Who is your favourite foreign former player? Womens Rd 1, Group 3

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

Who is your favourite foreign former player? Womens Rd 1, Group 3

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

A number of players from my era here!

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

The lovely, elegant Virgina Ruzici of Romania was a player from the late 70s and 80s that I used to love ( I was a teenager and her legs...sorry!)

the addict · Tennis legend

JonH comes home wrote:
A number of players from my era here!

Me too ! I think I've seen five of these at Wimbledon.

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

Helen Angwin is now 89 years old , I'll have to check but she retired in 1954, 66 years ago.

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

Dorothy Head Knode died at the age of 95 a few years ago, and was over 80s world champion in 2005!

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

At Wimbledon 1978, Ruzici lost a notable match in the quarterfinal to the Australian Evonne Goolagong Cawley who was playing with an injured ankle. Goolagong's injury led to her collapsing on court and her husband, Roger Cawley, came on to the court to aid his wife, technically defaulting the Australian from the match. When Goolagong recovered, Ruzici agreed to continue the match, but lost 75, 63 and was praised for her sportsmanship.[3] It has been stated during TV commentaries that Ruzici's victory in 1980 at a tournament in Salt Lake City was watched by Richard Williams who was inspired by her triumph and prize money to teach his daughters Venus and Serena Williams to play tennis.[4][5][6]

Ruzici is now the manager of Romanian tennis player Simona Halep.[7]

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

Connolly and Hingis ahead, Stove and Turnbull currently share 3rd.

brittak · Satellite level

Maureen Connolly for me. Much too young to see her play but always warmed to her story.

See below from Wiki - a sad shortening of a potentially stellar career and indeed life.

Connolly won the last nine Grand Slam singles tournaments she played, including 50 consecutive singles matches. During her Wightman Cup career from 1951 through 1954, she won all seven of her singles matches. Connolly's achievements made her the darling of the media and one of the most popular personalities in the U.S.; she was named Female Athlete of the Year by the Associated Press for three straight years, from 1951 through 1953.[12] In 1954, Connolly did not defend her title at the Australian Championships, but successfully defended her French and Wimbledon championships.

Two weeks after she won her third-straight Wimbledon title, she was horseback riding in San Diego on July 20. A passing concrete mixer truck frightened her horse Colonel Merryboy, which pinned Connolly between the horse and truck. She was thrown and suffered a compound fracture to her right fibula, which ultimately ended her tennis career at age 19.

In 1966, Connolly was diagnosed with ovarian cancer.[18] On June 4, 1969, she underwent a third operation for a stomach tumor at Baylor Hospital in Dallas.[13] She died nearly three weeks later on June 21.[19]

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

brittak wrote:
Maureen Connolly for me. Much too young to see her play but always warmed to her story.

See below from Wiki - a sad shortening of a potentially stellar career and indeed life.

Connolly won the last nine Grand Slam singles tournaments she played, including 50 consecutive singles matches. During her Wightman Cup career from 1951 through 1954, she won all seven of her singles matches. Connolly's achievements made her the darling of the media and one of the most popular personalities in the U.S.; she was named Female Athlete of the Year by the Associated Press for three straight years, from 1951 through 1953.[12] In 1954, Connolly did not defend her title at the Australian Championships, but successfully defended her French and Wimbledon championships.

Two weeks after she won her third-straight Wimbledon title, she was horseback riding in San Diego on July 20. A passing concrete mixer truck frightened her horse Colonel Merryboy, which pinned Connolly between the horse and truck. She was thrown and suffered a compound fracture to her right fibula, which ultimately ended her tennis career at age 19.

In 1966, Connolly was diagnosed with ovarian cancer.[18] On June 4, 1969, she underwent a third operation for a stomach tumor at Baylor Hospital in Dallas.[13] She died nearly three weeks later on June 21.[19]

Theres a film about her called Little Mo, I believe it was.

ROSAMUND · Futures level

Darlene Hard reached 2 Wimbledon singles final in 1957 and 1959 and lost them both. She never won Wimbledon but did win the French and the US Championships. The only other ladies who also lost 2 Wimbledon finals since 1946 and never won were Hana Mandlikova, Arantxa Sanchez and Justine Henin. Additionally Doris Hart and Jana Novotna both lost their first 2 finals and won the third.

brittak · Satellite level

JonH comes home wrote:
brittak wrote:
Maureen Connolly for me. Much too young to see her play but always warmed to her story.

See below from Wiki - a sad shortening of a potentially stellar career and indeed life.

Connolly won the last nine Grand Slam singles tournaments she played, including 50 consecutive singles matches. During her Wightman Cup career from 1951 through 1954, she won all seven of her singles matches. Connolly's achievements made her the darling of the media and one of the most popular personalities in the U.S.; she was named Female Athlete of the Year by the Associated Press for three straight years, from 1951 through 1953.[12] In 1954, Connolly did not defend her title at the Australian Championships, but successfully defended her French and Wimbledon championships.

Two weeks after she won her third-straight Wimbledon title, she was horseback riding in San Diego on July 20. A passing concrete mixer truck frightened her horse Colonel Merryboy, which pinned Connolly between the horse and truck. She was thrown and suffered a compound fracture to her right fibula, which ultimately ended her tennis career at age 19.

In 1966, Connolly was diagnosed with ovarian cancer.[18] On June 4, 1969, she underwent a third operation for a stomach tumor at Baylor Hospital in Dallas.[13] She died nearly three weeks later on June 21.[19]
Theres a film about her called Little Mo, I believe it was.

Yep

Connolly was portrayed by Glynnis O'Connor in Little Mo, a television movie that initially aired on September 5, 1978.^[26]^[27]

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

JonH comes home wrote:
Connolly and Hingis ahead, Stove and Turnbull currently share 3rd.

Poll closes at 6, several players now tied in 3rd.

ROSAMUND · Futures level

JonH comes home wrote:
Dorothy Head Knode died at the age of 95 a few years ago, and was over 80s world champion in 2005!

Our players must have been happy playing Dorothy. Angela Mortimer beat her in the 1955 French final and Shirley Brasher beat her in the 1957 final.

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

Virginia Ruzici unlocks the tie and moves clear in 3rd in this group