Tribute to Australian tennis player legends

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Tribute to Australian tennis player legends

Published: 17/2/2023

For Australians, sporting excellence is a large part of the national identity, and tennis is no exception. Tennis is quickly becoming a summer staple on the televisions of sport lovers across the nation, so it’s important to look back and reflect on the legends that made the sport what it is today. As the events of the 2023 Brisbane International last week begin to fade into the past and the Australian Open is in full swing, we remember just some of the tennis players that shaped the sport.

Australian female tennis players

Thelma Coyne Long

Thelma Coyne posing with a tennis racquet in Brisbane, 1932. Photo: State Library of Queensland

Thelma Coyne Long was one of the many women in mid-century tennis who dominated the sport in Australia. Over the course of her exceptional career, she won 19 Grand Slam titles, and was ranked in the top 10 in the world by Lance Tingay of The Daily Telegraph in 1952 and 1954, reaching a high of number 7. At the end of her playing career, Long went on to coach promising tennis players in New South Wales. Her achievements were well recognised by a long list of honours, including a Life Membership of the State Association by Tennis NSW in 1985, the Australian Sports Medal in 2000, an induction into the Australian Tennis Hall of Fame in 2002 and an induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2013. Interestingly, during WWII, Long joined the Red Cross and then the Australian Women’s Army Service, rising through the ranks to become Captain in 1944. Long was awarded the War Medal and Australia Service Medal for her contribution. Thelma Coyne Long passed away in 2015 at the age of 96.

Suzanne Twelftree

Suzanne Twelftree preparing for the Paralympic powerlifting competition. Photo: Australian Paralympic Committee, CC BY-SA 3.0

Suzanne Twelftree may have been a less well-known member of the Australian sporting world, but her inspiring story definitely makes her worthy of legend status. Originally from Wallaroo, South Australia, Twelftree became a paraplegic at the age of 30 from a combination of arteriovenous malformation and a surgical mishap. Twelftree didn’t let her condition slow her down and went on to take up wheelchair tennis, competing as a member of the team that won the bronze at the World Team Cup in 1991. She also competed in the 1992 Barcelona Paralympics. She also competed in the 2000 Sydney Paralympic as a powerlifter in the up to 48kg category, placing ninth. She was also a board member of the Paraplegic and Quadriplegic Association of South Australia, demonstrating her devotion to helping people like her. She passed away in 2019 at the age of 62, leaving behind her husband, Greg and their children, Todd, Nick and Abbey.