Monday, 02 June 2025

Maureen Connolly

Contest: The US Athletic Hall of Fame - Athletes 2025
Embed from Getty Images
Sport(s): Tennis
Statistics: 9 Singles Grand Slams
1 Australian Open Singles Title (1953)
2 French Open Singles Titles (1953 & 1954)
3 Wimbledon Singles Titles (1952, 1953 & 1954)
3 U.S. Open Singles Titles (1951, 1952 & 1953)
2 Doubles Grand Slams
1 Australian Open Doubles Title (1953)
1 French Open Doubles Title (1954)
1 Mixed Doubles Grand Slam
1 French Open Mixed Doubles Titles (1954)
4 Wightman Cups (1951, 1952, 1953 & 1954)
Member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame
The athletic run of Maureen Connolly was brief, but packed with accomplishments over three years that most tennis players fail to achieve in a lifetime.

Connolly was a teenage prodigy, winning the 1951 U.S. Open at 16. From there, she won her first Wimbledon that year and her second U.S. Open, but it was 1953 that put her in the annals of sports history. This was the year she became the first person in history to win all four Grand Slams in a calendar year, and this was while she was still a teenager!

1954 looked to be another stellar year for Connolly, as she won the 1954 French and Wimbledon tournaments. However, two weeks after England’s most famous tournament, she was thrown from her horse when it was frightened by a truck. She suffered a compound fracture in her tibia, and she never competed again. Tragedy struck again when she passed away at 34 from ovarian cancer.

We are proud to nominate Maureen Connolly for the United States Athletic Hall of Fame.

Back to List