Cilly Aussem (; 4 January 1909 – 22 March 1963) was a German

tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...

player. She was the first German, male or female, to win the singles title at Wimbledon, which she did in 1931. She also won the women's single titles at the

French Championships The French Open (french: Internationaux de France de tennis), also known as Roland-Garros (), is a major tennis tournament held over two weeks at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France, beginning in late May each year. The tournament and ven ...

and German Championships in 1931. Aussem's coach and mixed doubles partner was

Bill Tilden William Tatem Tilden II (February 10, 1893 – June 5, 1953), nicknamed "Big Bill", was an American tennis player. Tilden was the world No. 1 amateur for six consecutive years, from 1920 to 1925, and was ranked as the world No. 1 professional b ...

. They won the mixed doubles at the 1930 French Championships. According to A. Wallis Myers of ''The Daily Telegraph'' and the ''Daily Mail'', Aussem was ranked in the world top 10 in 1928, 1930, 1931, and 1934, reaching a career high of world no. 2 in these rankings in 1930 and 1931 behind

Helen Wills Moody Helen Newington Wills (October 6, 1905 – January 1, 1998), also known by her married names Helen Wills Moody and Helen Wills Roark, was an American tennis player. She won 31 Grand Slam tournament titles (singles, doubles, and mixed doubles) d ...

Early years

Aussem was born in Cologne on 4 January 1909, the daughter of a wealthy salesman Johann Joseph 'Jean' Aussem and Ulrike Franziska 'Helen' Wisbaum. At the age of 14, she returned to Cologne after spending several years in Geneva getting a boarding school education. It was at this time that she started taking tennis lessons at the local club KTHC Stadion Rot-Weiss, driven by her mother, who was the first to notice her talent. She contacted Roman Najuch, the reigning world professional champion. Najuch referred Aussem to Willy Hanneman, a tennis coach from Cologne. Hannemann taught Aussem a sliced backhand, a precisely placed serve, and an effective drop shot. In 1925 she won the junior singles title at the German Championships in Erfurt and was ranked no. 6 nationally.

Bill Tilden's advice

Aussem won the German Championships for the first time in 1927 when she was 18 years old. In Hamburg, she defeated reigning champion Ilse Friedleben in the final in straight sets. Aussem, who was described as a graceful, small, and psychologically sensitive girl, seemed incapable of withstanding the mental and physical pressures of competitive sports. Usually, the family traveled to exclusive places all over Europe. During the family's summer vacation at the French Riviera, Aussem's ambitious mother asked Bill Tilden, the world's best player, for advice. After having a look at small, shy Cilly, he replied: "My dear lady, Cilly will become a great champion if you take the next train back to Germany!" Tilden became Aussem's coach and made her a world-class player. Aussem's trademark became her powerful, flat forehand. Newspapers wrote that Aussem had a great sliced backhand and effective drop shots. Her bst qualities were her precision, athletic conditioning, and fighting spirit.

Breakthrough

Bundesarchiv Bild 102-09475, Cilly Aussem

In 1928, Aussem's mother claimed that Paula von Reznicek had twice beaten her daughter by using hypnotism, which led to a lawsuit in which Von Reznicek filed charges of defamation of character, and Aussem's mother charged her with "insulting assault". She lost her German Championships singles title in 1928 after a three-set defeat in the final to

Daphne Akhurst Daphne Jessie Akhurst (22 April 1903 – 9 January 1933) known also by her married name Daphne Cozens, was an Australian tennis player. Akhurst won the women's singles title at the Australian Championships five times between 1925 and 1930. ...

. Aussem suffered from eye inflammation throughout 1929, but in 1930, she had her breakthrough. With Tilden, she won all the titles for mixed doubles on the Riviera that season. At the French Championships, Aussem and Tilden defeated the world's top two mixed doubles teams,

Elizabeth Ryan Elizabeth Montague Ryan (February 5, 1892 – July 6, 1979) was an American tennis player who was born in Anaheim, California, but lived most of her adult life in the United Kingdom. Ryan won 26 Grand Slam titles, 19 in women's doubles and mi ...

