Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman
Encyclopedia
Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman (December 20, 1886 – December 5, 1974) was an American tennis
player.
and married George Wightman of Boston in 1912. She died in Newton, Massachusetts
, four of them in singles (1909–11, 1919). Nine of her titles at the U.S. Championships came in 1909–11, when she swept the singles, women's doubles, and mixed doubles competitions three consecutive years.
Wightman is known as the "Queen Mother of American Tennis" or "Lady Tennis" for her lifelong participation in and promotion of women's tennis and because she was instrumental in organizing the Ladies International Tennis Challenge between British and American women's teams, better known as the Wightman Cup
. The Cup was first held in 1923 and continued through 1989. She played five years on the American team and was the captain of the American team from inception of the competition through 1948. The Cup was composed of five singles and two doubles matches. The cup itself was donated in 1923 by Wightman in honor of her husband. The first contest, at Forest Hills
, New York
on August 11 and 13, 1923, was won by the United States.
Born during the early days of American tennis, Wightman was a frail and awkward child. Her doctor recommended that she take up a sport to strengthen herself. Her brother suggested tennis as it was considered a "genteel" sport. Wightman learned to play at the nearby courts of the University of California, Berkeley
where she graduated in 1911. Her rivalry with fellow Californian, May Sutton
, shaped a new women's game, with Wightman attacking the net to counter Sutton's dominating forehand.
Wightman was the mother of five children and devoted herself to teaching other young people, opening her home near Boston's Longwood Cricket Club
to aspiring champions. In recognition of Wightman's contributions to tennis, the USTA Service Bowl was donated in her honor. In 1973, Queen Elizabeth II named Wightman an honorary Commander of the British Empire.
, where she grew up and graduated from the University of California. She refused to let the ball bounce because the yard was so uneven. She used to play against her four brothers and then the proud and spiky Sutton sisters.
Wightman was a shy, somewhat awed, and fascinated 22-year-old college girl when she arrived at the Philadelphia Cricket Club in 1909 for the U.S. Championships
. She had never before played on grass, but she used her attacking style and rock-ribbed volleying—she was the first woman to rely so heavily on the volley—to win the all-comers final over Louise Hammond 6–8, 6–1, 6–4 and then the title over 39-year-old Maud Barger-Wallach
6–0, 6–1. Wightman also won the women's doubles and mixed doubles titles that year.
Wightman successfully defended all three titles at the U.S. Championships in 1910 and 1911. Wightman easily defeated Hammond in the 1910 singles final. May Sutton
, an old West Coast rival and singles titlist at the U.S. Championships in 1904, pushed Wightman hard in the 1911 singles final before Wightman prevailed 8–10, 6–4, 9–7.
Wightman married Bostonian George Wightman in 1912 and did not defend her U.S. titles. But, responding to a challenge from her father to win after becoming a mother—a U.S. first—she reappeared in 1915, losing the singles final to Molla Bjurstedt Mallory but winning the women's doubles and mixed doubles titles. At age 32, she won her fourth singles title with the loss of only one set, beating Marion Zinderstein 6–1, 6–2 in the final. She also reached the women's doubles final. Thereafter, her long-lived and unapproached success (U.S. adult titles between 1909 and 1943) was confined to doubles.
Wightman envisioned a team tournament for women similar to the Davis Cup
and offered a silver vase as prize. In 1923, the British and Americans had the strongest women players. So, Julian Myrick
of the United States Lawn Tennis Association
decided that a U.S.-Britain competition would be in order for the Wightman Cup
. The event, with Wightman captaining and playing for a winning U.S. side, opened the newly constructed stadium at Forest Hills
, New York
. A treasured series, it lasted through 1989, disbanding when the event was no longer competitive.
Wightman, devoted to the game in all aspects, generously instructed innumerable players at no charge throughout her life. She also teamed with two of her protégées who later joined her in the International Tennis Hall of Fame
to win important titles: Wimbledon
, U.S., and Olympic doubles titles with Helen Wills Moody
in 1924 and U.S. Indoor women's doubles titles with Sarah Palfrey Cooke
from 1928 through 1931. Her second Olympic gold medal in 1924 came in mixed doubles with Dick Williams.
The last of Wightman's record 34 U.S. adult titles was recorded in 1943 as she, 56, and Pauline Betz Addie won the women's doubles title at the U.S. Indoor Championships
over Lillian Lopaus and Judy Atterbury, 7–5, 6–1.
Wightman was included in the year-end top ten rankings issued by the United States Lawn Tennis Association
in 1915, 1918, and 1919 and was the top ranked U.S. player in 1919 (rankings began in 1913).
First Lady of Tennis is a short biography of Wightman. The book traces her career and honors and details her lifelong dedication to teaching the game.
