Ann Jones (tennis)

Ann Jones

Ann Jones after Isner-Mahut match
ITF name Ann Jones
Country United Kingdom Great Britain
Born 7 October 1938
Kings Heath, Birmingham, England
Plays Left-handed
Int. Tennis HOF 1985 (member page)
Singles
Career titles 113
Highest ranking No. 2 (1967, 1969)[1]
Grand Slam Singles results
Australian Open SF (1969)
French Open W (1961, 1966)
Wimbledon W (1969)
US Open F (1961, 1967)
Doubles
Grand Slam Doubles results
Australian Open SF (1969)
French Open W (1963, 1968, 1969)
Wimbledon F (1968)
US Open F (1960)
Mixed Doubles
Grand Slam Mixed Doubles results
Australian Open W (1969)
French Open F (1960, 1966, 1967)
Wimbledon W (1969)

Adrianne Shirley Jones CBE (born 7 October 1938[2]), née Haydon, usually known as Ann Jones and sometimes as Ann Haydon-Jones or Ann Haydon Jones, is a former table tennis and lawn tennis champion. She won a total of 7 Grand Slam championships during her career: three in singles, three in women's doubles, and one in mixed doubles.[2]

Career

Jones was born in Kings Heath, Birmingham, England.[3] Her parents were prominent table tennis players, her father, Adrian Haydon, having been British number 1 and a competitor at world championships between 1928 and 1953. Ann, as a young girl, also took up the game, participating in five world championships in the 1950s, the best result being losing finalist in singles, doubles and mixed doubles all in Stockholm 1957. Soon after this she wrote the book "Tackle Table Tennis This Way".

She was also a powerful lawn tennis player, winning the 1954 and 1955 British junior championships. In 1956, she won the Wimbledon girls' singles championship.

Jones played lawn tennis in a highly competitive era that included some of the greatest female tennis players of all time, including Billie Jean King, Margaret Court, and Maria Bueno. Despite the fierce competition, she won the 1961 French Championships[4] and reached the final of the 1961 U.S. Championships, losing to the defending champion, Darlene Hard. In 1962, she married P.F. Jones and, recorded as Ann Haydon-Jones, won the French title for a second time in 1966.[4]

At both the Wimbledon Championships and the U.S. Championships in 1967, Jones lost in the final to King.[4][5] Two years later, however, the two again met in the Wimbledon final. This time, Jones took the most coveted title in the sport,[5] making her the first left-handed female player to do so. She rounded off that year's Wimbledon by winning the mixed doubles championship with Australia's Fred Stolle. Her performances resulted in her being voted the BBC Sports Personality of the Year.[4] Jones made Wimbledon 1969 her last Grand Slam singles event. She was seeded number one for the 1969 US Open but withdrew before the tournament began. She radically reduced her playing schedule for 1970, playing in South Africa successfully (winning both the Orange Free State Championships and the Western Province Championships), but then largely playing only events in the United Kingdom (UK) for the remainder of the year. She returned to the international scene to play the Federation Cup event in Australia, where she partnered Virginia Wade on the British team.[2] In 1971, Jones played on the Virginia Slims circuit, winning the U.S.$10,000 first prize for the event staged in Las Vegas, beating King in the final. Jones more or less retired after this event as she was expecting her first child. However, Jones continued to play the occasional UK event and was part of the 1975 Wightman Cup team for Great Britain. In 1977, Jones teamed with Winnie Wooldridge to play doubles at Wimbledon.[2]

According to Lance Tingay of The Daily Telegraph and the Daily Mail and Bud Collins, Jones was ranked in the world top ten from 1957 through 1963 and from 1965 through 1970, reaching a career high of World No. 2 in those rankings in 1967 and 1969.[1]

According to Mark Lewisohn in The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions, on 4 July 1969, The Beatles paused the dubbing session for their song "Golden Slumbers" to listen to Jones beat King for the Wimbledon title, live on radio.

With the dawn of the open era in 1968, Jones joined with King and others to organize the first professional female touring group. In 1970, she was hired by the BBC as a guest commentator[4] and worked with them for over three decades, while occasionally commentating for US TV stations' tennis coverage. Jones was chairwoman of the Women's International Tennis Council and for many years the British team captain for events such as the Federation and Wightman Cups.[2]

Jones caused something of a stir on 30 August 1962 when she married businessman Philip "Pip" Jones (1907-1993) who was thirty-one years her senior and five years older than her father.[3][6] The couple later became the butt of many jokes on Monty Python's Flying Circus during its series run. As a running gag, the Pythons would frequently insert "Ann Haydon-Jones and her husband Pip" into any sketch where a list of names was being read off.

In 1985, Jones was voted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.[2] For many years, Jones was chairwoman of the International Women's Tennis Council and has long been a member of Wimbledon's Committee of Management. She became the first ever 'civilian woman' (i.e. not a member of the British Royal Family) to present the trophies at Wimbledon, when she awarded the winners of the Mixed Doubles championship their cup in 2007, a ceremony she now regularly performs. She has since also presented the junior girls trophy.

