Elizabeth Ryan

Elizabeth Montague Ryan (February 8 1892 – July 8 1979) was an American tennis player who was born in Anaheim, California but lived most of her life in the United Kingdom. Ryan won 30 Grand Slam titles. Nineteen of those titles were in women's doubles and mixed doubles at Wimbledon, an all-time record for those two events. Twelve of her Wimbledon titles were in women's doubles and seven were in mixed doubles. Ryan also won six women's doubles titles and two mixed doubles titles at the French Championships, as well as one women's doubles title and two mixed doubles titles at the U.S. Championships.

Although she reached the Wimbledon singles finals twice, Ryan never won the title. Eight of her losses at Wimbledon were to players generally considered to be among the best ever. Ryan had to play Dorothea Lambert Chambers in the all-comers final of 1920; Suzanne Lenglen in the 1919 semifinals (losing 6–4, 7–5), 1921 final, 1922 quarterfinals, 1924 quarterfinals (losing 6–2, 6–8, 6–4), and 1925 second round; and Helen Wills Moody in the 1928 semifinals and 1930 final.

In the 1926 singles final at the U.S. Championships, the 34-year-old Ryan led 42-year-old Molla Bjurstedt Mallory 4–6, 6–4, 4–0 and had a match point at 7–6 in the third set before losing the final three games of the match.

Ryan and her longtime partner Lenglen never lost a women's doubles match at Wimbledon, going 31-0. Only Billie Jean King (224 match wins) and Martina Navratilova won more matches at Wimbledon than Ryan (189 match wins).

The longtime tennis writer Ted Tinling has credited Ryan with inventing the volleying style later perfected by players such as Sarah Palfrey Cooke, Alice Marble, Louise Brough Clapp, Margaret Osborne duPont, Doris Hart, Darlene Hard, Margaret Court, Navratilova, and King. "Before World War I, women's tennis consisted primary of slogging duels from the baseline. There were a few volleying pioneers, notably ... [Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman|Hazel [Hotchkiss] Wightman] and [Ethel Thomson Larcombe|Ethel [Thomson] Larcombe] , but volleying as a fundamental, aggressive technique was first injected into the women's game by ... Ryan." [Citation | last = Tinling | first = Ted | author-link = Martin Kramer | contribution = The King-Ryan Connection | editor-last = Barrett | editor-first = John Gilchrist | title = World of Tennis 1980: A BP Yearbook | pages = 56 | publisher = Queen Ann Press | place = London | year = 1980] However, Tinling also said about Ryan, "Elizabeth wasn't fast enough for singles. Too heavy." [cite book |author=Collins, Bud |title=My Life With the Pros |publisher=E.P. Dutton |location=New York |year=1989 |pages=261 |isbn=0-525-24659-2 |oclc= |doi=]

Ryan died at age 87 at Wimbledon, the day before King broke her record number of Wimbledon wins by winning her 20th title. Ryan was not eager to see the record broken, saying about King, "That woman is trying to break my record." [cite book |author=Collins, Bud |title=My Life With the Pros |publisher=E.P. Dutton |location=New York |year=1989 |pages=259 |isbn=0-525-24659-2 |oclc= |doi=] When tennis writer and television commentator Bud Collins tried to arrange for Ryan and King to film an interview together at Wimbledon in 1979, Ryan refused. [cite book |author=Collins, Bud |title=My Life With the Pros |publisher=E.P. Dutton |location=New York |year=1989 |pages=261 |isbn=0-525-24659-2 |oclc= |doi=] King said, "I always liked seeing Miss Ryan at Wimbledon, and I'd try to be friendly, but she didn't seem to want it. For me, it wasn't personal. Sure, I wanted the record, but I wasn't trying to steal a possession of hers." [cite book |author=Collins, Bud |title=My Life With the Pros |publisher=E.P. Dutton |location=New York |year=1989 |pages=259–60 |isbn=0-525-24659-2 |oclc= |doi=] King also said, " [T] here is no doubt in my mind that she just didn't want to be alive to see her record broken. She was [87] , she had held it for a long, long time and she wanted it for herself. But records are there to be broken." [cite book |author=Brace, Reginald; King, Billie Jean |title=Play Better Tennis: With Billie Jean King and Reginald Brace |publisher=Octopus |location= |year=1981 |pages=21 |isbn= 0706412230 |oclc= |doi=]

Grand Slam singles finals

Runner-ups (4)

NH = tournament not held.

A = did not participate in the tournament.

SR = the ratio of the number of Grand Slam singles tournaments won to the number of those tournaments played.

¹Through 1923, the French Championships were open only to French nationals. The World Hard Court Championships (WHCC), actually played on clay in Paris or Brussels, began in 1912 and were open to all nationalities. The results from that tournament are shown here from 1912 through 1914 and from 1920 through 1923. The Olympics replaced the WHCC in 1924, as the Olympics were held in Paris. Beginning in 1925, the French Championships were open to all nationalities, with the results shown here beginning with that year.

Mixed doubles

NH = tournament not held.

A = did not participate in the tournament.

SR = the ratio of the number of Grand Slam singles tournaments won to the number of those tournaments played.

¹Through 1923, the French Championships were open only to French nationals. The World Hard Court Championships (WHCC), actually played on clay in Paris or Brussels, began in 1912 and were open to all nationalities. The results from that tournament are shown here from 1912 through 1914 and from 1920 through 1923. The Olympics replaced the WHCC in 1924, as the Olympics were held in Paris. Beginning in 1925, the French Championships were open to all nationalities, with the results shown here beginning with that year.

External links

* [http://www.tennisfame.com/famer.aspx?pgID=867&hof_id=180 International Tennis Hall of Fame profile]

References