Helen Newington Wills (Helen Wills Moody Roark), 1905-98, American tennis player, b. Centerville, Calif. She studied art at the Univ. of California and later gave exhibitions of her paintings and etchings, but gained international attention through tennis. She won seven U.S. singles crowns (1923-25, 1927-29, 1931), eight Wimbledon singles titles (1927-30, 1932-33, 1935, 1938), and four French singles championships (1928-30, 1932). She was a gold medalist in both singles and doubles at the 1924 Olympics, a member of eight Wightman Cup teams, and the 1935 Associated Press Athlete of the Year. Known for her methodical baseline play and emotional stoicism, she also helped emancipate women's tennis from the era of long skirts, petticoats, and stockings.

WILLS, HELEN NEWINGTON 1905-

Tennis champion

Bright New Star

On 19 August 1923 seventeen-year-old Helen Wills achieved national prominence when she won the women's singles final at the U.S. Championships, defeating the powerful Norwegian-born, seven-time U.S. champion, Molla Bjurdstedt Mallory. In the process Wills captivated the American public with her athleticism, her youth and striking beauty, and her poise both on and off the court. In fact, she exhibited so much public reserve that in 1922 New York Evening Mail columnist Ed Sullivan had dubbed her "Little Miss Poker Face." Wills soon became the dominant American woman tennis player of the 1920s.

Democratic Tennis—a New Wave

Wills launched a new trend in U.S. tennis. Unlike many of the players of her own and earlier generations, she was not from the privileged eastern upper classes with their private-school training. She was, instead, the daughter of a California doctor who had handed her a racquet when she was eight years old and practiced with her on public dirt courts. When her skills outstripped his own, he asked Pop Fuller, a veteran tennis coach, to be her instructor. She soon outplayed female opponents and turned to stronger, older males for competition. She was later to claim that she developed her fast, powerful ground strokes and charging volleys through these early years of play on public courts; she mastered the finer points of defensive play and pinpoint shot-making in actual match play with established women players. Her athletic approach to the game, as well as her hard-muscled, five-foot-seven-inch, 150-pound frame and her adoption of a rather unglamorous trademark—a white visor pulled down to her eyes—-seemed to proclaim her origins in the ambitious, energetic American middle class. Whatever the accuracy of the image she projected, Wills proved enormously attractive to Americans in general, who began to flock not only to her matches but also to the public tennis courts that were being built in large numbers during the 1920s.

To England and France

In 1924 Wills attracted international attention when she played in the Wightman Cup competition and at Wimbledon in Great Britain and then moved on to the Olympics in Paris. Though the American team lost 1-6 to the British women in Wightman Cup play, Wills reached the singles finals at Wimbledon where she took a set from England's Kathleen "Kitty" McKane before losing to McKane 6-4, 4-6, 4-6. Wills and her partner, Hazel Wightman, defeated McKane and Mrs. B. C. Covell in the Wimbledon ladies' doubles, 6-4, 6-4. Later that same summer Wills, as a member of the U.S. Olympic tennis team, won the gold medal for women's singles by defeating France's Didi Vlasto, 6-2, 6-2, and, with Wightman, another gold for ladies' doubles.

Tennis and Other Pursuits

In the fall of 1923 Wills had enrolled at the University of California, Berkeley, where she had received a scholarship to study art. (She insisted throughout her life that painting was her true vocation and tennis a mere pastime,) While at Berkeley she published a book of poetry, The Awakening (1926), and earned both Phi Beta Kappa honors and a letter in tennis, becoming the first woman at the California university to letter in sports. She had repeated as U.S. champion in 1924 and 1925 but did not play at Wimbledon in either 1925 or 1926; illness and injuries troubled her during the 1926 season and prevented her from defending her U.S. Championship title that year.

Lenglen

By early 1926, however, the public was eagerly anticipating a match between the talented young American and the reigning queen of tennis, Suzanne Lenglen, the "French Goddess" who had taken two national titles in her native country and six Wimble-dons. Lenglen—hardliving, temperamental, supremely gifted—seemed the antithesis of the hardworking, un-demonstrative Wills, who traveled with her mother, kept regular hours, and avoided public attention whenever possible. On 16 February 1926, following massive bally- hoo that drew royalty, nobility, and the rich and famous from Europe and America to Cannes where the match was held, Wills and Lenglen met. Their play was excel-lent, but the results were disappointing for the American: her power game was finally dismantled by Lenglen's strategy and finesse, and Wills lost the match 3-6, 6-8. She did not play Lenglen again, since in the summer of 1926 the French star turned professional and was therefore prohibited from playing in the major tournaments. As a consequence of her loss to Lenglen, Wills returned to California from Cannes determined to improve her strategy, her footwork, and the diversity of her game.