Already a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE), Jones was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2014 New Year Honours for services to tennis.[7]

Grand Slam record

Grand Slam finals

Singles: 9 (3–6)

Outcome Year Championship Surface Opponent in the final Score in the final
Winner 1961 French Championships Clay Mexico Yola Ramírez 6–2, 6–1
Runner-up 1961 US Championships Grass United States Darlene Hard 6–3, 6–4
Runner-up 1963 French Championships Clay Australia Lesley Turner Bowrey 2–6, 6–3, 7–5
Winner 1966 French Championships Clay United States Nancy Richey 6–3, 6–1
Runner-up 1967 Wimbledon Grass United States Billie Jean King 6–3, 6–4
Runner-up 1967 US Championships Grass United States Billie Jean King 11–9, 6–4
Runner-up 1968 French Championships Clay United States Nancy Richey 5–7, 6–4, 6–1
Runner-up 1969 French Open Clay Australia Margaret Court 6–1, 4–6, 6–3
Winner 1969 Wimbledon Grass United States Billie Jean King 3–6, 6–3, 6–2

Doubles: 6 (3–3)

Outcome Year Championship Surface Partner Opponents in the final Score in the final
Runner-up 1960 French Championships Clay United Kingdom Patricia Ward Hales Brazil Maria Bueno
United States Darlene Hard 		6–2, 7–5
Runner-up 1960 US Championships Grass United Kingdom Deidre Catt Brazil Maria Bueno
United States Darlene Hard 		6–1, 6–1
Winner 1963 French Championships Clay South Africa Renee Schuurman Australia Margaret Court
Australia Robyn Ebbern 		7–5, 6–4
Winner 1968 French Open Clay France Françoise Dürr United States Rosie Casals
United States Billie Jean King 		7–5, 4–6, 6–4
Runner-up 1968 Wimbledon Grass France Françoise Dürr United States Rosie Casals
United States Billie Jean King 		9–11, 6–4, 6–2
Winner 1969 French Open Clay France Françoise Dürr Australia Margaret Court
United States Nancy Richey 		6–0, 4–6, 7–5

Mixed doubles: 5 (1–4)

Outcome Year Championship Surface Partner Opponents in the final Score in the final
Runner-up 1960 French Championships Clay Australia Roy Emerson Brazil Maria Bueno
Australia Bob Howe 		1–6, 6–1, 6–2
Runner-up 1962 Wimbledon Grass United States Dennis Ralston United States Margaret Osborne duPont
Australia Neale Fraser 		2–6, 6–3, 13–11
Runner-up 1966 French Championships Clay United States Clark Graebner South Africa Annette Van Zyl
South Africa Frew McMillan 		1–6, 6–3, 6–2
Runner-up 1967 French Championships Clay Romania Ion Ţiriac United States Billie Jean King
Australia Owen Davidson 		6–3, 6–1
Winner 1969 Wimbledon Grass Australia Fred Stolle Australia Judy Tegart
Australia Tony Roche 		6–2, 6–3
1969 Australian Open Grass Australia Fred Stolle Australia Margaret Court
United States Marty Riessen 		*Shared title, final not played

Singles performance timeline

Tournament19561957195819591960196119621963196419651966196719681969W–L
Grand Slam Tournaments
Australia A A A A A A A A A 2R A A A SF 3–2
France A SF QF A 4R W SF F A QF W QF F F 44–8
Wimbledon 2R 3R SF QF SF 4R SF SF QF 4R SF F SF W 57–13
United States A QF 3R SF QF F A SF QF QF A F SF A 36–10

A = did not participate in the tournament.

Women's doubles performance timeline

Tournament195619571958195919601961196219631964196519661967196819691970-1974197519761977W–L
Grand Slam Tournaments
Australia A A A A A A A A A QF A A A SF A A A A 4–2
France A 2R SF A F QF SF W A QF SF QF W W A A A A 32–7
Wimbledon 1R 3R 2R QF 3R 3R 2R SF SF 2R SF SF F 3R A A A 3R 33–15
United States A QF SF SF F QF A SF A A A A SF A A 1R A A 17–8

A = did not participate in the tournament.

Singles titles (113)

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Collins, Bud (2008). The Bud Collins History of Tennis: An Authoritative Encyclopedia and Record Book. New York, N.Y: New Chapter Press. pp. 695, 703. ISBN 0-942257-41-3.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 "International Tennis Hall of Fame". 2006 International Tennis Hall of Fame. Retrieved 13 August 2012..
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Dodd, Ros. "Interview - Ann Jones: Ann settles out of court," Birmingham (UK) Post, Saturday, June 24, 2000.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 4.9 4.10 4.11 "BBC Sport: Ann Jones". 2003–2009 BBC Sport. 20 July 2002. Retrieved 4 March 2009.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 "Today in Sport Archives". 2004–2009 Today In Sport.Com. 12 April 2004. Retrieved 4 March 2009.
  6. ↑ Caffery, Bethia. "She Has A Ball With Tennis," Evening Independent (St. Petersburg, FL), Friday, April 9, 1971.
  7. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 60728. p. 8. 31 December 2013.

Tackle Table Tennis This Way, by Ann Haydon, 1958 (Now out of print)

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ann Haydon-Jones.
Awards
Preceded by
David Hemery		 BBC Sports Personality of the Year
1969 		Succeeded by
Henry Cooper