Helen Hull Jacobs (August 6, 1908 – June 2, 1997) was an American tennis player who won nine Grand Slam titles. In 1936 she was ranked No. 1 in singles by

A. Wallis Myers Arthur Wallis Myers (24 July 1878 – 17 June 1939) was an English tennis correspondent, editor, author and player. He was one of the leading tennis journalists of the first half of the 20th century. Family life Myers was son of the Rev. John ...

Early life

Jacobs was born in Globe, Arizona, and was Jewish. Her parents, Roland (a mining executive, and then a newspaper advertising executive) and Eula Jacobs, moved the family to San Francisco in 1914. She was the best-known Jewish female player of the

interwar period In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days), the end of the World War I, First World War to the beginning of the World War II, Second World War. The in ...

Tennis career

Jacobs had a powerful serve and overhead smash and a sound backhand, but she never learned to hit a flat forehand, despite her friendship, and some coaching, from Bill Tilden. Like both her Wightman Cup coach Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman and her archrival Helen Wills Moody, she grew up in Berkeley, California, learned the game at the Berkeley Tennis Club, pursued her undergraduate degree at the University of California, Berkeley, and was inducted into the Cal Sports Hall of Fame. Jacobs won five Grand Slam singles titles and was an eleven-time Grand Slam singles runner-up. Six of those losses were to Helen Wills Moody. Jacobs's only victory over Moody was in the final of the 1933 U.S. Championships. Moody retired from the match with a back injury while trailing 3–0 in the third set to a chorus of boos from the audience who believed that Moody quit the match merely to deny Jacobs the satisfaction of finishing out her victory. It was reported by many witnesses after the match that Moody still planned to play her doubles match later that afternoon but was advised against it. Years later, Moody confirmed her injury, saying, "My back is kind of funny. The vertebra between the fourth and fifth disk is thin. When the disk slips around, it's intolerable. It rained the whole week before that final match. I lay in bed, and that was bad because it stiffened worse. I just couldn't play any longer, but I didn't say anything because it would look like an excuse." Jacobs almost defeated Moody again when she had match point at 6–3, 3–6, 5–3 in the

1935 Wimbledon Championships The 1935 Wimbledon Championships took place on the outdoor grass courts at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, London, United Kingdom. The tournament was held from Monday 24 June until Saturday 6 July 1935.> It was the 55th ...

singles final but a mishit on a short lob, which she decided to let bounce, cost her the point and four games later the match. In the 1938 Wimbledon final against Moody, Jacobs turned her ankle at 4–4 in the first set and hobbled around the court for the remainder of the match, with Moody winning the final eight games and the second set lasting a mere eight minutes. When asked after the match why she did not accept Hazel Wightman's on-court advice to quit the match after the injury, Jacobs said that continuing was the sporting thing to do so that Moody could enjoy the full taste of victory, an obvious allusion to Moody's retirement from the 1933 U.S. final. Moody said, "I was very sorry about Helen's ankle. But it couldn't be helped, could it? I thought there was nothing I could do but get it over as quickly as possible." In total, Jacobs lost 14 of the 15 career singles matches she played against Moody. Jacobs won three Grand Slam women's doubles titles and one in mixed doubles. She was the runner-up at six Grand Slam women's doubles tournaments and one Grand Slam mixed doubles tournament. She won the singles and women's doubles titles at the Italian Championships in 1934. Helen Jacobs 1933

According to

and John Olliff of ''The Daily Telegraph'' and the ''Daily Mail'', Jacobs was ranked in the world top 10 from 1928 through 1939 (no rankings issued from 1940 through 1945), reaching a career high of World No. 1 in those rankings in 1936. With the exceptions of 1930 and 1938, Jacobs was included in the year-end top 10 rankings by the United States Tennis Association from 1927 through 1941. She was the top-ranked U.S. player from 1932 through 1935. Jacobs was a member of the U.S. Wightman Cup team from 1927 through 1937 and again in 1939. Her lifetime record was 19–11. In 1933, Jacobs became the first woman to break with tradition by wearing man-tailored shorts at Wimbledon. While she was still playing tennis, Jacobs became a writer. Her first books were ''Modern Tennis'' (1933) and ''Improve Your Tennis'' (1936). She also wrote fictional works, such as ''Storm Against the Wind'' (1944). Her autobiography ''Beyond the Game'' appeared in 1936. In 1949, she published ''Gallery of Champions'', a collection of biographies of female players, which she dedicated to Molla Mallory.

Honors and awards

Jacobs was named

Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year The first Athlete of the Year award in the United States was initiated by the Associated Press (AP) in 1931. At a time when women in sports were not given the same recognition as men, the AP offered a male and a female athlete of the year award ...

in 1933. She was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1962. In 2015, she was inducted into the National Gay and Lesbian Sports Hall of Fame.

World War II and personal life

Jacobs served as a commander in the U.S. Navy intelligence during World War II, one of only five women to achieve that rank in the Navy. Long known to have been

lesbian A lesbian is a Homosexuality, homosexual woman.Zimmerman, p. 453. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate n ...

, she was in a relationship from 1934 to 1943 with Henrietta Bingham, daughter of Louisville publisher and ambassador to England Robert Bingham. Her partner in later life was Virginia Gurnee. Jacobs died of heart failure in East Hampton (town), New York, East Hampton, New York on June 2, 1997, where she had been living.Wilson, Scott. ''Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons'', 3d ed.: 2 (Kindle Location 23378). McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. Kindle Edition.

Grand Slam finals

Singles (5 titles, 11 runners-up)

Women's doubles (3 titles, 6 runner-ups)

Mixed doubles (1 title, 1 runner-up)

Grand Slam singles tournament timeline

R = tournament restricted to French nationals and held under German military administration in occupied France during World War II, German occupation.

Bibliography

* ''Modern Tennis '' (1933) * ''Improve Your Tennis'' (1936) * ''Beyond the game: an autobiography'' (1936) * ''"By your leave, sir" : the story of a WAVE'' (1943) * ''Storm Against the Wind'' (1944) * ''Laurel for Judy'' (1945) * ''Adventure in Blue Jeans'' (1947) * ''Gallery of Champions'' (1949) * ''Center Court'' (1950) * ''Proudly she serves! The realistic story of a tennis champion who becomes a Wave'' (1953) * ''The young sportsman's guide to tennis'' (1961) * ''Beginner's Guide to Winning Tennis'' (1961) * ''Judy, Tennis Ace'' (1961) * ''Better physical fitness for girls'' (1964) * ''Courage to Conquer'' (1967) * ''The Tennis Machine'' (1972) * ''Famous modern American women athletes'' (1975)

References

External links

*
Intercollegiate Tennis Association Hall of Fame – Helen Hull Jacobs
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jacobs, Helen 1908 births 1997 deaths American female tennis players California Golden Bears women's tennis players American LGBT sportspeople Sportspeople from Berkeley, California People from East Hampton (town), New York People from Globe, Arizona International Tennis Hall of Fame inductees Tennis people from Arizona Tennis people from California Jewish American sportspeople Jewish tennis players United States National champions (tennis) Wimbledon champions (pre-Open Era) Lesbian sportswomen LGBT people from Arizona LGBT tennis players Grand Slam (tennis) champions in women's singles Grand Slam (tennis) champions in women's doubles Grand Slam (tennis) champions in mixed doubles Tennis writers 20th-century American women 20th-century American people 20th-century American Jews 20th-century LGBT people World number 1 ranked female tennis players