Eleanor "Teach" Tennant (1895 – May 11, 1974[1]) was a tennis player and coach from the U.S., notable for the being the first female player to turn professional.[2] Tennant was once ranked third in America[3] and was the coach of Grand Slam winners Alice Marble, Bobby Riggs, Pauline Betz, and Maureen Connolly. Tennant also coached Hollywood stars including Clark Gable and Carole Lombard, who gave her the nickname Teach.[2][4]

Eleanor Tennant
Born1895 (1895)
DiedMay 11, 1974 (aged 78–79)
Doubles
Grand Slam doubles results
US OpenLoss (1920)
Coaching career

Grand Slam finals

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Doubles: (1 runner-up)

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Result Year Championship Surface Partner Opponents Score
Loss 1920 U.S. Championships Grass   Helen Baker   Eleanor Goss
  Marion Zinderstein
3–6, 1–6

Further reading

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  • Spain, Nancy (1953). Teach Tennant: The Story of Eleanor Tennant, the Greatest Tennis Coach in the World. London: W. Laurie.
  • Marble, Alice; Leatherman, Dale (1991). Courting Danger. New York: St. Martin's Press. ISBN 9780312928131.

References

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  1. ^ "Eleanor Tennant, who taught many tennis-notables, dead". The New York Times. May 13, 1974.
  2. ^ a b "Eleanor Tennant". www.si.com. Sports Illustrated. January 13, 1958.
  3. ^ "Alice Marble: excerpts from Courting Danger: QuickSports Tennis". Tennis.quickfound.net. December 12, 1990. Retrieved July 14, 2010.
  4. ^ Everettt R. Holles (September 18, 1973). "Old coach on Riggs: 'boring'". The New York Times.