Maureen Connolly

American tennis player
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Also known as: Little Mo, Maureen Catherine Connolly
Quick Facts
In full:
Maureen Catherine Connolly
Byname:
Little Mo
Born:
September 17, 1934, San Diego, California, U.S.
Died:
June 21, 1969, Dallas, Texas (aged 34)

Maureen Connolly (born September 17, 1934, San Diego, California, U.S.—died June 21, 1969, Dallas, Texas) was an American tennis player who in 1953 became the first woman to win the Grand Slam of tennis: the British (Wimbledon), United States, Australian, and French singles championships.

Connolly began playing tennis at the age of 10. After a few months of training under a professional teacher, she entered her first tournament and in 1947 won the girl’s 15-and-under title in the Southern California Invitational. By the time she was 15 she had won more than 50 championships. In 1949 she became the youngest girl ever to win the national junior championship, and she successfully defended the title the following year.

In 1951, her second year in women’s division play, Connolly won eight major tournaments and helped the U.S. Wightman Cup team to victory. In September of that year she won the women’s singles at the U.S. Open championship at Forest Hills in New York City. Dubbed “Little Mo” by an affectionate press, Connolly was deceptively slight and engaging off court, but in action she displayed awesome power in her drives and a distractingly expressionless face. In 1952 she retained her U.S. title and won the prestigious Wimbledon (All-England) championship. The next year she became the first woman to win a tennis Grand Slam.

Serena Williams poses with the Daphne Akhurst Trophy after winning the Women's Singles final against Venus Williams of the United States on day 13 of the 2017 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 28, 2017 in Melbourne, Australia. (tennis, sports)
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In 1954 she won her third Wimbledon title and second French title. Later that year she suffered a crushed leg in a horseback riding accident and never again entered tournament play. She worked subsequently as a tennis instructor. In 1968 she was elected to the National Lawn Tennis Hall of Fame.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Encyclopaedia Britannica.