Jean Borotra Jean Laurent Robert Borotra (, ; 13 August 1898 – 17 July 1994) was a French tennis champion. He was one of the " Four Musketeers" from his country who dominated tennis in the late 1920s and early 1930s. Borotra was imprisoned in Itter Castle ...

and Eileen Bennett Whittingstall /

Henri Cochet Henri Jean Cochet (; 14 December 1901 – 1 April 1987) was a French tennis player. He was a world No. 1 ranked player, and a member of the famous " Four Musketeers" from France who dominated tennis in the late 1920s and early 1930s. Born in ...

, and took the French title. Aussem also reached a singles semifinal, losing to Helen Jacobs. At Wimbledon, Aussem won against Jacobs in the quarterfinals and faced Ryan in the semifinals. The match ended unexpectedly. While running, Aussem tumbled, fell, twisted her ankle and lost consciousness. After that incident, health problems hampered the remainder of Aussem's tennis career. Her eyes became more sensitive, and she had to spend hours in a darkened room waiting for her matches to start. In August 1930, she won her second German Championships singles title after a straight-sets victory in the final against compatriot

Hilde Krahwinkel Hildegard "Hilde" Krahwinkel Sperling ( née Krahwinkel; 26 March 1908 – 7 March 1981) was a German tennis player who became a dual-citizen after marrying Dane Svend Sperling in December 1933. She won three consecutive singles titles at the Fr ...

. At the end of 1930, three years after starting to play in international championships, she reached no. 2 in the world rankings.

First German Wimbledon champion

1931 was Aussem's most successful year. She won the

, defeating Betty Nuthall of the United Kingdom, and the German Championships after a win in the final against Irmgard Rost. Aussem also won the Wimbledon singles championship, defeating her compatriot

in the final in straight sets. She became the first German woman to do so. Aussem again was ranked world no. 2 behind

. An English newspaper described Aussem as follows: "There is a

Paavo Nurmi Paavo Johannes Nurmi (; 13 June 1897 – 2 October 1973) was a Finnish middle-distance and long-distance runner. He was called the "Flying Finn" or the "Phantom Finn", as he dominated distance running in the 1920s. Nurmi set 22 official world ...

of tennis from Germany, a beautiful young girl. Her quickness and her fighting spirit are singular!"

Trip to South America and illness

All seemed to be prepared for a great international career when something happened that stopped Aussem's rapid rise. Celebrating the successful year of 1931, Aussem and her friend and teammate Irmgard Rost traveled to Argentina, Brazil and Chile. Aussem won some tournaments, but caught a serious liver inflammation. Back in Germany, she underwent surgery from which she recovered slowly. In 1933, Aussem returned to the courts, but was not able to regain her form. In 1934, she again reached ninth place in the world rankings, but started losing to players she always had beaten. She lost at Wimbledon to Helen Jacobs in the quarterfinals and quit the tour at age 25.

Private life after tennis

During her winter holidays in Garmisch-Partenkirchen in 1935, Aussem met her Italian Earl Fermo Murari dalla Corte Brà, they married in Munich on 11 March 1936, and the pair moved to Mombasa, Kenya. During her stay, she contracted malaria. Aussem spent the last two decades of her life mainly in her husband's castle in Portofino. In 1963, she underwent another liver surgery, a late consequence of that trip to South America three decades before. Aussem did not recover. She died on 22 March 1963 at the age of 54. German tennis player and writer

Roderich Menzel Roderich Ferdinand Ottomar Menzel (; 13 April 1907 – 17 October 1987) was a Czech-German amateur tennis player and, after his active career, a writer. Birth Roderich Menzel was born in Reichenberg in Bohemia (today Liberec in the Czech Republi ...

wrote: "Everywhere where she swung her racket and warmed the spectators hearts with her magic smile, she unknowingly inspired young girls to play tennis the way she did. If we remember her today, we feel deep love in our hearts. And we confess proudly: She was our mistress of tennis." Since 1965 the Junior Championships of the German Tennis Association are held under the name Grosse Cilly Aussem Spiele.

Grand Slam finals

Singles: 2 (2 titles)

Doubles: 1 (1 runner-up)

Mixed doubles: 1 (1 title)

Grand Slam singles tournament timeline

¹ Aussem did not play. Her opponent got a walkover.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aussem, Cilly 1909 births 1963 deaths German female tennis players Wimbledon champions (pre-Open Era) French Championships (tennis) champions Tennis players from Cologne Grand Slam (tennis) champions in women's singles Grand Slam (tennis) champions in mixed doubles