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Biography • Tennis

• Women Athletes

• Championships

• Captions and Labels

• Fact Box

• Defi nitions

• Tennis Terms

• The Suffi x -ship

HelenWills Moody:America’s Tennis Champion

by Martina WilliamsISBN-13:ISBN-10:

978-0-328-49687-70-328-49687-1

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49687_CVR.indd A 7/2/09 4:27:58 PM

Question of the Week What unique traits does it take to be the first

to do something?

Key Comprehension SkillFact and Opinion

Concept Wordsfamous champion coach rankin a row fashion retired

Learning GoalsYou must work hard to be the first to do something.

Helen Wills was a famous tennis player.

Helen Wills worked hard to become the best player.

Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All Rights Reserved. Printed in the United States of America. This publication is protected by copyright, and permission should be obtained from the publisher prior to any prohibited reproduction, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or likewise. For information regarding permissions, write to Pearson Curriculum Group Rights & Permissions, One Lake Street, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458.

Pearson, Scott Foresman, and Pearson Scott Foresman are trademarks, in the U.S. and/or other countries, of Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates.

ISBN-13: 978-0-328-49687-7 ISBN-10: 0-328-49687-1

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Helen Wills Moody: America’s Tennis Champion

by Martina Williams

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Helen Wills was born in California in 1905. Helen loved two activities: painting and tennis. Helen was a very good painter. In fact, she sold some of her paintings in New York City. But painting didn’t make Helen famous. Helen would grow up to become the most successful tennis champion of the time.

famous: well-known champion: the best in a competition

Helen Wills loved to paint and play tennis.

tennisracquet

painting

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Helen’s father was a doctor. He and Helen played tennis together at a tennis club in Berkeley, California.

One day, a famous tennis player named Hazel Wightman visited Helen’s tennis club. She watched 14-year-old Helen playing with her father. She was surprised by how well Helen played. Hazel Wightman thought that Helen could become a tennis champion.

Helen played tennis almost every day with her father.

tenniscourt

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Hazel Wightman became Helen’s coach. Helen and Hazel played tennis together four days a week. Wightman helped Helen improve her different tennis strokes. Helen was an excellent student. In 1921, Helen won the California State Women’s Championship. She was 16 years old.

coach: trainer

Helen Wills hits a back-hand shot.

Helen hits a serve.

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Helen wanted to become an even better player. She practiced against male players who were stronger and could hit the ball harder than her.

Every year experts rank the best tennis players. In 1922, Helen was ranked the third best female tennis player in the U.S.

rank: to put in order

Extend Language Tennis Strokes

A backhand is made with the back of the hand facing forward.

A forehand is made with the palm of the hand facing forward.

Helen was well known for her concentration.

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In 1923, Helen played in an important match called the U.S. Open Tennis Championships, in New York. She played against Molla Mallory. Mallory was ranked as the best player in the world. Experts expected Mallory to easily win the match. The experts were wrong. Wills beat Mallory in only 33 minutes!

Helen Wills Moody won the Wimbledon championship eight times.

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Helen’s victory at the U.S. Open was just the beginning. From then on, she won almost every match she played. In 1924, Helen won the gold medal for tennis at the Olympics. From 1927 to 1933, Helen won 180 matches in a row.

In 1928, Helen married Frederick Moody and changed her name to Helen Wills Moody.

in a row: one after the other

Helen Wills Moody’s Major Tennis Championships

Tournament Years Won

Wimbledon 1927 1928 Championship 1929 1930 1932 1933 1935 1938

U.S. 1923 1924 Championship 1925 1927 1928 1929 1931

French 1923 1929 Championship 1930 1932

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Helen did more than win championships. She also changed tennis fashion. In the 1920s, women played tennis in long skirts. The skirts made it difficult to run. Helen decided that she would play in a short skirt. Other tennis players decided to do the same.

In 1938, after winning Wimbledon, Helen Wills Moody retired. She was 33 years old. In 1969, Helen was elected to the Tennis Hall of Fame.

fashion: clothing retire: to stop working

Helen changed tennis fashion.

skirt

Talk About It1. How did Helen practice to become a better player?

2. What kind of a person do you think Helen was? Give details that support your answer.

Write About It3. On a separate sheet of paper, write three facts and

two opinions about Helen Wills Moody. Look in the selection for facts. The opinions can be your own.

Extend LanguageThe words friend and friendship are related. Friendship is shared by friends. What is the word in this story that is related to the word champion?

PhotographsEvery effort has been made to secure permission and provide appropriate credit for photographic material. The publisher deeply regrets any omission and pledges to correct errors called to its attention in subsequent editions.

Cover ©Bettmann/Corbis; 1 ©Underwood & Underwood/Corbis; 4 (TL) ©Bettmann/Corbis, (TR) ©Underwood & Underwood/Corbis; 5 ©Bettmann/Corbis; 6 ©Hulton-Deutsch Collection/Corbis; 8 ©Bettmann/Corbis.

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