Daily Almanac for
Dec 5, 2009
Search White Pages
Search: Infoplease Info search tips
Search: Biographies Bio search tips
Encyclopedia

Court, Margaret Smith

Court, Margaret Smith, 1942–, Australian tennis player. Playing tennis from age eight, she rose to prominence in the early 1960s. Ranked first in world standings six times beginning in 1962, she retired in 1966, but returned to the game in 1968, and in 1970 became the second woman (Maureen Connolly was the first) to win the grand slam. In 1973 she lost a nationally televised match to Bobby Riggs, setting the stage for Riggs's match with Billie Jean King, which gave women's tennis greater prominence. She won her fifth U.S. Open championship that year.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

    • Cite
    • Print
    • Bookmark

More on Margaret Smith Court from Infoplease:

See more Encyclopedia articles on: Sports: Biographies