article by Nicola Pucci
Remembering all that Margaret Smith (first name), married Court in 1967, has won in her career would really make us stay up late. And then we will try to briefly summarize his successes in these few lines, noting the 24 Grand Slam singles matches which make this Australian born in Albury on 16 July 1942 the absolute record holder together with Novak Djokovic (11 Australian Open, 5 Roland-Garros, 3 Wimbledon, 5 US Open), to which add 19 doubles titles and 21 mixed doubles, for an astronomical total of 64 victories in Major tournaments! And if officially she cannot boast even a week at the top of the world rankings, it is only because the WTA rankings were introduced only starting from November 3, 1975 (the first was Chris Evert) and in that year, by now, the Australian’s career was coming to an end. But rest assured, she was for years the strongest player on the planet.
From all this goodness, today, we like to focus the magnifying glass in particular on a season, that of 1970, in which Court achieved an exploit that places her even more among the immense ones of tennis, namely winning the four most important tournaments completing that Grand Slam succeeded only, first, by Maureen Connolly (1953) and then , to Steffi Graf (1988).
We start with the Australian Open, which from January 19th to 27th will stage the 58th edition of a tournament that Court has already won for seven consecutive years, from 1960 to 1966, and again in 1969, beating Billie Jean King in the final, 6-4 6 -1, taking revenge for the defeat of the previous year when Margaret returned to the circuit after 18 months of inactivity which coincided with her first retirement to get married to Mr. Barry Court. And the Australian, number 1 seed in a draw that is as usual very self-sufficient due to the presence of only three players.”foreign” (English Winnie Shaw number 3, Swedish Christina Sandberg number 6 and Indonesian Lita Liem), finds her most reliable rival in her compatriot Kerry Melville, second favorite of the tournament and already a three-time semi-finalist, entering the match in the second round with a double 6-0 against Caroline Langsford, just as easily dispatching Kerry Wilkinson, 6-0 6-1 in the round of 16, and overcoming the just over 18-year-old Evonne in the quarter-finals, 6-3 6-1 Goolagong, one we will hear about, and quite a lot, in the near future. Then when even poor Karen Krantzcke, who died of a heart attack at just 30 years old, succumbed in the semi-final, 6-1 6-3, here the two most awaited protagonists are punctual for the decisive actbut on the grass field of the central White City Stadium in Sydney Court, who in 1969 had beaten Melville in the semi-final with a painful 3-6 6-2 7-5, confirmed her superiority, prevailing 6-3 6-1 and sealing the ninth Australian triumph with an unblemished journey in which they allowed their opponents only 13 plays in 5 matches.
From 25 May to 5 June the players will find hospitality on the clay courts of the Stade Roland-Garrosedition number 69, and here the Court, already winner in 1962 and 1964, defends a third title won twelve months earlier against the British Ann Jones, 6-1 4-6 6-3, heading an entry list that sees King, the English Virginia Wade and the American Julie Heldman as contenders for the throne of France. In fact, the Court, having easily overcome the Dutch Marijke Schaar on her debut, 6-1 6-1, needs three sets to overcome the resistance of the Soviet Olga Morozova in the second round, 3-6 8-6 6 -1, and then won in two sets against her compatriot Lesley Hunt, 6-2 6-1, with the American Rosie Casals, 7-5 6-2, and against Heldeman, 6-0 6-2, guaranteeing , as predicted, a place in the final. Where on the other side of the net is the surprising German Helga Niessen, seeded number 7, who eliminated King in three sets in the quarterfinals and stopped Karen Krantzcke in the semifinalsin turn Wade’s killer, always in the decisive set. Court is in control of the match right from the start, skilled in scoring and volleying, equally effective in hitting from the baseline, and in two sets, 6-2 6-4, she confirms the victory of the previous year, adding the second step towards his personal race towards the Grand Slam.
Before giving details of the Wimbledon tournament, third Major of the season, it is good to remember that only since 1969 has tennis opened its gates to professionalism, starting the Open era, and if Rod Laver among the boys has replicated the poker of Slam tournaments won in the calendar year as he already knew how to do amateur, in 1962, indeed Court, curiously in the same 1962 and 1969, had started by winning in Australia and Paris, instead failing to attack Wimbledon and then closing three/quarters of a Grand Slam with victory at the US Open. For 1970, Margaret has every intention, however, of succeeding in the feat of completing poker.
Despite being a great serve-and-volley player, at theAll England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club Court only won (so to speak) twice, in 1963 against King and in 1965 against the Brazilian Maria Esther Bueno, and the American herself, from 22 June to 4 July for the 84th edition of the Wimbledon is the most formidable opponent, second favorite in a draw that has Wade, Melville, Casals, Heldman, Krantzcke and Niessen as the other top seeds. And once again Court had an easy time in the first three rounds, beating one after the other her compatriot Susan Alexander, 6-0 6-1, the Ecuadorian Maria Eugenia Guzman, another 6-0 6-1, and the Czechoslovakian Vlasta Vopickova, older sister of Jan Kodes (future winner in Paris in 1970 and 1971), defeated with a double 6-3. In the quarterfinals the Australian champion concedes revenge to Niessen, and here, after losing the first set, she again outclasses the German with a score that allows no replies, 6-8 6-0 6-0. And when Casals also surrenders in the semi-final, 6-4 6-1, Court is ready to challenge King, who in turn eliminated the Uruguayan Fiorella Bonicelli, Schaar, Lea Pericoli in the round of 16, 6-1 6-2, Krantzcke, who snatched a set from her in the quarterfinals, and the surprising French Françoise Durr, 6-3 7-5 fought in the semi-final. And in the final Court and King, undoubtedly the two strongest tennis players in the world, give life to an exciting challenge, and in the end Margaret prevails, needing seven match points to close a tight match, as certified by the result, 14 -12 11-9.
With three Major titles already won, all that remains for the Court is to complete the work al West Side Tennis Club of Forest Hills, where from 2 to 13 September the tennis players will be competing in the 90th edition of the US Open. AND Margaret, already winner in 1962, 1965 and 1969 (6-2 6-2 in the final to Nancy Richey), this time fate gives a big hand, thanks to the absence of King herself, undergoing knee surgery, which paves the way for the Australian who finds her most dangerous opponents in Rosie Casals, seeded number 2, and Richey herself, number 3. And the ranking indications are respected, with the Court taking a single bite of Pamela Austin (6-1 6-0), Patricia Hogan (6-1 6-1), Trish Faulkner (6-0 6-2) and Helen Gourlay (6-2 6-2), before meeting Richey (6-1 6-3) in the semi-final and Casals in the decisive match. AND that Rosie is actually a tough rival is certified by the progress of the match, with the Australian taking the first set, 6-2, and the favorite of the home crowd giving back “tit for tat” in the second set, another 6-2, before the unmatched class of the Court prevailed in the final set, 6-1.
Game, set, match. Slam poker has served its purpose, and Margaret Smith, married Court, can now truly legitimize her aspiration to be considered the most successful tennis player ever.