Wightman won one of the few recorded "Golden Matches" in which the winner did not lose a point. She defeated a Miss Huiskamp (first name unknown) in the 1910 Washington State Championships.
*Through 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.
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
player.
Personal life
Wightman was born in Healdsburg, CaliforniaHealdsburg, California
Healdsburg is a city located in Sonoma County, California, in the United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a population of 11,254...
and married George Wightman of Boston in 1912. She died in Newton, Massachusetts
Newton, Massachusetts
Newton is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States bordered to the east by Boston. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of Newton was 85,146, making it the eleventh largest city in the state.-Villages:...
Career highlights
Wightman dominated American women's tennis before World War I and had an unparalleled reputation for sportsmanship. Wightman won a lifetime total of 45 U.S. titles, the last at age 68. She won 16 titles overall at the U.S. ChampionshipsU.S. Open (tennis)
The US Open, formally the United States Open Tennis Championships, is a hardcourt tennis tournament which is the modern iteration of one of the oldest tennis championships in the world, the U.S. National Championship, which for men's singles was first contested in 1881...
, four of them in singles (1909–11, 1919). Nine of her titles at the U.S. Championships came in 1909–11, when she swept the singles, women's doubles, and mixed doubles competitions three consecutive years.
Wightman is known as the "Queen Mother of American Tennis" or "Lady Tennis" for her lifelong participation in and promotion of women's tennis and because she was instrumental in organizing the Ladies International Tennis Challenge between British and American women's teams, better known as the Wightman Cup
Wightman Cup
The Wightman Cup was a team tennis competition for women contested from 1923 through 1989 between teams from the United States and Great Britain. U.S. player Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman wanted to generate international interest in women's tennis the way Davis Cup did for men's...
. The Cup was first held in 1923 and continued through 1989. She played five years on the American team and was the captain of the American team from inception of the competition through 1948. The Cup was composed of five singles and two doubles matches. The cup itself was donated in 1923 by Wightman in honor of her husband. The first contest, at Forest Hills
Forest Hills, Queens
Forest Hills is a neighborhood in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York, United States.-Neighborhood:The neighborhood is home to upper-middle class residents, of whom the wealthier residents often live in the neighborhood's Forest Hills Gardens area...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
on August 11 and 13, 1923, was won by the United States.
Born during the early days of American tennis, Wightman was a frail and awkward child. Her doctor recommended that she take up a sport to strengthen herself. Her brother suggested tennis as it was considered a "genteel" sport. Wightman learned to play at the nearby courts of the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
where she graduated in 1911. Her rivalry with fellow Californian, May Sutton
May Sutton
May Godfrey Sutton was a tennis champion and the first American to win the singles title at Wimbledon.-Biography:...
, shaped a new women's game, with Wightman attacking the net to counter Sutton's dominating forehand.
Wightman was the mother of five children and devoted herself to teaching other young people, opening her home near Boston's Longwood Cricket Club
Longwood Cricket Club
Longwood Cricket Club is a tennis and former cricket club based in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, United States. It is the site of the first Davis Cup competition.-History:...
to aspiring champions. In recognition of Wightman's contributions to tennis, the USTA Service Bowl was donated in her honor. In 1973, Queen Elizabeth II named Wightman an honorary Commander of the British Empire.
- 17 Grand SlamGrand Slam (tennis)The four Major tennis tournaments, also called the Slams, are the most important tennis events of the year in terms of world tour ranking points, tradition, prize-money awarded, strength and size of player field, and public attention. They are the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon, and...
titles (4 singles, 7 women's doubles, 6 mixed doubles) - Won all three titles at the U.S. Championships: 1909–1911
- Won singles title at the U.S. Championships: 1909–1911, 1919
- Runner-up in singles at the U.S. Championships: 1915
- Won women's doubles title at the U.S. Championships: 1909–1911, 1915, 1924, 1928
- Runner-up in women's doubles at the U.S. Championships: 1919, 1923
- Won mixed doubles title at the U.S. Championships: 1909–1911, 1915, 1918, 1920
- Runner-up in mixed doubles at the U.S. Championships: 1926
- Won women's doubles title at WimbledonThe Championships, WimbledonThe Championships, Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon , is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, considered by many to be the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London since 1877. It is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, the other three Majors...
: 1924 - Olympic gold medalist in women's doubles and mixed doubles: 1924
- Won singles title at the U.S. Indoor ChampionshipsUS IndoorsThe US Indoors, known formally as the U.S. Indoor Championships, was a national tennis championship for women that was sanctioned by the United States Tennis Association and held 79 times from 1907 through 2001 at various locations and on various surfaces. The event was affiliated with the WTA...
