married name
When a person (traditionally the wife in many cultures) assumes the family name of their spouse, in some countries that name replaces the person's previous surname, which in the case of the wife is called the maiden name ("birth name" is also used ...
s Billout-Bordes; 17 April 1893 – 23 April 1983) was a French
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.
Biography
Broquedis was born on 17 April 1893 in
Pau, Pyrénées-Atlantiques
Pau (, ) is a Communes of France, commune overlooking the Pyrenees, and prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Pyrénées-Atlantiques, regions of France, region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France.
The city is located in the heart o ...
. She moved with her family to Paris around the turn of the century and started playing tennis on two dusty courts that were part of the
Galerie des machines
The Galerie des machines (officially: Palais des machines) was a pavilion built for the 1889 Exposition Universelle in Paris. Located in the Grenelle district, the huge pavilion was made of iron, steel and glass.
A similarly-named structure was ...
. Later she joined the
Racing Club de France
Racing Club de France, also known as RCF, is a French Sports club, omnisport club that was founded on 20 April 1882 under the name Racing Club.
Racing Club changed its name to Racing Club de France (RCF) on 21 November 1885. The club is located a ...
.
Broquedis competed at the
1912 Olympics
The 1912 Summer Olympics ( sv, Olympiska sommarspelen 1912), officially known as the Games of the V Olympiad ( sv, Den V olympiadens spel) and commonly known as Stockholm 1912, were an international multi-sport event held in Stockholm, Sweden, bet ...
at
Stockholm
Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...
where she won the gold medal in outdoor singles by beating German Dora Köring 4–6, 6–3, 6–4 in the final. In mixed doubles, she won the bronze medal partnering
Albert Canet
Henry Albert Canet (17 April 1878 – 25 July 1930) was a male tennis player from France. He competed in the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden where he won two bronze medals. In the singles division, he succeeded in beating Norwegian Con ...
. In 1913 and 1914, she won the French championships,The French championships were only open to players from French clubs at the time. beating 15-year-old
Suzanne Lenglen
Suzanne Rachel Flore Lenglen (; 24 May 1899 – 4 July 1938) was a French tennis player. She was the inaugural world No. 1 from 1921 to 1926, winning eight Grand Slam titles in singles and twenty-one in total. She was also a four-time World ...
in the 1914 final. Broquedis, nicknamed "the goddess", is also known for being the only player to ever beat Lenglen in a fully played singles final. She also took part in the 1924 Olympics at
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
but couldn't win any medal there.
She won the singles title at the
French Covered Court Championships
The French Covered Court Championships its original name also known as the French Covered Court Open Championships and the French Indoors was a tennis event held from 1895 through 1971 in Paris, France and Lyon, France.
History
The French C ...
on six occasions (1910, 1912–13, 1922, 1925, and 1927).
From 1925 to 1927, Broquedis had another successful time in her tennis career, reaching the singles semifinals at
Wimbledon
Wimbledon most often refers to:
* Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London
* Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships
Wimbledon may also refer to:
Places London
* ...
in 1925, and the quarterfinals twice at the (now fully international)
French championships
The French Open (french: Internationaux de France de tennis), also known as Roland-Garros (), is a major tennis tournament held over two weeks at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France, beginning in late May each year. The tournament and ven ...
in 1925 and 1927. Moreover, she won the mixed doubles title partnering
Jean Borotra
Jean Laurent Robert Borotra (, ; 13 August 1898 – 17 July 1994) was a French tennis champion. He was one of the "The Four Musketeers (tennis), Four Musketeers" from his country who dominated tennis in the late 1920s and early 1930s. Borotra wa ...
at
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
in 1927. She was ranked world No. 9 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 ...