Elizabeth Ryan

Elizabeth Ryan

Ryan in 1913
Full name	Elizabeth Montague Ryan
Country (sports)	United States
Born	(1892-02-05)February 5, 1892 Anaheim, California, U.S.
Died	July 6, 1979(1979-07-06) (aged 87) Wimbledon, England
Turned pro	1905 (amateur tour)
Retired	1934
Plays	Right handed
Int. Tennis HoF	1972 (member page)
Singles
Career record	1064-94 (91.9%)
Career titles	244
Highest ranking	No. 3 (1927)
Grand Slam singles results
French Open	QF (1926, 1930, 1931)
Wimbledon	F (1921, 1930)
US Open	F (1926)
Other tournaments
WHCC	F (1922)
Doubles
Grand Slam doubles results
French Open	W (1930, 1932, 1933, 1934)
Wimbledon	W (1914, 1919, 1920, 1921, 1922, 1923, 1925, 1926, 1927, 1930, 1933, 1934)
US Open	W (1926)
Grand Slam mixed doubles results
French Open	F (1934)
Wimbledon	W (1919, 1921, 1923, 1927, 1928, 1930, 1932)
US Open	W (1926, 1933)

Elizabeth Montague "Bunny" Ryan^[1] (February 5, 1892 – July 6, 1979) was an American tennis player who was born in Anaheim, California, but lived most of her adult life in the United Kingdom. Ryan won 26 Grand Slam titles, 19 in women's doubles and mixed doubles at Wimbledon, an all-time record for those two events. Twelve of her Wimbledon titles were in women's doubles and seven were in mixed doubles. Ryan also won four women's doubles titles at the French Championships, as well as one women's doubles title and two mixed-doubles titles at the U.S. Championships. During a 19-year run Ryan amassed a total of 659 titles in singles, doubles and mixed doubles.^[2]

Although she reached the Wimbledon singles finals twice, Ryan never won the title. Eight of her losses at Wimbledon were to players generally considered to be among the best ever. Ryan had to play Dorothea Lambert Chambers in the all-comers final of 1920; Suzanne Lenglen in the 1919 semifinals (losing 6–4, 7–5), 1921 final, 1922 quarterfinals, 1924 quarterfinals (losing 6–2, 6–8, 6–4), and 1925 second round; and Helen Wills Moody in the 1928 semifinals and 1930 final.

In the 1926 singles final at the U.S. Championships, the 34-year-old Ryan led 42-year-old Molla Bjurstedt Mallory 4–6, 6–4, 4–0 and had a match point at 7–6 in the third set before losing the final three games of the match.^[3]

Ryan and her longtime partner Lenglen never lost a women's doubles match at Wimbledon, going 31–0.^[3] Only Billie Jean King (224 match wins) and Martina Navratilova won more matches at Wimbledon than Ryan (190 match wins): 47–15 in singles, 73–4 in women's doubles, and 70–9 in mixed doubles.^[3]

The longtime tennis writer Ted Tinling has credited Ryan with inventing the volleying style later perfected by players such as Sarah Palfrey Cooke, Alice Marble, Louise Brough Clapp, Margaret Osborne duPont, Doris Hart, Darlene Hard, Margaret Court, Navratilova, and King. "Before World War I, women's tennis consisted primary of slogging duels from the baseline. There were a few volleying pioneers, notably ... Hazel [Hotchkiss] Wightman and Ethel [Thomson] Larcombe, but volleying as a fundamental, aggressive technique was first injected into the women's game by ... Ryan."^[4] Tinling, however, also said about Ryan, "Elizabeth wasn't fast enough for singles. Too heavy."^[5]

According to A. Wallis Myers of The Daily Telegraph and the Daily Mail, Ryan was ranked in the world top 10 from 1921 (when the rankings began) through 1928 and again in 1930, reaching a career high of world No. 3 in those rankings in 1927.^[6] Ryan was ranked second behind Mallory in the year-end rankings issued by the United States Lawn Tennis Association for 1925 and 1926.^[7]

Ryan died on July 6, 1979, at age 87 on the grounds of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club at Wimbledon, following the ladies singles final and the day before Billie Jean King broke her record number of Wimbledon wins by winning her 20th title.^[8][9][10] When tennis writer and television commentator Bud Collins tried to arrange for Ryan and King to film an interview together at Wimbledon in 1979, Ryan refused.^[5] King said "I always liked seeing Miss Ryan at Wimbledon, and I'd try to be friendly, but she didn't seem to want it. For me, it wasn't personal. Sure, I wanted the record, but I wasn't trying to steal a possession of hers."^[11] King also said "[T]here is no doubt in my mind that she just didn't want to be alive to see her record broken. She was [87], she had held it for a long, long time and she wanted it for herself. But records are there to be broken."^[12] Two years before her death, Ryan had told Ted Tinling, the tennis fashion designer, "I hope I don't live to see my record broken, but if someone is to break it, I hope it is Billie Jean. She has so much courage on the court." According to reports, Ryan became ill while watching the men's doubles final and excused herself, heading for the women's rest room. She collapsed there and was rushed to the hospital, where she died at 5:20 p.m. London time.^[13]

Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Opponent	Score
Loss	1921	Wimbledon	Grass	Suzanne Lenglen	2–6, 0–6
Loss	1926	U.S. Championships	Grass	Molla Mallory	6–4, 4–6, 7–9
Loss	1930	Wimbledon	Grass	Helen Wills	2–6, 2–6

Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Win	1914	Wimbledon	Grass	Agnes Morton	Edith Hannam Ethel Thomson Larcombe	6–1, 6–3
Win	1919	Wimbledon	Grass	Suzanne Lenglen	Dorothea Lambert Chambers Ethel Thomson Larcombe	4–6, 7–5, 6–3
Win	1920	Wimbledon	Grass	Suzanne Lenglen	Dorothea Lambert Chambers Ethel Thomson Larcombe	6–4, 6–0
Win	1921	Wimbledon	Grass	Suzanne Lenglen	Geraldine Beamish Irene Bowder Peacock	6–1, 6–2
Win	1922	Wimbledon	Grass	Suzanne Lenglen	Kathleen McKane Godfree Margaret McKane Stocks	6–0, 6–4
Win	1923	Wimbledon	Grass	Suzanne Lenglen	Joan Austin Evelyn Colyer	6–3, 6–1
Win	1925	Wimbledon	Grass	Suzanne Lenglen	Kathleen Lidderdale Mary McIlquham	6–2, 6–2
Loss	1925	U.S. Championships	Grass	May Sutton	Mary Browne Helen Wills	4–6, 3–6
Win	1926	Wimbledon	Grass	Mary Browne	Evelyn Colyer Kathleen McKane Godfree	6–1, 6–1
Win	1926	U.S. Championships	Grass	Eleanor Goss	Mary Browne Charlotte Hosmer Chapin	3–6, 6–4, 12–10
Win	1927	Wimbledon	Grass	Helen Wills	Bobbie Heine Irene Bowder Peacock	6–3, 6–2
Win	1930	French Championships	Clay	Helen Wills	Simone Barbier Simonne Mathieu	6–3, 6–1
Win	1930	Wimbledon	Grass	Helen Wills	Edith Cross Sarah Palfrey	6–2, 9–7
Loss	1931	French Championships	Clay	Cilly Aussem	Eileen Bennett Whittingstall Betty Nuthall	7–9, 2–6
Win	1932	French Championships	Clay	Helen Wills	Eileen Bennett Whittingstall Betty Nuthall	6–1, 6–3
Loss	1932	Wimbledon	Grass	Helen Jacobs	Doris Metaxa Josane Sigart	4–6, 3–6
Win	1933	French Championships	Clay	Simonne Mathieu	Sylvie Jung Henrotin Colette Rosambert	6–1, 6–3
Win	1933	Wimbledon	Grass	Simonne Mathieu	Freda James Billie Yorke	6–2, 9–11, 6–4
Loss	1933	U.S. Championships	Grass	Helen Wills	Freda James Betty Nuthall	default
Win	1934	French Championships	Clay	Simonne Mathieu	Helen Jacobs Sarah Palfrey	3–6, 6–4, 6–2
Win	1934	Wimbledon	Grass	Simonne Mathieu	Dorothy Andrus Sylvie Jung Henrotin	6–3, 6–3

Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Win	1919	Wimbledon	Grass	Randolph Lycett	Dorothea Chambers Albert Prebble	6–0, 6–0
Loss	1920	Wimbledon	Grass	Randolph Lycett	Suzanne Lenglen Gerald Patterson	5–7, 3–6
Win	1921	Wimbledon	Grass	Randolph Lycett	Phyllis Howkins Max Woosnam	6–3, 6–1
Loss	1922	Wimbledon	Grass	Randolph Lycett	Suzanne Lenglen Pat O'Hara Wood	4–6, 3–6
Win	1923	Wimbledon	Grass	Randolph Lycett	Dorothy Shepherd-Barron Lewis Deane	6–4, 7–5
Loss	1925	Wimbledon	Grass	Umberto de Morpurgo	Suzanne Lenglen Jean Borotra	3–6, 3–6
Win	1926	U.S. Championships	Grass	Jean Borotra	Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman René Lacoste	6–4, 7–5
Win	1927	Wimbledon	Grass	Frank Hunter	Kathleen McKane Godfree Leslie Godfree	8–6, 6–0
Win	1928	Wimbledon	Grass	Patrick Spence	Daphne Akhurst Jack Crawford	7–5, 6–4
Win	1930	Wimbledon	Grass	Jack Crawford	Hilde Krahwinkel Daniel Prenn	6–1, 6–3
Win	1932	Wimbledon	Grass	Enrique Maier	Josane Sigart Harry Hopman	7–5, 6–2
Win	1933	U.S. Championships	Grass	Ellsworth Vines	Sarah Palfrey George Lott	11–9, 6–1
Loss	1934	French Championships	Clay	Adrian Quist	Colette Rosambert Jean Borotra	2–6, 4–6
Loss	1934	U.S. Championships	Grass	Lester Stoefen	Helen Jacobs George Lott	6–4, 11–13, 2–6

ACF = All comers final, with the winner to play the defending champion.

¹ Ryan did not play. Her opponent got a walkover.

Result	Year	Tournament	Surface	Opponent	Score
Loss	1922	World Hard Court Championships (3)	Clay	Suzanne Lenglen	3–6, 2–6

• Performance timelines for all female tennis players who reached at least one Grand Slam or Olympic singles final

• Elizabeth Ryan at the International Tennis Hall of Fame