Lottie Dod

Charlotte " Lottie " Dod (* September 24, 1871 in Bebington, England; † June 27, 1960 in Sway, England) was a British athlete, who is mainly known for their success in tennis.

The Guinness Book of Records they called together with the athlete and golfer Babe Zaharias as the most versatile female athlete of all time. Charlotte Dod excelled not only as a tennis player and since her victory in the women's singles in 1887 until now youngest winner of the Wimbledon Championships, but also won the British Ladies Amateur Golf Championship, played in the British Hockey National Team and won in 1908 at the Olympic playing a silver medal in archery.

Life

The Early Years

Charlotte Dod was born in Bebington, Cheshire, the daughter of Joseph and Margaret Dod. Joseph Dod, who was from Liverpool, had become rich through trade in cotton. The property which the father had amassed, big enough to feed his four children for a lifetime. In addition to Charlotte and her brother William Dod was never in paid work.

All four children of the Dod family were successful athletes and good tennis player. Tennis was a sport that Walter Clopton Wingfield of England had developed from the Jeu de Paume and patented as Sphairistike in 1874. The sport became popular in a very short time as a sport for the wealthy strata of the population in the UK. 1880, when Charlotte Dod was nine years old, two tennis courts were near the family seat Edgeworth been built and all the children of the Dods had since played there regularly. Similar to Charlotte Dod however, this was not the only sport in which they were good. William Dod won a gold medal at the Summer Olympics 1908. Annie Dod was a good golfer, ice skater and billiards player. Tony Dod also distinguished himself as a chess player and archer.

The tennis player Charlotte Dod

Tennis success

1883, at the age of eleven, Charlotte Dod denied the first time a tennis tournament. Together with her ​​eight- year-old sister Annie, she participated in the Northern Championships in Manchester. Although the sisters already lost their first match, but then won the consolation round. A journalist held already at this point that you will certainly hear from Charlotte Dod more in the future.

1885 Charlotte Dodd took part in the same tournament and became nationally known because they only just defeated was the Wimbledon champion Maud Watson in the final, which ended with 8-6 and 7-5. The women's doubles won Charlotte Dod together with her sister Annie. In a tournament in Waterloo recently she had already won the women's singles, the women's doubles and mixed doubles. The performances at these two tournaments led to believe the media now sometimes referred to as Little Wonder - Small Wonder - designated.

Charlotte Dod acquired in the two following years the reputation of being one of the best tennis players of Great Britain. Back in 1887 played the then 15-year old together with Ernest Renshaw, who was already several times at Wimbledon in doubles tennis successful in the mixed doubles. 1887 was also the year in which Charlotte Dod took part for the first time at the Wimbledon tennis tournament. For the tournament, only six participants had reported. Charlotte Dod won the early rounds without problems and thereby won the right to challenge the Wimbledon champion of last year, Blanche Bingley.

1888 met the two players each other again in the final of the West of England tournaments. The tournament organizers had indeed decided to charge Charlotte with a handicap of 15 penalty points, yet they won against their rival, who now took after her marriage under the name Blanche Hillyard. In the final of the Wimbledon tennis championships this year, the two met each other again and also triumphed Charlotte Dodd with 6-3 and 6-3.

In 1889, she took part only in the Northern Championship, which she won and renounced to the disappointment of her fans to take part in the Wimbledon tennis tournament. She was at the time with her sister Annie and some friends on a sailing trip on the Scottish coast and did not want to interrupt because of the tennis tournament this trip. 1890, she took part in a tournament at all. In 1891 she won the tournament in Wimbledon, where their final opponent Blanche Hillyard was again.

1892 Dod Charlotte lost her first tennis match since 1886. Louisa Mary Martin struck during the Irish Championships. It was the last defeat of five in her entire tennis career. However, the tournament at Wimbledon, she won again in a final, where they again met with Blanche Hillyard.

Your last season as a tournament player was 1893. Merely She took part in two tournaments that she won both. Both times she defeated Blanche Hillyard in three sets, although a heavy crash in the final of the Wimbledon Championships victory nor endangered. Charlotte Dod had thus won a total of five times in the Wimbledon Championships. This record, however, was set in 1900 by Blanche Hillyard, who won her sixth title in 1900 after six defeats against Charlotte Dod. Suzanne Lenglen turned a 1921 Charlotte Dods record of three consecutive victories at the Wimbledon Championships.

In addition to their participation in tennis tournaments for women played and won Charlotte Dod sometimes against men, but these were usually loaded with a handicap. Among her most spectacular victories in this area belongs to the victory with Herbert Baddeley in doubles tennis Ernest Renshaw and George Hillyard.

Game style

Charlotte Dods play was at that time considered unorthodox, particularly because they vollierte often one of the first on the grid. To this end, she held her tennis racket for that time unusual. The volley was controversial in the early days of tennis and was regarded by ladies long time even as improper. To this end, she said

" In mixed doubles, is my opinion did the pair is much stronger When the lady can go up and volley, taking her fair share of the work [ ... ] Ladies doubles would be far more interesting if fought like the gentlemen's, on the service line [ ... ] Two good volleyers wants to beat two good players back or a volleyer and a back player. "

Like most of her contemporaries she suggested, however, still on from below. She did not believe that the overhead surcharge would prevail with the ladies:

"It is doubtful Whether ladies gain anything by serving overhand. In the Majority of cases They expend a good deal of strength without making the service more difficult than the ordinary underhand; THEREFORE, Unless exceptionally good and Performed without undue exertion, I do think ladies' overhand service is a great waste of strength. "

However Dods greatest strength was her forehand, which has been described both as a very powerful and as well placed.

Winter sports and mountaineering

Although tennis was Charlotte Dods favorite sport, they are increasingly used in the 1890s to other sports. In winter 1895, she accompanied her brother Tony on a trip to the ski resort of St. Moritz, which was very popular at the time among English travelers. There she was the then famous St. Moritz examination in figure skating for women. Charlotte Dod also took part at the Cresta Run, a bobsled race in St. Moritz and began with her brother mountaineering. In February 1896 she mounted two 4000 for the first time.