Shirley Fry

Shirley June Fry Irvin (née Fry; June 30, 1927 – July 13, 2021) was an American tennis player. During her career, which lasted from the early 1940s until the mid-1950s, she won the singles title at all four Grand Slam events, as well as 13 doubles titles, and was ranked No. 1 in the world in 1956.

Shirley Fry
Fry in the Netherlands in 1953
Full nameShirley June Fry Irvin
Country (sports) United States
Born(1927-06-30)June 30, 1927
Akron, Ohio, United States
DiedJuly 13, 2021(2021-07-13) (aged 94)
Naples, Florida, United States
Height5 ft 5 in (1.65 m)
Retired1957
PlaysRight–handed
Int. Tennis HoF1970 (member page)
Singles
Career record596-146 (80.3%)
Career titles63
Highest rankingNo. 1 (1956)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian OpenW (1957)
French OpenW (1951)
WimbledonW (1956)
US OpenW (1956)
Doubles
Career record0–0
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian OpenW (1957)
French OpenW (1950, 1951, 1952, 1953)
WimbledonW (1951, 1952, 1953)
US OpenW (1951, 1952, 1953, 1954)
Grand Slam mixed doubles results
French OpenF (1952)
WimbledonW (1956)
US OpenF (1951, 1955)
Team competitions
Wightman CupW (1951, 1952, 1953, 1955, 1956)

Early life

Fry was born in Akron, Ohio, on June 30, 1927.[1] She started playing tennis competitively at age nine.[2][3] She was educated at Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida, graduating in 1949.[2][4]

Career

Fry was one of 10 women[lower-alpha 1] to have won each Grand Slam singles tournament at least once during her career. She was also one of seven women (with Hart, Court, Navratilova, Pam Shriver, Serena Williams, and Venus Williams) to have won all four Grand Slam doubles tournaments.[5] At the U.S. National Championship (precursor of the U.S. Open) in 1942, Fry reached the singles quarterfinals at the age of 15. At Wimbledon in 1953, Fry and Hart lost only four games during the entire women's doubles tournament and won three matches without losing a game, including the semifinals and finals, the latter over Connolly and Julia Sampson. Fry won the last three Grand Slam singles tournaments she entered, including wins over Althea Gibson in the Wimbledon quarterfinal and U.S. Championship final in 1956 and the Australian Championships final in 1957.[5]

Fry was ranked in the world top 10 in 1946 and 1948 and from 1950 through 1955 (no rankings issued from 1940 through 1945), and No. 1 in 1956.[6] The United States Lawn Tennis Association ranked her in the U.S. top 10 from 1944 through 1955 and No. 1 in 1956.[7] She briefly retired in early 1956 and worked as a copygirl for the St. Petersburg Times. However, she returned later that spring after receiving an invitation to play in the Wightman Cup.[1][8] She retired for the final time in 1957,[8] and was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1970.[5]

From 1951 through 1956, Fry participated in the Wightman Cup, the women's team competition between Great Britain and the United States, and contributed to the U.S. victory during each of these editions with the exception of 1954, when her final doubles rubber was not played. She compiled a 10–2 win–loss record.[4]

Later life

Fry married Karl Irvin in Australia in February 1957, after which she retired from top-level tennis.[3][4] They remained married until his death from a heart attack in 1976. Together, they had four children: Mark, Scott, Lori and Karen.[1]

Fry resided in Naples, Florida, during her later years.[8] She died there on the night of July 13, 2021, at the age of 94.[1][9] Prior to her death, she was the longest surviving female Grand Slam tournament and Wimbledon singles champion.[10]

Career statistics

Grand Slam tournament timelines

Sources:[1][5]

Key
W  F  SF QF #R RR Q# DNQ A NH
(W) winner; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (DNQ) did not qualify; (A) absent; (NH) not held; (SR) strike rate (events won / competed); (W–L) win–loss record.

