Maureen Connolly is the only player in history to win a title without losing a set at all four major championships.
21 Facts About Maureen Connolly
2.
Maureen Connolly died of ovarian cancer at the age of 34.
3.
Maureen Connolly's parents divorced when she was three years old and she was raised by her mother and an aunt.
4.
Maureen Connolly loved horseback riding as a child, but her mother was unable to pay the cost of riding lessons.
5.
When she was 11, Maureen Connolly was dubbed "Little Mo" by San Diego sportswriter Nelson Fisher, who compared the power of her forehand and backhand to the firepower of the USS Missouri, known colloquially as "Big Mo".
6.
At the 1951 US Championships, the 16-year-old Maureen Connolly defeated Shirley Fry to become, at that time, the youngest ever to win America's most prestigious tennis tournament.
7.
Maureen Connolly won her first Wimbledon title in 1952, defeating Louise Brough in the final.
8.
Maureen Connolly had arrived at the tournament with a shoulder injury but refused to withdraw when Tennant instructed her to do so.
9.
Maureen Connolly was seeded first at the 1952 US Championships and successfully defended her title with a victory in the final against Doris Hart.
10.
Maureen Connolly won the last nine Grand Slam singles tournaments she played, including 50 consecutive singles matches.
11.
Maureen Connolly's achievements made her the darling of the media and one of the most popular personalities in the US; she was named Female Athlete of the Year by the Associated Press for three straight years, from 1951 through 1953.
12.
In 1954, Maureen Connolly did not defend her title at the Australian Championships, but successfully defended her French and Wimbledon championships.
13.
Maureen Connolly was thrown and suffered a compound fracture to her right fibula, which ultimately ended her tennis career at age 19.
14.
Maureen Connolly had intended to turn professional after the 1954 US National Championships.
15.
Maureen Connolly officially retired from tennis in February 1955 when she announced her impending marriage to Norman Brinker.
16.
Maureen Connolly retained Melvin Belli as counsel and sued the concrete mixer company.
17.
In June 1955, Maureen Connolly married Norman Brinker, a member of the 1952 Olympic equestrian team for the United States, who shared her love of horses.
18.
Maureen Connolly was included in the year-end top-10 rankings issued by the United States Lawn Tennis Association from 1950 through 1953.
19.
Maureen Connolly was the top-ranked US player from 1951 through 1953.
20.
Maureen Connolly was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1969 and the International Women's Sports Hall of Fame in 1987.
21.
Maureen Connolly was portrayed by Glynnis O'Connor in Little Mo, a television movie that initially aired on September 5,1978.