NEWPORT, R.I. (AP)—Tennis Hall of Famer Pauline Betz Addie, the top women’s player in the United States in the 1940s, died Tuesday. She was 91.
Addie, who had Parkinson’s disease, died at an assisted-living facility in Potomac, Md., the International Tennis Hall of Fame said Thursday.
She reached the finals of the U.S. National Championship (now the U.S. Open) every year from 1941-46, winning the title four times. In 1946, she won the Wimbledon singles championship without losing a set in the entire tournament.
Originally from Dayton, Ohio, she was raised in Los Angeles and introduced to tennis as a child by her mother, a physical education teacher. Addie was a longtime teaching professional in the Washington, D.C., area.
Her career was cut short at the height of her success in 1947 when she was declared a professional for exploring the possibility of making a pro tour. She was barred from future major competitions, which allowed only amateurs to enter until 1968.
Addie embarked on a professional career touring the country with fellow female pro Gussie Moran and top male stars including Jack Kramer and Bobby Riggs.
Addie was inducted into the tennis hall in 1965 and continued playing into her 80s.
Addie was the widow of Bob Addie, a sports writer for the former Washington Times-Herald, now The Washington Post. She is survived by five children, a brother, five grandchildren and a great-grandson.