Dominance

From 1927 into the mid 1930s when illness and injuries again began to plague her, Wills dominated women's tennis. She won singles titles in the French Championships four times (1928, 1929, 1930, and 1932), in the U.S. Championships seven times (1923, 1924, 1925, 1927, 1928, 1929, and 1931), and at Wimbledon eight times (1927, 1928, 1929, 1930, 1932, 1933, 1935, and 1938). Her record eight titles at Wimbledon stood for fifty-two years until 1990 when Martina Navratilova won her ninth singles title. In 1928 Wills had become the first player of either sex to win the singles titles of the United States, France, and Great Britain within one calendar year, and in 1929 she again claimed all three titles. Astonishingly, between 1927 and 1933 she did not lose a set in singles competition anywhere in the world, and she won 180 matches in succession.

Retirement

Wills briefly retired from tennis in 1936 but then returned to competition until she left the game permanently in 1939. Her 1929 marriage to stockbroker Frederick S. Moody ended in divorce in 1937, and in 1939 she wedded Aidan Roark, a polo player, from whom she was divorced in the early 1970s. A notably private person, Wills has spent most of her retirement years in California where she has written, painted, and played the occasional tennis match with friends.

Sources:

Gianni Clerici, The Ultimate Tennis Book, translated by Richard J. Wiezell (Chicago: Follett, 1975), pp. 189-196;

Parke Cummings, American Tennis: The Story of a Game and Its People (Boston: Little, Brown, 1957), pp. 140-144;

Larry Engleman, The Goddess and the American Girl: The Story of Suzanne Lenglen and Helen Wills (New York: Oxford University Press, 1988).

Helen Wills

Helen Wills (1905-1998) was one of the dominant American and international female tennis players during the late 1920s and most of the 1930s. She won 31 major international tennis championships. In her prime, she won 180 straight matches against the best women in tennis without losing a single set. In 1938, she retired from tennis and became an artist, exhibiting her paintings and drawings throughout the U.S. and Europe.

Born in Centerville, California, on October 6, 1905 to Clarence Wills, a surgeon, and Catherine Wills, a teacher, Helen Newington Wills was raised in an environment of high expectations. She was tutored at home by her mother until she was eight years old. She later graduated from the top ranked Anna Head School in Berkeley, and attended the University of California at Berkeley where she became Phi Beta Kappa because of her academic excellence.

Wills and her mother were always the best of friends. When she was on the tennis circuit, her mother was her chaperone, friend, and support. Just the presence of her mother in the stands provided Wills with the strength she needed. As a child, the future tennis champion was not strong. In fact, her health was somewhat fragile. To counter this, her father attempted to interest her in outdoor activities. First, she started swimming. When her father bought her a horse, she began riding. Helen also accompanied her father when he was shooting duck and quail. When she was eight, her father bought her a tennis racket and played with her every day. According to Helen, she did not fall in love with tennis right away. "I spent most of my time until thirteen outdoors running with dogs, playing cowboys and Indians, riding horses." Her father pushed her towards tennis, most likely because it was the unofficial state sport of California and a state-supported building program of tennis courts allowed people of varying economic backgrounds the opportunity to play. The gentle climate and the public support, both economically and spiritually, produced many national and international champions.

Played in the Park

Tennis started Wills' physical development. She would later claim that tennis was far more strenuous than any sport, other than rowing. During World War I, her father was a U.S. Army physician in Europe. Wills and her mother spent that year in Vermont, during which time she did not play tennis. The following year, the family returned to California and settled in Berkeley, where Wills played tennis with her father and other children at Live Oak Park. There, her game improved substantially. To Wills, tennis was a fun game that mirrored real life. While playing in the park, she was spotted by William "Pop" Fuller of the Berkeley Tennis Club. She was invited to join so that she could get some instruction and play against better players. In 1919, before her 14th birthday, she was a member. Fuller rapidly guided Wills and arranged matches for her. She had a great ability to concentrate and shut out the world. Wills was determined to win, but did not bemoan losing. She started to beat all the club members. She was an excellent observer, developed speed and power, and was able to anticipate her opponents' moves.

Began Competing

Wills began competing in tennis tournaments in 1919. That year, she won the Bay Region tournament and competed in the California State Tennis Championships. In 1920, she met Hazel Wightman, a tennis star, who coached her for several weeks and later played unbeaten doubles with her on the national and international circuits. After winning the California Women's Championship in 1921, Wills went to the East Coast with her mother to play in other tournaments. She won the National Girls Championship, but lost in another tournament. At this time, she was only five feet tall, but a power house. She was impressive, but still had a long way to go. That year was the first time Wills saw world tennis star, Suzanne Lenglen, play.

In 1922, Wills won the California Women's Championship for the second time, and the National Junior Tournament. She also advanced to the final round of the National Women's Singles, where she was defeated by Molla Mallory, the dominant female player in American tennis. Wills then proceeded to win the national doubles title by defeating Mallory and her partner. She came close to defeating Mallory several other times that summer, and began to get a sympathetic audience at matches. By the end of 1922, Wills was ranked third among American women.

In 1923, Wills graduated from the private Anna Head School and enrolled at Berkeley to study art. Between 1922 to 1923, she had gained 5 inches and 25 pounds. At 17, she now stood 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighed 150 pounds. Her strength and speed had improved, and she had the best serve among American female players. In 1923, 17-year-old Wills beat Molla Mallory, who had won seven national championships, in the National Women's Singles by a score of 6-1, 6-2.

