Suzanne Lenglen

Suzanne Rachel Flore Lenglen (24 May 1899 – 4 July, 1938) was a French tennis player who achieved much success in the French and British women's game from 1919 to 1926, winning 25 Grand Slam titles. A flamboyant, trendsetting athlete, she was the first female tennis celebrity and one of the first international female sport stars, named La Divine (the divine one) by the French press.

Failed American debut

Lenglen's only tournament defeat in a singles match during this period occurred in an unscheduled appearance in the 1921 US Open championships. That year, to raise reconstruction funds for the regions of France that had been devastated by the battles of World War I, she went to the United States to play several exhibition matches against the Norwegian-born US Open champion, Molla Bjurstedt-Mallory.

Related Topics:
US Open - United States - Norwegian-born - Molla Bjurstedt-Mallory

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Arriving in New York City, Lenglen learned that, without her permission, it had been announced by the US Open tournament officials that she would be competing. The public pressure was such that she entered the tournament despite being run down and suffering from what later was diagnosed by doctors as whooping cough. To her surprise, there was no seeding for the event and her name had been drawn to play against Bjurstedt-Mallory, the reigning champion.

Related Topics:
New York City - Whooping cough

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In their match, Lenglen lost the first set 6–2 and just as the second set got underway, she began coughing and burst into tears, unable to continue. The crowd jeered her as she walked off the court and the American press severely criticised her. This worsened when, under doctor's orders after it was confirmed that she was afflicted with whooping cough, she cancelled her exhibition match. Unaccustomed to such treatment, a devastated Lenglen went home.

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Once healthy, she set about preparing herself for redemption. In the singles final at Wimbledon the following year, she destroyed Bjurstedt-Mallory in only 26 minutes, winning 6–2, 6–0. The two met again later that year at a tournament in Nice where Bjurstedt-Mallory failed to win even one game.

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