Suzanne Lenglen

French tennis player, considered by many to be the greatest woman tennis player of all time. She won the Wimbledon singles six times, 1919-1923 inclusive and 1925.

Lenglen was trained by her father, and in 1914, she won the world hard-court tennis title. As an amateur, she dominated women’s lawn tennis from 1919 to 1926. She earned gold medals in both singles and mixed doubles at the 1920 Olympic Games in Antwerp, Belgium. She lost the only match of her amateur lawn tennis career during the 1921 U.S. Open, and in 1926, she became one of the first tennis players to turn professional. She later opened a tennis school. Even during an era known for colorful sports figures, Lenglen stood out from the crowd. She was noted for her unusual temperament as well as her daring court apparel, which exposed her forearms and calves.

In 1924, she interrupted her career due to illness. She died of pernicious anemia in Paris on 4 July 1938.