In 1924, she represented the U.S. in the English-American Wightman Cup tournament, in the Olympic games, and at Wimbledon. In the latter two contests, she hoped to meet Suzanne Lenglen, who had come to England to see Wills play. Wills, however, played erratically, losing in the first and second rounds of the singles of the Wightman Cup, but took the doubles with her old tutor Hazel Wightman. At Wimbledon, Lenglen withdrew, becoming hysterical and claiming that she had jaundice, and Wills lost in the finals to a British opponent. However, she and Wightman won the doubles. A week later Lenglen also withdrew from the Olympics, which Wills proceeded to win by earning a gold medal.

Returning home, Wills won the national singles, doubles, and mixed doubles titles. In 1925 she did not go to Europe, and Lenglen won the European titles. Surprisingly, in an eastern tournament, Wills was beaten in the finals by Elizabeth Ryan, an expatriate American who was a frequent doubles partner of Lenglen. In the Wightman Cup, which was held in the U.S. that year, she won with some difficulty. In the nationals, she also won the singles with some difficulty, indicating that she was not yet a match for Lenglen.

"The Match of the Century"

In February 1926, Wills finally met Lenglen in Cannes, France, in what has been called "The Match of the Century." Wills, accompanied by her mother, had negotiated her own way over to France, ostensibly to paint and continue her education but, in reality, to challenge the best female tennis player in the world. The newspapers began a maelstrom of publicity. Wills was portrayed as the sweet, virginal 20-year-old versus the lascivious, worldly and jaded 26-year-old Lenglen. Somewhat surprisingly, the French public also took a liking to Wills, even though she was the opponent. Wills played a number of smaller tournaments in southern France to warm up for the battle with Lenglen. After it seemed the two would never meet in singles competition, the two arranged to play at the Carlton Club in Cannes. Lenglen was considered to be the overwhelming favorite. While Wills lost the first set 6-3, she was clearly challenging Lenglen's game. In the second set, Wills started to take control 3-1, but a fault line call against Wills rattled her, and she lost her lead. Wills eventually lost the second set 8-6, but not before a series of exceptionally hard fought games. While Wills had lost the battle, she began to win the war. The world public began to realize that Lenglen was not unbeatable. After Lenglen went professional, the two never played again.

While in France to play Lenglen, Wills met a young businessman and stockbroker named Frederick Moody whom she married in 1929, and divorced in 1937. Two years later she married Irish polo player Aiden Roark. She divorced him in the 1970s.

Aside from Lenglen, there was no one who could stop Wills. From 1927 to 1933, she won every singles match she entered. During this period she played against the best female tennis players, and had a run of 180 matches in which she never lost a set. A back injury in 1935 forced Wills to stop playing for three years. After being told that she was not strong enough, and having everything to lose and nothing to gain, Wills entered her last Wimbledon competition in 1938. Having lost twice in preliminary tournaments elsewhere, she fought her way to the finals at Wimbledon, facing unseeded Helen Jacobs, who had shoulder and leg injuries. According to a tournament official, Wills was having trouble winning matches, "and anyone could see that time was catching up with her." In what appeared to be evenly matched early play, Jacobs tore her Achilles tendon, and thereafter played in great pain, and with a loss of mobility. She remained in the match, but lost almost every point thereafter. After winning her eighth Wimbledon singles championship, Wills retired permanently from tennis.

Besides being shy, there was a cool side to Wills' personality. She had a lingering feud with competitor Helen Jacobs, and she was cold to tennis star Alice Marble. She was, however, very kind and considerate to her friends. Wills' coldness on the courts was attributed to her utter concentration and ability to shut out the world.

A Quiet Retirement

Wills wrote three books, including a tennis instruction book, a mystery novel, Death Serves an Ace, and her autobiography, 15-30: The Story of a Tennis Player, published in 1937.

After her marriage to Roark, Wills moved first to the Los Angeles area and in the 1950s to Carmel Valley in central California. She continued her art work, and occasionally played tennis, but was a private person and generally stayed out of the limelight.

Wills died at the Carmel Convalescent Hospital in Carmel, California on January 1, 1998, at the age of 92. She left her estate to the University of California at Berkeley. In March 1999, a number of her books, including many inscribed to her by the authors, were auctioned. The inscribed copies were mostly from literary figures of the 1920s and 1930s, but also from Presidents Hoover and Nixon.

Wills believed that tennis was a war rather than a social engagement. Time magazine described Wills as an "imperturbable tennis ace. … Her trademark white eyeshade set an enduring fashion trend, but there was nothing frivolous about Little Miss Poker Face, as she was known. She stood her ground like a tank, drilling out bullet serves and powerful baseline drives."

Further Reading

Engelmann, Larry, The Goddess and the American Girl: The Story of Suzanne Lenglen and Helen Wills, Oxford University Press, 1988.

Sports Illustrated, Fall 1991; January 12, 1998.

Time, January 12, 1998. □