Mimi Arnold, also known by her married name Mary Arnold-Wheeler, (born February 27, 1939) is an American former

tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...

player who was active in the late 1950s and the 1960s.

Personal life

Arnold was born in Hollywood, California, the daughter of tennis player Ethel Burkhardt Arnold who played for the United States in the

Wightman Cup The Wightman Cup was an annual team tennis competition for women contested from 1923 through 1989 (except during World War II) between teams from the United States and Great Britain. History U.S. player Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman wanted to generate ...

. Her mother taught her tennis at age 9. She attended Sequoia High School in Redwood City.

Career

At age 11 she won the junior U.S. Hardcourt Championships singles title. She became junior singles champion at the 1957 Wimbledon Championships after beating

Rosie Reyes Rosa María "Rosie" Reyes Darmon (''née'' Reyes; born 23 March 1939) is a retired tennis player from Mexico who was active in the 1950s and 1960s. Most of her success came on clay on which she won the women's doubles title at the 1958 French Ch ...

in the final. Between 1957 and 1968 Arnold competed in five

Wimbledon Championships The Wimbledon Championships, commonly known simply as Wimbledon, is the oldest tennis tournament in the world and is widely regarded as the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, All England Club in ...

. Her best singles result was reaching the quarterfinal in

1958 Events January * January 1 – The European Economic Community (EEC) comes into being. * January 3 – The West Indies Federation is formed. * January 4 ** Edmund Hillary's Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition completes the third ...

where she was lost to sixth-seeded

Zsuzsa Körmöczy Zsuzsa Körmöczy (25 August 1924 – 16 September 2006) was a female tennis player from Hungary. She reached a career high of World No. 2 in women's tennis, and won the 1958 French Open at the age of 34. Early life She was born in Pély, Hunga ...

in three sets. In doubles she reached the quarterfinals in 1966, partnering compatriots

Jane Albert Jane Albert Willens (born June 2, 1946) is an American former tennis player. She is the daughter of San Francisco 49ers quarterback Frankie Albert. A right-handed player, Albert was a member of the tennis team at Stanford and was the 1964 AIAW si ...

. At the U.S. National Championships her best singles result was reaching the third round in 1965 where she was beaten by fifth-seeded and eventual finalist

Billie Jean Moffitt Billie Jean King (née Moffitt; born November 22, 1943) is an American former world No. 1 tennis player. King won 39 major titles: 12 in singles, 16 in women's doubles, and 11 in mixed doubles. King was a member of the victorious United States ...

. Like her mother she was selected for the U.S. team in the

, an annual team tennis competition for women contested between the United States and Great Britain. In the 1958 Wightman Cup she played one singles match, against

Ann Haydon Ann Shirley Jones, (née Adrianne Haydon on 17 October 1938, also known as Ann Haydon-Jones) is a British former table tennis and lawn tennis champion. She won eight Grand Slam tennis championships in her career: three in singles, three in wome ...

, which she lost in three sets. Arnold was inducted into the San Mateo County Sports Hall of Fame in 2007.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Arnold, Mimi 1939 births Living people American female tennis players People from Hollywood, Los Angeles Tennis players from California Tennis players at the 1959 Pan American Games Pan American Games competitors for the United States 21st-century American women Grand Slam (tennis) champions in girls' singles Wimbledon junior champions