A sensation on and off the tennis court
Maria Bueno, who has died aged 78, was among the most elegant and naturally gifted tennis players of her generation and a sporting idol in her native South America; she won 19 Grand Slam titles including three Wimbledon and four US Open singles crowns, plus 12 doubles championships, becoming the darling of the international circuit.
Through her dynamic, all-court game and graceful style she helped to put women’s tennis on the map. The
British commentator
John Barrett summed up her appeal: ‘‘Here was poetry in motion,
Maria Bueno whose every movement combined the grace of a Tennis player ballet dancer with b October 11, 1939 the controlled d June 8, 2018 power of a top gymnast.’’
Maria Esther Andion Bueno was born into a close-knit but impecunious family in Sao Paulo. Both parents loved tennis. The slightly built Maria’s talent rapidly emerged as she developed the timing and technique to hit the ball exquisitely with an adult-sized racquet. Without a regular coach, she developed her explosive service action from studying photographs of American ‘‘Big Bill’’ Tilden.
Practising mainly with men, she won all the Brazilian age-group championships. At 17 she travelled to Florida, alone and unchaperoned on a one-way ticket donated by her club, to win the Orange Bowl, considered the world championship of junior tennis.
She toured Europe, winning the 1958 Italian Championships in Rome at her first attempt. At a time when women’s matches were usually relegated to the back courts, she was invariably centre stage.
‘‘She caused an absolute sensation,’’ recalled her fellow player and friend Christine Truman. ‘‘She had this extraordinary movie-star quality and the Italians went wild for her exotic looks and glamour.’’
In her first appearance at Wimbledon in 1958, she and American Althea Gibson won the doubles. She returned the following year to take the singles title. She also beat Truman in the US championship and became world No 1.
She was a fashion icon. Her exquisitely sculpted outfits, designed by tennis couturier Teddy Tinling, proved controversial but made stars of both the designer and his muse. In 1964 she appeared at Wimbledon in a Tinling dress wearing a shocking pink underskirt and matching knickers that caused a sensation as she served. ‘‘There was a gasp from one end of the court,’’ she recalled, ‘‘and the people the other end didn’t know why, until I changed ends and served from there.’’
She had virulent Merkel cell carcinoma diagnosed in 2016 and underwent extensive radiotherapy, choosing to keep her cancer secret from all but close friends and family. She was not married. – Telegraph Group