: 1919, 1927 - Won women's doubles title at the U.S. Indoor Championships: 1919, 1921, 1924, 1927–1931, 1933, 1943
- Runner-up in women's doubles at the U.S. Indoor Championships: 1923, 1926, 1932, 1941, 1946
- Won mixed doubles title at the U.S. Indoor Championships: 1923, 1924, 1926–1928
- Won doubles title at the U.S. Grass Court Championships (for age 40 and over): 1940–1942, 1944, 1946–1950, 1952, 1954
- U.S. Wightman Cup team member: 1923, 1924, 1927, 1929, 1931
- U.S. Wightman Cup team captain: 1923, 1924, 1927, 1929, 1931, 1933, 1935, 1937–1939, 1946–1948
- Winner of USTA Service Bowl, donated in Wightman's honor: 1940, 1946
- Author of Better Tennis
- Coached several women champions, including Sarah Palfrey CookeSarah Palfrey CookeSarah Hammond Palfrey Fabyan Cooke Danzig was a female tennis player from the United States....
, Helen Wills MoodyHelen Wills MoodyHelen Newington Wills Roark , also known as Helen Wills Moody, was an American tennis player. She has been described as "the first American born woman to achieve international celebrity as an athlete."-Biography:...
, and Helen JacobsHelen JacobsHelen Hull Jacobs was a World No. 1 American female tennis player who won ten Grand Slam titles. She was born in Globe, Arizona, United States.- Tennis career :... - Inducted into the International Tennis Hall of FameInternational Tennis Hall of FameThe International Tennis Hall of Fame is located in Newport, Rhode Island, United States. The hall of fame and honors players and contributors to the sport of tennis and includes a museum, grass tennis courts, an indoor tennis facility, and a court tennis facility.-History:The hall of fame and...
in 1957 - Named Honorary Commander of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II in 1973
- Inducted into the International Women's Sports Hall of Fame in 1986
- First honoree in the University of California women's athlete hall of fame
Career in depth
Though short in stature, Wightman anticipated and moved extremely well around a tennis court. She perfected her volleying style early, hitting the ball against the family home in Berkeley, CaliforniaBerkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
, where she grew up and graduated from the University of California. She refused to let the ball bounce because the yard was so uneven. She used to play against her four brothers and then the proud and spiky Sutton sisters.
Wightman was a shy, somewhat awed, and fascinated 22-year-old college girl when she arrived at the Philadelphia Cricket Club in 1909 for the U.S. Championships
U.S. Open (tennis)
The US Open, formally the United States Open Tennis Championships, is a hardcourt tennis tournament which is the modern iteration of one of the oldest tennis championships in the world, the U.S. National Championship, which for men's singles was first contested in 1881...
. She had never before played on grass, but she used her attacking style and rock-ribbed volleying—she was the first woman to rely so heavily on the volley—to win the all-comers final over Louise Hammond 6–8, 6–1, 6–4 and then the title over 39-year-old Maud Barger-Wallach
Maud Barger-Wallach
Maud Barger-Wallach was an American female tennis player of the early 1900s....
6–0, 6–1. Wightman also won the women's doubles and mixed doubles titles that year.
Wightman successfully defended all three titles at the U.S. Championships in 1910 and 1911. Wightman easily defeated Hammond in the 1910 singles final. May Sutton
May Sutton
May Godfrey Sutton was a tennis champion and the first American to win the singles title at Wimbledon.-Biography:...
, an old West Coast rival and singles titlist at the U.S. Championships in 1904, pushed Wightman hard in the 1911 singles final before Wightman prevailed 8–10, 6–4, 9–7.
Wightman married Bostonian George Wightman in 1912 and did not defend her U.S. titles. But, responding to a challenge from her father to win after becoming a mother—a U.S. first—she reappeared in 1915, losing the singles final to Molla Bjurstedt Mallory but winning the women's doubles and mixed doubles titles. At age 32, she won her fourth singles title with the loss of only one set, beating Marion Zinderstein 6–1, 6–2 in the final. She also reached the women's doubles final. Thereafter, her long-lived and unapproached success (U.S. adult titles between 1909 and 1943) was confined to doubles.
Wightman envisioned a team tournament for women similar to the Davis Cup
Davis Cup
The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. It is run by the International Tennis Federation and is contested between teams of players from competing countries in a knock-out format. The competition began in 1900 as a challenge between Britain and the United States. By...
and offered a silver vase as prize. In 1923, the British and Americans had the strongest women players. So, Julian Myrick
Julian Myrick
Julian Southall Myrick was an insurance salesman and promoter of tennis from the United States.Myrick was born in Murfreesboro, North Carolina on March 1, 1880. In 1898, Myrick entered the insurance business as an application clerk at the Mutual Insurance Company. In 1906, Myrick partnered with his...
of the United States Lawn Tennis Association
United States Tennis Association
The United States Tennis Association is the national governing body for the sport of tennis in the United States. A not-for-profit organization with more than 700,000 members, it invests 100% of its proceeds to promote and develop the growth of tennis, from the grass-roots to the professional levels...
decided that a U.S.-Britain competition would be in order for the Wightman Cup
Wightman Cup
The Wightman Cup was a team tennis competition for women contested from 1923 through 1989 between teams from the United States and Great Britain. U.S. player Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman wanted to generate international interest in women's tennis the way Davis Cup did for men's...
