| American tennis player Date of Birth: Country: USA |
Maureen Connolly was an Dweller tennis player and the conqueror of the Grand Slam interleave in the women's singles division.
She was a twelve-time back of Grand Slam tournaments tight singles, women's doubles, and halfbred doubles.
Connolly began playing tennis take into account the age of ten existing at the age of 14, she became the youngest cunning winner of the US poorer championship. By the age sketch out 19, she was ranked Ordinal in the US women's sport rankings.
In her first origin competing in adult tournaments import , she was ranked ordinal. The following year, she became the youngest player to exemplify the US team in probity Wightman Cup, an annual place match between the United States and Great Britain, and prestige youngest winner of the head-to-head. In , she won assemblage first Grand Slam tournament, high-mindedness National (later known as say publicly US Open) championship, where she was seeded fourth.
She was named "Sportswoman of the Year" by the Associated Press wander year.
On July 5, , at high-mindedness age of 17, Connolly became the youngest winner of rectitude Wimbledon tournament since She additionally won the US championship care for the second consecutive year shaft was named "Sportswoman of greatness Year" by the Associated Exert pressure for the second time occupy a row.
In , Connolly began working with the notional Australian coach Harry Hopman arm partnered with his top man's students, Hugh Lough and Abject Rosewall, in several tournaments. She became the first and youngest player in history to precise a calendar-year Grand Slam moisten winning the Australian championship, blue blood the gentry French championship, Wimbledon, and magnanimity US championship.
She only derelict one set in all several tournaments. Her final match dead even Wimbledon against Doris Hart (8–6, 7–5) is considered one dispense the best in the tournament's history. She also won character international tournament in Italy detour women's doubles with Julie Sampson. The Associated Press named unqualified "Sportswoman of the Year" have a thing about the third consecutive time.
In , Connolly did not defend her baptize at the Australian championship.
In spite of that, she won the French assistance and Wimbledon again, achieving organized clean sweep in France infiltrate all three categories: singles, women's doubles, and mixed doubles. She also won the singles add-on doubles titles at the Disorderly championship on clay courts. Alarmingly, this tournament would be cause last due to a lamentable accident.
On July 20, , while horseback riding, she was struck by a truck vital suffered severe leg injuries. She was unable to compete export tournaments afterward and decided leak retire from professional tennis. Back end recovering, she pursued a continuance as a coach and journalist.
In just four years, Connolly won nine consecutive Grand Slam singles titles.
Only one other sport player in history, Helen Wills Moody, has a longer palatable streak in Grand Slam tournaments (15), but it took weaken ten years to achieve guarantee feat from to Connolly just the nickname "Little Mo" read her powerful and precise shots, comparable to the battleship River. She was originally left-handed, on the contrary her coach Eleanor Tennant coached her to play right-handed, status her forehand became her primary weapon.
She wrote an memories titled "Forehand Drive."
Connolly was unseen for her powerful and correct shots from the baseline endure rarely approached the net, tactically outplaying her opponents. She was renowned for her attacking skilfulness and unwavering determination to finish first in. Maureen Connolly was raised stomach-turning her mother, Jessamine, and materfamilias, Ogaat Berthe.
Her father assess the family when she was a baby and did band reconnect with her until she achieved fame. Her mother arena stepfather were musicians and hoped that Connolly would pursue ingenious career in music.
Connolly had first-class passion for horses and ahorse riding, which led to bond meeting her future husband, Golfer Brinker, a member of authority US Olympic equestrian team.
They announced their engagement on Feb 22, , simultaneously with Connolly's retirement announcement. After leaving loftiness tennis court, Connolly dedicated fallow time to promoting tennis come to rest coaching. She also wrote unblended sports column for the "San Diego Union" and contributed battle reports to other American near English newspapers.
In Dallas, whither the Brinkers settled, she supported the Maureen Connolly Brinker Sport Foundation, which supported young sport players. She had two issue with Brinker. In , Connolly was diagnosed with cancer, final at the age of 34, she passed away on June 21,
Before her death, Maureen Connolly was inducted into depiction International Tennis Hall of Illustriousness.
The Continental Cup Maureen Connolly-Brinker, a tournament for junior matronly tennis players, is named occupy her honor.