this!

For what it is worth, Sue would be my 2ncd choice and marginally Laura 3rd.

-- Edited by brittak on Friday 8th of May 2020 11:02:28 AM

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

I decided to vote with a player I felt had achieved most in their career, and Ann Jones and Ginny wade both have 3 slam singles titles and several Slam doubles and mixed titles, when mixed meant something.

Ann Jones was the British trailblazer and a really nice person, I understand so I am going with her in the final

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

Also, did anyone know Ann Jones was RU in the 1957 World Table tennis championships also!

Table tennis
Jones was born in Kings Heath, Birmingham, England.[4] Her parents were prominent table tennis players, her father, Adrian Haydon, having been English number 1 and a competitor at world championships between 1928 and 1953. Ann, as a young girl, also took up the game, participating in five world championships in the 1950s, the best result being losing finalist in singles, doubles and mixed doubles all in Stockholm 1957.[5] Soon after this she wrote the book Tackle Table Tennis This Way.[6]

Jones also won two English Open titles in women's doubles, as Haydon.

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

And for any Monty Python fans out there

Jones caused something of a stir on 30 August 1962 when she married businessman Philip "Pip" Jones (19071993) who was 31 years her senior and five years older than her father.[4][17] The couple later became the butt of many jokes on Monty Python's Flying Circus during its series run. As a running gag, the Pythons frequently inserted "Ann Haydon-Jones and her husband Pip" into any sketch where a list of names was being read.[citation needed]

In 1969, West Bromwich Albion commended Ann Jones on her sporting success and stated that she and her husband were supporters of the club.[18]

indiana · Tennis legend

Great that Winnie reached the final. But now my final vote just has to go to Bally.

Oakland2002 · All-time great

Professional tennis and the U.K. for me growing up were an irrelevance, it was a sport we just didnt play. Our local tennis club did its utmost to keep kids out, we had tennis courts but they were merely for jumping over the nets at playtime and those in the local park only any good as a sandpit.

OK we hosted the best tournament in the world every year due to a historical quirk. The type of thing your mum watched fortunately we had a fab PE teacher (a friends mum bizarrely) who used to arrange a trip down from my comp in a Birmingham over spill town so we could all go and experience the magic but British players were just a curiosity, and then .... Virginia Wade went and won it all!

-- Edited by Oakland2002 on Friday 8th of May 2020 02:13:52 PM

Jan · Hall of fame

The women's is even more difficult than the men's!
Need to give it some more thought.

Michael D · All-time great

So far Bally and Ginny have each had 2 votes from me and Ann, Anne, Winnie and Christine 1 each... so guess it's one of the first two... there are very different reasons for liking both a lot.

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

This could be a 3 horse race as some predicted, 3 out of the traps quickly at least.

Michael D · All-time great

It's looking more like a 2 horse race now though 5 people have votes. The grand slam wins are counting.

indiana · Tennis legend

Bally surged through with late votes in the SF. Plenty time.

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

One thing I've noticed is when ever someone writes some colour story about a player they get a vote or two soon after. So if you've a favourite male or female, might be worth a boost if anyone fancies it.

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

This one is a battle , nothing between the two Wimbledon Champs! Let's go, Jonesy, let's go!

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

Here is a little colour. Winnie Shaw reached the 1971 French Open Mixed Final, playing with a Soviet/Estonian called Toomas Leius. In 1974, Leius strangled his wife to death and was convicted of murder, after she was found having an affair. Leius got 8 years (for murder!) and was released after 5 years (boy!). He then worked as a tennis coach (clearly no DBS checks in those days in the Soviet Union!) and was subsequently Captain of the Estonian Fed Cup Team (also clearly no Daily Mail in Soviet Union in those days!).

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toomas_Leius