The Tennis Player from Bermuda (40 page)

On Saturday, 7 July 1962, the ladies’ singles final at Wimbledon – in reality – was between Vera Sukova of the former Czechoslovakia and Karen Hantze Susman of the United States. Mrs Susman won 6-4, 6-4.

In 1961, the singles final was between two of the greatest British players, Angela Mortimer and Christine Truman. They played a classic three set match that Miss Mortimer won 4-6, 6-4, 7-5. Miss Mortimer (now Mrs Barrett) gave a thrilling description of this match in her book
My Waiting Game
(Frederick Muller, London 1962).

Anyone interested in the history of tennis should visit the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum at the All England Lawn Tennis Club, where Mrs Barrett’s racket – and her trademark tennis shorts designed by Teddy Tinling – are displayed, along with many other engaging items from the history of Wimbledon.

The tennis columnist and historian Bud Collins called the great and graceful tennis player Maria Bueno of Brazil the “São Paulo Swallow.” She won Wimbledon in 1959, 1960, and 1964. In 1962 she lost in the semifinal to Mrs Sukova 6-4, 6-3.

In 1939, at Kooyong, Emily Hood Westacott defeated Nell Hall Hopman in the Australian championship final 6-1, 6-2. (Both Mrs Westacott and Mrs Hopman were Australian.) At Wimbledon, Alice Marble of the United States defeated Kay Stammers (later Mrs Menzies) of Great Britain 6-2, 6-0. Eleanor (‘Teach’) Tennant was there as Miss Marble’s coach.

In October 1962, the Committee of Management “laid it down quite firmly that players must wear white throughout,” as Lieutenant-Colonel Duncan Macaulay said. He described the Committee as “long-suffering” on the issue of ladies’ undergarments.
Behind the Scenes at Wimbledon
by Duncan Macaulay with Sir John (‘Jackie’) Smyth (St. Martin’s, New York 1965).

Alan Little, the Honorary Librarian of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum, has written fascinating books on the history of Wimbledon that have been invaluable to me. Mr Little’s
Wimbledon 1922-2009: The Changing Face of Church Road
(Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum, London 2009) was especially useful. Also, Mr Little’s
Suzanne Lenglen: Tennis Idol of the Twenties
(Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum, London 1988) is an important and quite enjoyable book on one of the greatest tennis players.

Audrey Snell, the Assistant Librarian of the Kenneth Richie Wimbledon Library (which is part of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum), has been extremely kind in arranging for me to do research in the Library.

I have relied on Christine Truman’s
Tennis Today
(Arthur Barker , London 1961); Maureen Connolly’s
Forehand Drive
(MacGibbon & Kee, London 1957); Teddy Tinling’s
White Ladies
(Stanley Paul, London 1963); Susan Noel’s
Tennis in Our Time
(W.H Allen, London 1954);
We Have Come a Long Way: The Story of Women’s Tennis
by Billie Jean King with Cynthia Starr (McGraw-Hill, New York 1988), and
Court on Court: A Life in Tennis
(Dodd, Mead, New York 1975) by Margaret Smith Court with George McGann.
The Bud Collins History of Tennis
has been indispensable.

Kathryn Drury was my first, and superb, editor. Terri Gaskill – a great tennis player and coach – gave me invaluable suggestions. My close friends Mark Eaton, Beverly Hodgson, and Linell Smith read the manuscript. Their detailed and helpful comments improved my writing so much more than I like to admit. Richard & Christine Jones of The Tennis Gallery Wimbledon, www.thetennisgallery.co.uk, found old tennis books and Wimbledon programs for me and gave me great encouragement.

This novel is fiction, but I have tried to recreate the atmosphere of amateur tennis at Wimbledon in the early 1960s. The many mistakes that I’m confident I’ve made are all my own responsibility.

Fiona Hodgkin

‘Tempest’

Bermuda

March 2012