1. Mary Hardwick was a British female tennis player who was active during the 1930s and the 1940s.
10 Facts About Mary Hardwick
1. 2.
Mary Hardwick was born in London and attended Putney High School and received education in Paris.
3.
Mary Hardwick decided to become a tennis player after seeing Henri Cochet play at Wimbledon.
4.
In July 1931 Hardwick was the runner-up at the singles event of the Canadian Championships after she had to default in the final against compatriot Evelyn Dearman.
5.
Mary Hardwick won three titles at the Scandinavian Indoor Championships as well as the French indoor title.
6.
In 1936,1937 and 1938 Mary Hardwick was part of the British Wightman Cup team as a singles player.
7.
All three editions were won by the United States and Mary Hardwick was not able to win any of her matches although she took a set against both Helen Jacobs and Alice Marble in the 1937 edition.
8.
Mary Hardwick defeated Kay Stammers in the final to win the singles title at the Surrey Hard Court Championships, played on clay courts, in April 1939 and that year she achieved her highest world ranking of No 8.
9.
In November 1940 Mary Hardwick turned professional, in part to improve her family's financial situation during the war, and she made her debut on 7 January 1941 against Alice Marble in front of a crowd of almost 12,000 at the Madison Square Garden.
10.
Mary Hardwick played an important role in the founding of the Federation Cup when she convinced the International Lawn Tennis Federation in 1962 that such an event would have wide support.