The amateur years
United States · born San Diego, 1934 · died 1969 · three times Wimbledon champion
All playersBack to the rankings
3
Wimbledon singles titles, 1952 to 1954
1953
First calendar Grand Slam by a woman
9
Major singles titles in a row, 1951 to 1954
7-0
Wightman Cup singles record
Born in San Diego in 1934, Connolly was switched from left hand to right by her first coach, Wilbur Folsom, and later trained under Eleanor Tennant. In 1951, aged 16, she won the US Championships, then the youngest winner of the event. From that title to Wimbledon in 1954 she won all nine major singles events she entered, among them the calendar Grand Slam of 1953, the first by a woman, and the French Championships of 1953 and 1954. She was ranked world No. 1 from 1952 to 1954 and named Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year three years running. A riding accident in July 1954 ended her career at 19. She married Norman Brinker in 1955, settled in Texas, co-founded a junior tennis foundation in 1968 and died in 1969, aged 34.
| Major singles titles | 7: Wimbledon (1952, 1953, 1954); Australian (1953); US (1951, 1952, 1953) |
|---|---|
| Other grass singles titles | 10: Pennsylvania Championships 3 (1950, 1951, 1952); Irish Championships 2 (1952, 1954); Northern Championships 2 (1952, 1954); Kent (1953); NSW Championships (1952); Victorian Championships (1952) |
| Major doubles titles | 1 doubles (Australian 1) |
| Wimbledon finals | 1952: beat Louise Brough 6-4, 6-3. 1953: beat Doris Hart 8-6, 7-5. 1954: beat Louise Brough 6-2, 7-5. Three visits, three titles |
| Grand Slam 1953 | Australian: beat Julia Sampson 6-3, 6-2. Wimbledon and US: beat Doris Hart both times. One set dropped across the four majors |
| First major | US Championships 1951 at Forest Hills, aged 16: beat Shirley Fry 6-3, 1-6, 6-4 |
| Wimbledon doubles | Finals lost in 1952 with Louise Brough and 1953 with Julia Sampson |
| Wightman Cup | Seven singles matches won, none lost, 1951 to 1954; the United States won all four ties |
| Wimbledon | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1952 | Women's singles | |
| 1953 | Women's singles | |
| 1954 | Women's singles | |
| Pennsylvania Grass Court Championships (Merion) | ||
| 1950 | Women's singles†| |
| 1951 | Women's singles†| |
| 1952 | Women's singles†| |
| US Championships | ||
| 1951 | Women's singles | |
| 1952 | Women's singles | |
| 1953 | Women's singles | |
| Northern Championships | ||
| 1952 | Women's singles†| |
| 1954 | Women's singles†| |
| Australian Championships | ||
| 1953 | Women's doubles | with Julia Sampson Hayward |
| 1953 | Women's singles | |
| New South Wales Championships | ||
| 1952 | Women's singles†| |
| Surrey Championships (Surbiton) | ||
| 1952 | Women's singles†| |
| Victorian Championships | ||
| 1952 | Women's singles†| |
| Kent Championships (Beckenham) | ||
| 1953 | 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
"The best tennis I ever played in my life"
The person behind the player.
San Diego · aged 11
Nelson Fisher of the San Diego Union watched the 11-year-old hit and compared the force of her forehand and backhand to the guns of the battleship USS Missouri, known as Big Mo. He called her Little Mo, and the name stayed with her for life. Fisher later covered her first US title and advised her against turning professional in 1952.
Source: San Diego ReaderSan Diego · 1940s
She took up tennis because her family could not afford riding lessons. She began left-handed, but her coaches trained her to play right-handed, on the grounds that no left-handed woman had won a championship. Wilbur Folsom made the change; Eleanor Tennant, who had coached Alice Marble, took over in 1948.
Source: Tennis MajorsWimbledon 1952
She arrived with a sore shoulder, and Eleanor Tennant told her to withdraw. A second doctor called the injury minor. After winning her first match, Connolly called a press conference without telling Tennant and announced: "Miss Tennant no longer represents my views." The partnership was over. She went on to win the title, beating Louise Brough in the final.
Source: San Diego ReaderWimbledon 1952 · Third round
At 30-all in a tight third-round match, a young man from the US Air Force shouted "Give 'em hell, Mo!" from the stands. Connolly later credited the cry with lifting her to win the match, and she went on to take her first Wimbledon title.
Source: San Diego ReaderSan Diego 1952
After her first Wimbledon title, a chamber of commerce fund in her home town raised $1,534 from 564 contributors. The organisers had planned to buy her a car. She asked for a horse instead and chose a golden palomino walking horse, Colonel Merryboy.
Source: San Diego ReaderSan Diego · 20 July 1954
Riding Colonel Merryboy, she was pinned against a passing concrete truck when the horse shied, and her right leg was badly injured. She was 19 and had won her third Wimbledon two weeks earlier. She never played a full tournament again. In 1968 she and Nancy Jeffett founded the Maureen Connolly Brinker Tennis Foundation to promote junior tennis.
Source: Tennis MajorsFree membership: player news, the grass court Atlas, the rankings and the grass season calendar.
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