Most people think of Billie Jean King as the first true pioneer of women’s tennis, but she would be the first to tell you that she was standing on the shoulders of many others who came before her. Today’s topic is one of the original badasses of women’s tennis, Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman. She was arguably the most transformational leader that blazed the trail for women in the sport.
The book for this week is First Lady of Tennis: Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman by Tom Carter. I thought I knew the broad outline of her tennis contributions but was completely blown away by the depth and breadth of her accomplishments. She is one of the most influential forces that led to the ultimate success of women’s tennis.
With the Billie Jean King Cup currently underway, it is the perfect time to reflect on a little history of the team competitions that came before. Most contemporary tennis fans are probably aware that the Billie Jean King Cup was formerly known as the Federation Cup. However, there was another women’s team competition that preceded the Federation Cup that laid the foundation for what was to come.
In 1919, Wightman decided that there should be a women’s international team competition modeled after the men’s Davis Cup. She impulsively bought a silver vase to be used as the trophy and had it engraved with “Challenge Cup – Ladies Team Match.” It gathered dust for four years until the USLTA needed an event to open the new stadium court at Forest Hills. Though she never envisioned associating her name with the event, the USLTA immediately designated the competition as the Wightman Cup.
Until Wightman started playing tennis, there were divergent tactics between the way men and women played the game. She was the first to recognize that women could use strategies previously thought to be for men only. She successfully used a hard-hitting aggressive net rushing style of play to become one of the top players of her era.
Wightman was also one of the first to teach stroke fundamentals which was something she did as a part of her tennis advocacy. She articulated the fundamentals of good technique and was known for preaching the importance of rhythm and balance. She was also a de facto talent scout for the USLTA and was instrumental in coaching and development of some of the best women’s players.
Wightman’s playing accomplishments would take several paragraphs to exhaustively list. Highlights include winning the US Championships (now the US Open) on multiple occasions. She also won gold medals at the 1924 Olympics in women’s doubles and mixed doubles. She was the playing captain of several winning Wightman Cup teams.
Her off-court accolades are equally impressive, particularly when you consider that she never tried to associate her name with any of them. The Wightman cup was named in her honor. Without any financial involvement from her family, a tennis club in Massachusetts was also named after her. Wightman was also honored by being the person to hand out the first equal paycheck at the US Open in 1973. It went to Margaret Court.
The last Wightman Cup was competed in 1989. Jennifer Capriati, Lori McNeil, and Mary Joe Fernandez were some of the notable American players on that team. Unfortunately, the event had become redundant to the Federation Cup. The organizers failed to secure a sponsor for the Wightman Cup in 1990 and it faded into history.
Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman intuitively recognized that playing tennis was empowering to individual identity and self-esteem. She was a lifetime ambassador and promoter of the sport. She is arguably the most important figure in women’s tennis, yet a lot of people have never even heard of her. First Lady of Tennis: Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman is mandatory reading for tennis history buffs.
 | First Lady of Tennis: Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman |
