The contributions of selected women singles champions to the present day game of tennis for girls and women

69 Pages·02.299 MB·English

by  Swanson, Betty M

THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF SELECTED WOMEN SINGLES CHAMPIONS
TO THE PRESENT DAY GAME OF TENNIS FOR GIRLS AND WOMEN
A The sis
Presented to
the Faculty of the School of Education
The University of Southern California
In Partial Fulfillment
of the' Requirements for the Degree
Master of Science in Education
by
Betty M. Swanson
August, 1950
UMI Number: EP56204
All rights reserved
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This thesis, written under the direction of the
Chairman of the candidate’s Guidance Committee
and approved by all members of the Committee,
has been presented to and accepted by the Faculty
of the School of Education of the University of
Southern California in partial fulfillment of the
requirements for the degree of Master of Science
in Education.
..
Dean
Guidance Committee
Chairman
TABLE OP CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
I. INTRODUCTION ................................ 1
Statement of the problem................. 1
Definition of terms u s e d ................. 2
Related literature ................... . 3
Sources of d a t a ......................... 5
Procedure .............................. 6
Organization of remaining chapters . . . . 7
II. A HISTORY OP THE G A M E ..................... 9
Initiation of the game in this country . . 10
Development of competitive tennis in the
United States 12
Change of costumes....................... lip
Type of r a c k e t s ......................... 17
Type of balls .......... 18
Courts ........................... 20
Change of rules. . ..................... 22
Summary.................................. 2lp
III. ANALYSIS OP THE CONTRIBUTIONS OP WOMEN
NATIONAL SINGLES CHAMPIONS TO THE GAME OP
TENNIS.................................... 26
May Sutton ....................... 27
Historical setting . ................. 27
Identification of the player........... 28
iii
CHAPTER PACE
Style of p lay......................... 29
Personality............................ 30
Contributions....................... * 31
Hazel Hotchkiss . . . . . . 33
Historical setting * 33
Identification of the player * * . . . 33
Style of play ................. 3>k-
Personality . 35
Contributions ......................... 3&
Wightman Cup competition . • ........ 37
Mary K. Browne . . . . . . ' ........ .. . 39
Historical setting . ............... 39
Identification of the p l a y e r ........ 39
Style of play..................... .. • 1{.0
Personality ......................... I|JL
Contributions......................... ij-2
*
Molla Bjurstedt Mallory................. lj-3
Historical setting............ . . . • ij-3
Identification of the player ........ A3
Style of p l a y ......................... I4.il-
Personality ......................... k-%
Contributions......................... U5
Helen Wills.............................. ij-7
Historical setting................... ij-7
iv
CHAPTER PAGE
Identification of the player............ ip7
Style of p l a y ......................... ij.8
Personality............................ Ip9
Contributions......................... 50
Alice Marble............................. 5l
Historical setting ............... . . . $1
Identification of the player............ 5l
Style of play ........................ 52
Personality........................... 53
Contributions............................ 53
Summary.................................. 55
IV. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS..................... 57
S ummary.................................. 57
Conclusions.............................. 58
BIBLIOGRAPHY............................... 59
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
Several factors have been responsible for the con­
tinuous development of lam tennis in the United States.
One of the significant influences has been the valuable
contributions of leading players who have initiated advances
In style of play. Methods which proved successful for them
became the standard of play in the game. The contributions
which these outstanding national singles champions have made
In developing the high degree of skill displayed in the mod­
ern game is a subject of Interest.and perhaps, a profitable
s tudy.
Statement of the problem. The purpose of this study
is (1) to trace the history of tennis in the United States
and to reveal the successive modifications which the game
has undergone since its Introduction into this country,
(2:) to show the contributions which some outstanding women
tennis players have made In terms of evolution of strokes,
style of play, and strategy from 190lj. to the present time. .
Importance of the study. It Is the consensus of
experts that tournament tennis for women has provided the
impetus for changes and Improvements in the game throughout
2
its development. These changes and improvements are evident
in style of play, higher level of skill, and better programs
of instruction for girls and women.
Play has gone forward and methods as well as players
have changed. No doubt tennis has improved because incoming
champions have contributed something constructive as they have
gained skill in the proper mechanics of the various strokes and
mastered the theory of execution.
Balance must be maintained between different styles
of play and different methods of offense and defense if one
is to be successful in the game. At present the standard
of play is the all’-court game combined with controlled
speed. Generally, those players who embrace this form
are able to defeat players who depend upon one stroke or one
style. Certain developments and theories of play which have
marked progress of the game can be isolated and- identified.
In this study an attempt was made to employ techniques which
would trace the history of tennis, and the contributions of
the various women singles champions to these improvements
in the game.
Definition of terms used.
Champion is interpreted as meaning a person winning
first in the Women*s National Singles Championship.
Strategy is the player1s ability to purposefully
plan a method of exploiting an opponent’s game to her advantage.
3
Style of play is interpreted as meaning the individual
form in stroking, footwork, and type of game.
Tennis - Lawn Tennis will be used interchangeably in
this study. Tennis is the common term used and Lawn Tennis
is the proper technical name.
Related Literature. One of the best sources on the
history and development of the game of lawn tennis was
written in 1932 by Malcolm D. I/'/hitman and entitled, Tennis
Origins and Mysteries♦ In the introduction to this book
Mr. Outerbridge, a member of the family that first brought
lawn tennis Into the United States, and one of the founders
of the United States Lawn Tennis Association, stated?
This volume is an outstanding contribution to the
history of lawn tennis. Its facts have been
authenticated, many from original documents found
frequently in remote places, often difficult of
access. They have been obtained only after pains­
taking and exhaustive research generally found in
the work of a professional historian.
Other extremely valuable investigations regarding
the origin and early history of the game were presented by
Malcolm D. Whitman, Tennis Origins and Mysteries
(New York: The Derrydale Press, 1932), pp" & 9
Paret,2 Slocum, ^ Wilberf orce Heathcote,^ Camp,^ an£ tlle
United States Lawn Tennis Association.?
Authentic records regarding' women’s dress previous
o
to and during 1887 were revealed by Sears. In addition,
costumes were discussed in the literature of Paret,9 Jacobs,^
and Cooke.
The styles of play of the champions were described by
o
J. Parmly Paret, Lawn Tennis (New Yorkr The
MacMillan Company, 190I4.), p. lj-19*
^ H. W. Slocum, Jr., Lawn Tennis in Our Own Country
(New Yorkr A. G. Spalding & Bros.^ l'8'90) P« 22lj!
9
^ H. W. W. Wilberforce, Lawn Tennis (London: George
Bell & Sons, 1891), p. 78.
tL
^ C. G. Heathcote, Lawn Tennis (London: Longmons,
Green and Co., I89I4.), p. I4.H8."
6
Walter Camp, 11 Lawn-Tennis, The Queen of Games,11
Century Magazine, 80 ::31l7-52, August, 1910.
7
United States Lawn Tennis Association, Fifty Years
of Lawn Tennis in the United States (New York: United States
Lawn Tennis Association, 1932711 pi 2$6.
® Richard D. Sears, editor, Lawn Tennis (New York:
Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1887)> p. 101.
9 J. Parmly Paret, The Woman’s Book of Sports
(New York: D. Appleton and Company, 1*901), p. Io7.
Helen Hull Jacobs, "The Psychology of Tennis
Clothes,11 The Ladies Home Journal, $1:31 June, 193^1-•
9
Sarah Palfrey Cooke, Winning Tennis and How to Play
It (New York: Doubleday & Company, 19lj-6), p. 173.