From 1912 to 1934, The Championships played host to one of the greatest Doubles Champions of the early Twentieth Century. Born in California in 1892, Elizabeth Ryan was a force to be reckoned with. Throughout her career she won a total of 30 titles, 19 of which were at Wimbledon in the Ladies’ Doubles and Mixed Doubles events – a feat that would not be broken until the 1970s!

Elizabeth had a long-term winning element in the form of her Doubles partnership with the French legend Suzanne Lenglen. Some of their more notable matches include the last match played at the Worple Road ground (original home of the All England Lawn Tennis Club) in 1921 where they won 6-1 6-2. Since the start of their partnership at the World Hard Court Championships in 1914, the pair won a total of 40 titles – including six at Wimbledon. They were known for never losing a single match. The only time they ever came close to losing was in Monte Carlo in 1923 against two Wimbledon Singles Champions – Kathleen ‘Kitty’ McKane and Dorothea Chambers. They played together for the last time at Wimbledon in 1925 where they retained their Doubles crown 6-2 6-2.

Elizabeth also played in the Singles event, reaching the Wimbledon Final four times in 1914, 1920, 1921 and 1930. However, her Wimbledon Singles success did not reach the height of her Doubles. Her achievements at the French and U.S Championships also matched those at Wimbledon.

Although she did not win a Singles event in any of the Grand Slams, she did win some of the smaller tournaments. One such tournament was the Imperial Russian Championships held in St. Petersburg in 1914. After her win, she was rewarded with a silver coffee pot by Tsar Nicolas II. The pot is currently on display within the Museum.

In addition to her Doubles records, Elizabeth also holds the Wimbledon record for being the oldest Champion in the Ladies’ Doubles event at the age of 42 in 1934, and holds the record for the least games played in a Mixed Doubles Final with a quick 6-0 6-0 win with her partner Randolph Lycett.

Elizabeth has also been credited as one of the first female players to include volleying as a playing technique. The clip below shows her style:

http://www.britishpathe.com/video/womens-tennis-match/query/elizabeth+ryan

Despite being born in the United States, Elizabeth chose to spend most of her time in Britain and was a regular spectator of The Championships. She died at the age of 87 in 1979, the day before Billie Jean King reached 20 Wimbledon Singles titles – breaking Elizabeth’s record.