Wills, Helen

▪ 1999

      American tennis player (b. Oct. 6, 1905, Berkeley, Calif.—d. Jan. 1, 1998, Carmel, Calif.), dominated women's tennis in the 1920s and '30s, winning 31 major tournaments. Wills was encouraged to play by her father and at the age of 15 captured the girls national title. In 1923 she won the first of her seven U.S. singles championships (1923-25, 1927-29, 1931). Known for her stoic demeanor, Wills was dubbed "Little Miss Poker Face." Her steely concentration, combined with power, precision, and a strong baseline game, quickly established Wills as the premier player of her time. From 1927 to 1932 she won every set in singles play, including four French Open titles (1927-29, 1930). Her eight Wimbledon championships (1927-30, 1932-33, 1935, 1938) were unsurpassed until Martina Navratilova recorded her ninth title in 1990. In 10 Wightman Cup tournament appearances, Wills won 18 out of 20 matches. She also claimed 12 U.S., Wimbledon, and French doubles championships. At the 1924 Olympic Games in Paris, she captured gold medals in singles and doubles play. Wills, who was also known for her on-court rivalry with U.S. player Helen Hull Jacobs, retired from tennis in 1938. She wrote several books, including her autobiography, Tennis (1928), and coauthored the mystery Death Serves an Ace (1939). An accomplished artist, she also staged exhibits of her work. In 1959 Wills was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

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▪ American tennis player

in full  Helen Newington Wills , also called  Helen Wills Moody  or  Helen Roark 

born Oct. 6, 1905, Centerville, Calif., U.S.

died Jan. 1, 1998, Carmel, Calif.

 outstanding American tennis player who was the top female competitor in the world for eight years (1927–33 and 1935).

 Wills began playing tennis when she was 13 and won her first major title, the U.S. girls' championship, in 1921. She repeated as national girls' champion in 1922 and won her first women's singles title in 1923 at the age of 17. With powerful overheads and serves, combined with extraordinary control, Wills soon dominated women's tennis; from 1926 until 1932 she did not lose a set in singles play. She was a seven-time U.S. champion (1923–25, 1927–29, and 1931) and eight-time Wimbledon winner (1928–30, 1932–33, 1935, and 1938) in singles competition. From 1923 to 1939, she captured 4 French singles titles and 12 U.S., Wimbledon, and French doubles championships. In 10 Wightman Cup appearances she won 18 of 20 singles matches. At the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris, she earned two gold medals. Known as “Little Miss Poker Face” for her stoic demeanour, Wills engaged in a fierce rivalry with the gregarious U.S. player Helen Hull Jacobs (Jacobs, Helen Hull).

      Wills graduated from the University of California in 1927 and in December 1929 married Frederick S. Moody; she competed throughout the next decade as Helen Wills Moody. Divorced in 1937, she married Aidan Roark in October 1939 and continued for a time to compete in senior tournaments as Mrs. Roark. She wrote two books on tennis—Tennis (1928) and Fifteen Thirty (1937)—as well as a mystery, Death Serves an Ace, with R.W. Murphy (1939). A second interest in art led to the mounting of several exhibitions of her drawings and paintings in New York galleries. In 1959 she was named to the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

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