Tennis in the Open Era is a power game, and doubles is a finesse game. Such differing styles are very difficult to adapt to, particularly when played in the same week. One American did even better than that.
In 1949, during the amateur era, Louise Brough played all three finals in the same day; singles, women’s doubles, and mixed doubles. She won the singles and the women’s titles, but faltered in the mixed doubles final she played with Aussie John Bromwich. For the day, she had played 117 games. In the mixed final, she and Bromwich lost to Sheila Summers and Eric Sturgess, 9-7, 9-11, and 7-5, a feat unto itself.
Knowing all this, Ms. Brough was a force to be reckoned with. She is the least known women’s player, with her record of 35 Grand Slam finals between 1941 and 1957. She was soft-spoken and detested publicity; she played because she loved the game. She once told me, “It’s not so much that I liked to win; I hated to lose.”
Learn more about her at Wikipedia. It will blow the mind of any tennis fan.
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@World Court
Re: Louise Brough. Not Grand Slam finals. She won 35 titles.
I watched some of their matches on YouTube. They have so much star power that kept my attention and emotion. At the end, it was not enough to satisfy my desire to watch them again. Regardless of their final win or lose, their on court performance was excellent. British coolness combines with American power, I love it.
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