Phyllis Helen SATTERTHWAITE

Phyllis Satterthwaite had a senior tennis career lasting nearly 30 years and in 1939 at the age of 53, appeared in the doubles final at the Riviera championship in France. Throughout her long career she won over 100 singles and doubles titles, many on the French and Italian Riviera where she moved after her divorce from fellow tennis player Clement Satterthwaite in the early 1920s. Successes in Great Britain included the Hertfordshire title five times between 1920-25, the Welsh covered court title in 1921 and the Welsh Championship in 1927. But it was in Southern France that she enjoyed most of her triumphs, winning the Monaco Championship four times and appearing in nine consecutive finals between 1922-30. She was also the women’s doubles world hard court champion with Dorothy Holman in 1920.

Satterthwaite played at Wimbledon from 1911 to 1935, when she was aged 49. She never progressed beyond the quarter-final in either doubles events, but twice reached the All-comers singles final, losing 6-1, 6-1 to Suzanne Lenglen of France in 1919 and in 1921 was beaten even heavier, 6-1, 6-0, by Elizabeth Ryan of the United States. At the 1924 Olympics Helen competed only in the singles and following a bye and a walkover in the first two rounds came up against Helen Wills in round three. The American won 6-1, 6-2 and then went on to win the gold medal.

Well known for engaging in many long rallies, Phyllis is believed to have been involved in the longest rally on record during her match with Lucia Valerio in the final of the Bordighera championship on the Italian Riviera in March 1930. The rally lasted over 19 and a half minutes and Satterthwaite won the point and with it, the title for the third time.

Phyllis was an accomplished journalist and author and wrote books entitled “Lawn Tennis for Women”, “Tips for Tennis Players” and “Lawn Tennis Champions of the Riviera”. She also contributed tennis stories and articles to newspapers and was a regular contributor to the weekly magazine “The Bystander.” At the outbreak of World War II she lived in France before returning to England in 1942. Phyllis Satterthwaite died in 1962 and in her will she left nearly all of her £137,000 estate to be shared between nine animal charities because, as she said, she: “hated all human beings.”