Suzanne Lenglen's 117th birthday has been celebrated with a Google Doodle, but who was the woman who revolutionised women's tennis?
She started playing tennis to combat illness
Charles Lenglen had his daughter learn to play tennis at the age of 10 in the hope it would build her strength, as she had experienced a number of health problems throughout her childhood.
Four years later she made it to the final of the 1914 French Championships, and at the age of 15 she won the World Hard Court Championships, making her the youngest winner of any major tennis championship – a title which she still holds.
She won 31 championship titles
Her career spanned from 1914 to 1926, though the First World War stopped all competitions for five years until 1919, after which she won the French Championship singles six times, the doubles five times, and three more World Hard Court championships.
Ms Lenglen won a total of 31 championships in her career, 241 titles and had an 181-match winning streak at one point.
She was the first female tennis celebrity
Unsurprisingly Ms Lenglen became one of the first international sports stars and the first female tennis celebrity. She was dubbed La Divine (the Goddess) by the French press, and is said to have revolutionised women’s tennis. Known for her bob haircut and wearing a bandana during matches, Ms Lenglen “broke down barriers through her passionate play, non-traditional wardrobe and outspoken stance against the sport’s formalities,” Google writes on her dedicated page.
She starred in one of the first instructional films about tennis
The film “How I play tennis” was shown in 1922 and features Ms Lenglen demonstrating her technique, playing at Wimbledon and during the World’s Women’s Singles Championship against Joan Fry.