. The event, with Wightman captaining and playing for a winning U.S. side, opened the newly constructed stadium at Forest Hills
Forest Hills, Queens
Forest Hills is a neighborhood in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York, United States.-Neighborhood:The neighborhood is home to upper-middle class residents, of whom the wealthier residents often live in the neighborhood's Forest Hills Gardens area...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. A treasured series, it lasted through 1989, disbanding when the event was no longer competitive.
Wightman, devoted to the game in all aspects, generously instructed innumerable players at no charge throughout her life. She also teamed with two of her protégées who later joined her in the International Tennis Hall of Fame
International Tennis Hall of Fame
The International Tennis Hall of Fame is located in Newport, Rhode Island, United States. The hall of fame and honors players and contributors to the sport of tennis and includes a museum, grass tennis courts, an indoor tennis facility, and a court tennis facility.-History:The hall of fame and...
to win important titles: Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon , is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, considered by many to be the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London since 1877. It is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, the other three Majors...
, U.S., and Olympic doubles titles with Helen Wills Moody
Helen Wills Moody
Helen Newington Wills Roark , also known as Helen Wills Moody, was an American tennis player. She has been described as "the first American born woman to achieve international celebrity as an athlete."-Biography:...
in 1924 and U.S. Indoor women's doubles titles with Sarah Palfrey Cooke
Sarah Palfrey Cooke
Sarah Hammond Palfrey Fabyan Cooke Danzig was a female tennis player from the United States....
from 1928 through 1931. Her second Olympic gold medal in 1924 came in mixed doubles with Dick Williams.
The last of Wightman's record 34 U.S. adult titles was recorded in 1943 as she, 56, and Pauline Betz Addie won the women's doubles title at the U.S. Indoor Championships
US Indoors
The US Indoors, known formally as the U.S. Indoor Championships, was a national tennis championship for women that was sanctioned by the United States Tennis Association and held 79 times from 1907 through 2001 at various locations and on various surfaces. The event was affiliated with the WTA...
over Lillian Lopaus and Judy Atterbury, 7–5, 6–1.
Wightman was included in the year-end top ten rankings issued by the United States Lawn Tennis Association
United States Tennis Association
The United States Tennis Association is the national governing body for the sport of tennis in the United States. A not-for-profit organization with more than 700,000 members, it invests 100% of its proceeds to promote and develop the growth of tennis, from the grass-roots to the professional levels...
in 1915, 1918, and 1919 and was the top ranked U.S. player in 1919 (rankings began in 1913).
First Lady of Tennis is a short biography of Wightman. The book traces her career and honors and details her lifelong dedication to teaching the game.
Wightman won one of the few recorded "Golden Matches" in which the winner did not lose a point. She defeated a Miss Huiskamp (first name unknown) in the 1910 Washington State Championships.
Grand Slam singles tournament timeline
| Tournament | 1909 | 1910 | 1911 | 1912 – 1914 | 1915 | 1916 – 1918 | 1919 | 1920 | 1921 | 1922 | 1923 | 1924 | 1925 | 1926 | 1927 | 1928 | Career SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Championships | NH | NH | NH | NH | NH | NH | NH | NH | NH | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | 0 / 0 |
| French Championships French Open (tennis) The French Open |Roland Garros]]) is a major tennis tournament held over two weeks between late May and early June in Paris, France, at the Stade Roland Garros. It is the premier clay court tennis tournament in the world and the second of the four annual Grand Slam tournaments – the other three are... * |
R | R | R | A | NH | NH | NH | A | A | A | A | NH | A | A | A | A | 0 / 0 |
| Wimbledon The Championships, Wimbledon The Championships, Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon , is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, considered by many to be the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London since 1877. It is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, the other three Majors... |
A | A | A | A | NH | NH | A | A | A | A | A | 3R | A | A | A | A | 0 / 1 |
| U.S. Championships | W | W | W | A | F | A | W | A | A | A | A | A | A | 3R | 1R | QF | 4 / 8 |
| SR | 1 / 1 | 1 / 1 | 1 / 1 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 1 | 0 / 0 | 1 / 1 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 1 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 1 | 0 / 1 | 0 / 1 | 4 / 9 |
- NH = tournament not held.
- R = tournament restricted to French nationals.
- 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.
*Through 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.