Suzanne Lenglen

Biography

Suzanne Lenglen was a French tennis player who won six Wimbledon singles and doubles titles. Her athletic performance, which combined strength and speed, altered the course of women's tennis and established her as the dominating amateur player from 1919 to 1926, when she turned professional. She was also regarded as one of the best female hard-court tennis players of her time. Even in the 1920s, when there were many colorful sports personalities, her game, volatile swings, and daring court attire were remarkable. Lenglen's most notable lawn tennis victories included the Wimbledon singles, women's doubles, and mixed doubles, as well as the French Open singles, women's doubles, and mixed doubles. At the 1920 Olympic Games in Belgium, she won gold medals in both singles and mixed doubles. In world hard-court championship competition, she won four singles titles, three women's doubles titles, and three mixed doubles titles. Her career was stopped twice, first by World War I and then by illness. In amateur lawn tennis, Lenglen only lost once, to Molla Bjurstedt Mallory at the 1921 U.S. Open in Forest Hills. She defeated the legendary Helen Wills in their only match, which was extensively publicized, in Cannes, France, in 1926. Later that year, she flew to the United States to participate in a professional tennis tour. Although she was praised for her athleticism, Lenglen was also known for her bold fashion choices. While most players wore corsets, hats, blouses, and long skirts, Lenglen's athletic outfit included flawlessly coordinated short pleated skirts, sleeveless blouses, and short-sleeved calf-length dresses worn without petticoat. She frequently covered her head with a bandeau secured with a diamond pin. Her gorgeous look was appreciated by fans and even inspired the development of the Lenglen tennis shoe.