Between the wars
Great Britain · born Dudley, 1909 · died 1982 · twice Wimbledon champion
All playersBack to the rankings
2
Wimbledon singles titles, 1934 and 1937
3
Wimbledon mixed titles in a row, 1934 to 1936
1935
First overseas winner of the Australian singles
1
World ranking in 1934, by A. Wallis Myers
Dorothy Round grew up in Dudley, the youngest of four children of a building contractor, and learned the game against her brothers on the family's home court. She made her Wimbledon debut in the late 1920s, reached the quarter-finals in 1931 and lost the 1933 final to Helen Wills Moody. She won the title in 1934 and again in 1937, and took the mixed doubles three years running. On her only trip to Australia, in 1935, she became the first overseas player to win the women's singles. She played in the Wightman Cup from 1931 to 1936 and was ranked in the world top ten from 1933 to 1937. A Methodist, she would not play on Sundays. She later coached in Canada and the United States and was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1986.
| Major singles titles | 3: Wimbledon (1934, 1937); Australian (1935) |
|---|---|
| Major singles finals lost | 1: Wimbledon 1933 |
| Other grass singles titles | 6: Kent 2 (1933, 1935); Eastbourne (1934); Eastern Grass Court Championships (1933); NSW Championships (1934); Victorian Championships (1934) |
| Major doubles titles | 3 mixed (Wimbledon 3) |
| Wimbledon finals | 1933: lost to Helen Wills Moody 4-6, 8-6, 3-6. 1934: beat Helen Jacobs 6-2, 5-7, 6-3. 1937: beat Jadwiga Jedrzejowska 6-2, 2-6, 7-5 |
| Wimbledon mixed partners | 1934 with Ryuki Miki of Japan; 1935 and 1936 with Fred Perry |
| US Championships | Singles semi-final 1933, lost to Helen Jacobs; doubles final 1931 with Jacobs |
| Wightman Cup | Played for Great Britain every year from 1931 to 1936 |
| Wimbledon | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1934 | Mixed doubles | with Ryuki Miki |
| 1934 | Women's singles | |
| 1935 | Mixed doubles | with Fred Perry |
| 1936 | Mixed doubles | with Fred Perry |
| 1937 | Women's singles | |
| Kent Championships (Beckenham) | ||
| 1933 | Women's singles†| |
| 1935 | Women's singles†| |
| Eastern Grass Court Championships (South Orange) | ||
| 1933 | Women's singles†| |
| New South Wales Championships | ||
| 1934 | Women's singles†| |
| Eastbourne | ||
| 1934 | Women's singles†South of England Championships | |
| Victorian Championships | ||
| 1934 | Women's singles†| |
| Australian Championships | ||
| 1935 | Women's singles | |
| Surrey Championships (Surbiton) | ||
| 1936 | Women's singles†| |
Leading grass titles only: the grass majors, tour-level grass events since 1968 and the leading grass championships before 1968. †single source; ‡ sources disagree. Roll of champions
"I went into court with a tactical plan, but in the heat of the moment I am afraid I forgot all about it."
The person behind the player.
Wightman Cup, New York
A Methodist who taught at a Sunday school in Dudley through her years of fame, she would not play on Sundays and missed the 1933 French Championships for that reason. When a Wightman Cup match in New York was rained off into a Sunday, she waited for Monday. The New York Times noted that she did not play particularly well on Mondays.
Source: Shropshire StarWightman Cup 1931
In her first Wightman Cup singles she held seven match points against Anna Harper and converted none of them, losing in three sets. She later said the defeat persuaded her to play about 12 tournaments a season.
Source: WikipediaWimbledon 1933 · Final
Against Helen Wills Moody she won the second set helped by a disputed line call. She asked the officials to overturn the point, but the decision stood. Back in the Black Country, people gathered round radios, newspapers sold out, and club members cheered "Good old Dorothy".
Source: Shropshire StarDudley 1934
After her first Wimbledon title the town gave her a civic reception and named a hospital wing after her. Three years later, as champion again, she married at the Methodist church in Dudley; Ted Tinling designed the dress and the town hall reception had about 200 guests.
Source: Shropshire StarWimbledon 1936 · Quarter-final
Against Hilde Sperling a shoulder strap broke. When she asked to leave the court to change, Sperling said she would rather carry on in case she got cold. Round finished the match with the strap held by a safety pin, and lost.
Source: WikipediaPriory Park, Dudley
After the war she coached in Priory Park, Dudley. In 2013 a life-size bronze statue by John McKenna was unveiled there, beside the tennis courts, showing her about to return a serve while standing on a tennis ball. A bronze bust was installed at Wimbledon in 2004.
Source: International Tennis Hall of FameFree membership: player news, the grass court Atlas, the rankings and the grass season calendar.
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