Alice Dorothy Head Knode (née Head; July 4, 1925
– October 25, 2015), also known as Dottie Head Knode, was an American tennis player who reached the women's singles final of the
French International Championships in 1955, losing to
Angela Mortimer
Florence Angela Margaret Mortimer Barrett, MBE (née Mortimer; born 21 April 1932) is a British former world No. 1 tennis player. Mortimer won three Grand Slam singles titles: the 1955 French Championships, the 1958 Australian Championships, ...
in three sets, and 1957, losing to
Shirley Bloomer
Shirley Brasher (née Bloomer; born 13 June 1934) is a former tennis player from England who won three Grand Slam titles during her career and who was the top-ranked singles player in her country in 1957.
Early life
She attended Cleethorpes Girl ...
in straight sets. She reached the semifinals of six other
Grand Slam
Grand Slam most often refers to:
* Grand Slam (tennis), one player or pair winning all four major annual tournaments, or the tournaments themselves
Grand Slam or Grand slam may also refer to:
Games and sports
* Grand slam, winning category te ...
singles tournaments from 1952 through 1957.
In 1948, she won the singles title at the
Cincinnati Masters
The Cincinnati Masters or Cincinnati Open (branded as the Western & Southern Open for sponsorship reasons) is an annual outdoor hardcourt tennis event held in Mason, Ohio near Cincinnati. The event started on September 18, 1899, and is the olde ...
(then known as the
Tri-State Championships) after defeating Mercedes Madden Lewis in the final in straight sets. Knode won the singles title at the
German Championships in 1950, 1952, and 1953. She also won the singles title at the
U.S. Women's Clay Court Championships The U.S. Open Clay Courts, known formally as the U.S. Clay Court Championships, was a national tennis championship for women that was sanctioned by the United States Tennis Association. The first edition was held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1912, ...
in 1951, 1955, 1958, and 1960 and the bronze medal at the 1959
Pan American Games
The Pan American Games (also known colloquially as the Pan Am Games) is a continental multi-sport event in the Americas featuring summer sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The competition is held ...
in Chicago. She and partner
Darlene Hard
Darlene Ruth Hard (January 6, 1936 – December 2, 2021) was an American professional tennis player, known for her aggressive volleying ability and strong serves. She captured singles titles at the French Championships in 1960 and the U.S. Champ ...
were the runners-up in women's doubles at the 1956 French International Championships, losing to the team of
Althea Gibson
Althea Neale Gibson (August 25, 1927September 28, 2003) was an American tennis player and professional golfer, and one of the first Black athletes to cross the color line of international tennis. In 1956, she became the first African America ...
and
Angela Buxton 6–8, 8–6, 6–1.
According to Lance Tingay of ''The Daily Telegraph'' and the ''Daily Mail'', Knode was ranked in the world top 10 in 1952, 1953, 1955, 1957, and 1958 (no rankings issued from 1940 through 1945), reaching a career high of World No. 5 in those rankings in 1955 and 1957. Knode was included in the year-end top 10 rankings issued by the
United States Lawn Tennis Association
The United States Tennis Association (USTA) is the national governing body for tennis in the United States. A not-for-profit organization with more than 700,000 members, it invests 100% of its proceeds to promote and develop the growth of tennis, ...
in 1943, 1944, 1946, 1947, 1949, 1951, and 1956 through 1959. She was the third-ranked United States player in 1957 and 1959.
In October 2008, Knode was still active in international and national senior events. She won the 80-and-over Super-Seniors World Individual Championships in
Antalya
Antalya () is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, fifth-most populous city in Turkey as well as the capital of Antalya Province. Located on Anatolia's southwest coast bordered by the Taurus Mountains, Antalya is the largest Turkish cit ...
, Turkey in 2005.
She died in Novato, California, in October 2015 at the age of 90 after suffering from arthritis and Alzheimer's.
Gluten-Free Grateful Thanksgiving
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Grand Slam finals
Singles: (2 runner-ups)
Women's doubles (1 runner-up)
Grand Slam singles tournament timeline
R = tournament restricted to French nationals and held under German occupation
German-occupied Europe refers to the sovereign countries of Europe which were wholly or partly occupied and civil-occupied (including puppet governments) by the military forces and the government of Nazi Germany at various times between 1939 an ...
.
1In 1946 and 1947, the French Championships were held after Wimbledon.
See also
* Performance timelines for all female tennis players who reached at least one Grand Slam final
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Head Knode, Dorothy
1925 births
2015 deaths
American female tennis players
Tennis players at the 1959 Pan American Games
Tennis people from California
Pan American Games medalists in tennis
Pan American Games bronze medalists for the United States
21st-century American women
Medalists at the 1959 Pan American Games