Alice Marble was a prominent American tennis player who competed during the 1930s and 1940s. She left an indelible mark on the sport’s history. Using exceptional athleticism and fierce determination, her remarkable story of resilience extends far beyond the tennis court. Her rise to the top of the game came during an era when women’s tennis was still in its infancy. Consequently, she was a trailblazer in tennis who challenged societal norms and expectations throughout her storied career.
Queen of the Court: The Many Lives of Tennis Legend Alice Marble is a comprehensive new biography written by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Madeleine Blais. She is currently on the faculty of the Department of Journalism at the University of Massachusetts. Blais is the author of several other books, none of which have anything to do with tennis. I am coming to believe that the tennis outsider perspective is beneficial for crafting the most compelling tennis narratives.
As an example of something that tennis-specific authors rarely explore, Blais credits the growth of he sport to two inventions. The lawn mower was first patented in 1830, which enabled maintenance of the low-cut grass required for lawn tennis. The other was vulcanized rubber, patented in 1844, that led to balls that would actually bounce on the surface. Without these inventions, lawn tennis would likely not have become so widely played.
Marble competed during the pre-open era, when the top players in tennis were bound by strict rules of amateurism that prevented profit from their skills. Additionally, unlike many of the other players of her time, she came from modest means. She did not have a wealthy family to support her play. Consequently, her life is a story of resourcefulness required to make ends meet. She also benefitted from generous patrons who supported her play.
After her competitive career ended, Marble joined American Lawn Tennis and wrote a column titled “As I See It,” which gave her free reign to express her many ideas on the sport. It was through that outlet that Marble penned her famous editorials in support of Althea Gibson’s integration into the sport. She also used that platform to support Bill Tilden after he was arrested for what would now be called pedophilia.
Blais also covers a 1953 article that Marble wrote for the Los Angeles Times. It highlighted the financial disparity between men’s and women’s professional tennis. It also included observations about the challenges women faced to even coach or teach tennis. She highlighted the “what next” issues for women in the sport who did not pursue the traditional course of marriage.
Marble was a great conversationalist, starting many sagas with the phrase “Now that’s a story in itself…” As she faded into relative obscurity, her stories of her past became more and more fantastic. Reliving faded glory evolved to be more glorious over time.
Recent research has called into question some of the mythology that surrounded Marble. Blais’s approach to that problem was to relay the stories as originally told, followed by pointed chapters toward the end of the book that dissected what was possibly true and what was likely false from Marble’s narratives.
Like many other players from modest means at that time, Marble was virtually penniless when she died. Blais describes how she had very little memorabilia to contribute when she was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. She frequently gifted her trophies to the wealthy people who hosted her in their homes. She was always quick to mention that the USLTA per diems and financial support were so sparse, that she could not otherwise afford gifts for her hosts.
Since I was fully aware of some of the factual issues with Marble’s stories before reading this book, I was initially put off by Blais’s treatment of those subjects. However, I eventually came to appreciate the approach of relating the story as told by Marble and only later pointing out some of the issues with veracity. It was great to see Marble as she wanted to be seen before pulling back the veneer on reality.
The best description of this book and the player herself comes from Mary Carillo. “Alice would have loved it, resented it, disputed it, refuted it . . . and that only makes her more fascinating.” Queen of the Court: The Many Lives of Tennis Legend Alice Marble captures the essence of the tennis trailblazer to perfection.
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In the fourth paragraph, next to last sentence, last word, I think you meant “meet” not “meat”. Unless you were making a point about her not having enough money to eat.