The Goddess of Tennis

Long before Serena, Ash and Naomi, women’s tennis was dominated by one name. Known as “la Divine” - The Goddess - Suzanne Lenglen was a trailblazer in every sense of the word. Not only was she an unstoppable force on the court, but she was also a pioneer of fame, fashion and celebrity in women's sport. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Long before Serena Ash and Naomi, women's tennis was dominated
by one name. She's been called the world's first female
sporting celebrity, and in her native France, was known as
La Devine the Goddess. Her name was Suzanne Longlan. Any
mention of fashion trends in tennis, a topic that gets

(00:24):
talked about a lot, inevitably mentioned Suzanne. She was labeled
indecent and shameless for choosing to swap her corsets and
bloomer for a one piece cotton dress with a hemline
sitting just above the calf. But although her ability to
challenge the sexist norms of tennis outfits was impressive, Suzanne
deserves recognition for much more than that. Hey, I'm Tony Armstrong.

(00:54):
Welcome to the pool room. This is where we celebrate
the winners, losers and the weird stuff between. Like many

(01:20):
tennis stars, Suzanne Longland's introduction to the sport was largely
driven by her father, Charles Longland. After watching a few
tournaments on the Riviera circuit, he bought his daughter a
toy tennis racket so they could play together on the
lawn of their family home. Suzanne was just eleven years old,
but as the sort of kid who was good at
almost any sport she tried, it was no surprise that

(01:42):
she turned out to be a natural at tennis. That
toy racket didn't last long. Charles soon had a proper
racket made for Suzanne and began training her. Mere months
after first picking up the sport, she made the finals
of a competitive local junior tournament, finishing runner up. It
was clear that Juzsanne was something of a prodigy, and
her training schedule intensified. Her father, Charles took on the

(02:13):
role of coach, and he was as strict as they come.
He pushed her so much that Suzanne would often be
left in tears by the end of a training session.
In the early days of tennis, women often played a
much gentler game, but Charles wasn't having it.

Speaker 2 (02:27):
He trained her to play with aggression.

Speaker 1 (02:30):
The only time Suzanne got a break was when she
suffered bad bouts of asthma, which became a recurring problem
throughout her tennis career.

Speaker 2 (02:37):
It was so bad that she'd have periods of illness
where she couldn't take to the court at all.

Speaker 1 (02:45):
By fifteen years old, Suzanne had won the nineteen to
fourteen World Hard Court.

Speaker 2 (02:50):
Championships in Paris.

Speaker 1 (02:51):
This was a big deal and she seemed destined for
success just four years after picking up a tennis record,
but then the First World War broke out and sports
were put on hold along with Suzanne's career. She continued
to train, though, and in nineteen nineteen tennis resumed once again.

Speaker 2 (03:14):
For some players, a five year break.

Speaker 1 (03:15):
From competitive matches could have spelled the end of their ambitions,
but not Suzanne. She stormed out of the blocks, winning
her first major title at Wimbledon as a twenty year old.
It was an epic match, as Suzanne defeated the seven
time defending champion Dorothea Lambert Chambers in forty four games.

(03:42):
In the post war period, when people looked to sport
for symbols of hope and inspiration, Suzanne Longland was that figure,
and her rise to national and global prominence was swift.
Much of that had to do with her incredible form.
She was practically unstoppable. Following her first Wimbledon crown, Suzanne
lost just one singles match and only dropped three sets

(04:02):
total for.

Speaker 2 (04:03):
The remainder of her career.

Speaker 1 (04:06):
The key to her dominant stem from her strict training
regime and the playing.

Speaker 2 (04:09):
Style her father had drilled into her from a young age.

Speaker 1 (04:13):
You see, most women of the era served underhand, but
Suzanne played like the men, with an overhand serve, the
normal we see across the game today. It gave her
a huge advantage.

Speaker 2 (04:25):
She was also becoming a style like on on and
off the court.

Speaker 1 (04:28):
She was known to turn up for matches looking like
a nineteen twenties movie star, wearing fur coats and makeup
and sipping cognac during changeovers, and she pioneered a whole
new look for women.

Speaker 2 (04:38):
Tennis players, sporting fancy headscarves and.

Speaker 1 (04:41):
Stockings, but most controversially, for the time she exposed her
calves and forearms. On occasion, Suzanne's asman would return and
force her to forfeit a match. Given her growing reputation
as both a star athlete and a rebellious person, the
crowds in the press didn't take too kindly to these

(05:02):
moments of illness. She was even accused of faking it,
sometimes being spotted drinking and dancing later that evening. I
guess it was the Roaring twenties and all, but she
also had plenty of fans, sometimes matches even had to
be moved to accommodate the huge crowds that were desperate
to watch Suzanne play. Naturally, being the best means you

(05:26):
always have a target on your back, and a promising
young American named Helen Wills, who was considered the.

Speaker 2 (05:31):
New rising star of tennis, was set to take her on.

Speaker 1 (05:35):
Suzanne and Wills faced off in nineteen twenty six in
what was billed the.

Speaker 2 (05:39):
Match of the century.

Speaker 1 (05:41):
The two players couldn't have been more different, six years apart,
and complete opposites.

Speaker 2 (05:45):
In playing style and demeanor, but.

Speaker 1 (05:47):
Suzanne went on to win the close encounter in what
would be their only meeting. The profile and success of
Suzanne Longlan helped to usher in a new era of tennis.
She played most of her twelve year career as an amateur,
which was the norm in those days, but she was
also the first woman to turn professional. However, she never

(06:08):
profited much from her incredible talent. She won eighty one
career titles, including eight majors. Her overall record stands at
three hundred and forty one wins and only seven losses.
Suzanne died on the fourth of July nineteen thirty eight
at the age of thirty nine. She lived life her way,

(06:32):
and she left a legacy for sport and fashion worlds
that continue to collide even today. You've been listening to
an iHeart production The Ballroom with Me Tony Armstrong.

Speaker 2 (06:56):
Catch you next time.