Singles
Tournament1941194219431944194519461194711948194919501951195219531954195519561957Career SR
Australian Championships NH NH NH NH NH A A A A A A A A A A A W 1 / 1
French Championships R R R R A A A F A QF W F SF A A A A 1 / 5
Wimbledon NH NH NH NH NH A A QF 4R QF F SF SF QF A W A 1 / 8
U.S. Championships 1R QF 1R QF 1R 1R 3R 3R 3R QF F SF SF SF QF W A 1 / 16
SR 0 / 1 0 / 1 0 / 1 0 / 1 0 / 1 0 / 1 0 / 1 0 / 3 0 / 2 0 / 3 1 / 3 0 / 3 0 / 3 0 / 2 0 / 1 2 / 2 1 / 1 4 / 30

Doubles
Tournament1941194219431944194519461194711948194919501951195219531954195519561957Career SR
Australian Championships A NH NH NH NH NH A A A A A A A A A A W 1 / 1
French Championships R R R R A A A F A W W W W A A A A 4 / 5
Wimbledon NH NH NH NH NH A A 3R SF F W W W F A SF A 3 / 8
U.S. Championships A 1R 1R QF SF SF SF SF F F W W W W F F A 4 / 15
SR 0 / 0 0 / 1 0 / 1 0 / 1 0 / 1 0 / 1 0 / 1 0 / 3 0 / 2 1 / 3 3 / 3 3 / 3 3 / 3 1 / 2 0 / 1 0 / 2 1 / 1 12 / 29

R = tournament restricted to French nationals and held under German occupation.
1In 1946 and 1947, the French Championships were held after Wimbledon.

Grand Slam tournament finals

Source:[5]

Singles: 8 (4 titles, 4 runners-up)
Result Year Championship Surface Opponent Score
Loss1948French ChampionshipsClayFrance Nelly Adamson Landry2–6, 6–0, 0–6
Win1951French ChampionshipsClayUnited States Doris Hart6–3, 3–6, 6–3
Loss1951WimbledonGrassUnited States Doris Hart1–6, 0–6
Loss1951U.S. ChampionshipsGrassUnited States Maureen Connolly3–6, 6–1, 4–6
Loss1952French ChampionshipsClayUnited States Doris Hart4–6, 4–6
Win1956WimbledonGrassUnited Kingdom Angela Buxton6–3, 6–1
Win1956U.S. ChampionshipsGrassUnited States Althea Gibson6–3, 6–4
Win1957Australian ChampionshipsGrassUnited States Althea Gibson6–3, 6–4

Doubles: 19 (12 titles, 7 runners-up)
Result Year Championship Surface Partner Opponents Score
Loss1948French ChampionshipsClayUnited States Mary ArnoldUnited States Doris Hart
United States Patricia Canning Todd		4–6, 2–6
Loss1949U.S. ChampionshipsGrassUnited States Doris HartUnited States Louise Brough
United States Margaret Osborne duPont		4–6, 8–10
Win1950French ChampionshipsClayUnited States Doris HartUnited States Louise Brough
United States Margaret Osborne duPont		1–6, 7–5, 6–2
Loss1950WimbledonGrassUnited States Doris HartUnited States Louise Brough
United States Margaret Osborne duPont		4–6, 7–5, 1–6
Loss1950U.S. ChampionshipsGrassUnited States Doris HartUnited States Louise Brough
United States Margaret Osborne duPont		2–6, 3–6
Win1951French ChampionshipsClayUnited States Doris HartSouth Africa Beryl Bartlett
United States Barbara Scofield		10–8, 6–3
Win1951WimbledonGrassUnited States Doris HartUnited States Louise Brough
United States Margaret Osborne duPont		6–2, 13–11
Win1951U.S. ChampionshipsGrassUnited States Doris HartUnited States Nancy Chaffee
United States Patricia Canning Todd		6–4, 6–2
Win1952French ChampionshipsClayUnited States Doris HartSouth Africa Hazel Redick-Smith
South Africa Julia Wipplinger		7–5, 6–1
Win1952WimbledonGrassUnited States Doris HartUnited States Louise Brough
United States Maureen Connolly		8–6, 6–3
Win1952U.S. ChampionshipsGrassUnited States Doris HartUnited States Louise Brough
United States Maureen Connolly		10–8, 6–4
Win1953French ChampionshipsClayUnited States Doris HartUnited States Maureen Connolly
United States Julia Sampson		6–4, 6–3
Win1953WimbledonGrassUnited States Doris HartUnited States Maureen Connolly
United States Julia Sampson		6–0, 6–0
Win1953U.S. ChampionshipsGrassUnited States Doris HartUnited States Louise Brough
United States Margaret Osborne duPont		6–2, 7–9, 9–7
Loss1954WimbledonGrassUnited States Doris HartUnited States Louise Brough
United States Margaret Osborne duPont		6–4, 7–9, 1–6
Win1954U.S. ChampionshipsGrassUnited States Doris HartUnited States Louise Brough
United States Margaret Osborne duPont		6–4, 6–4
Loss1955U.S. ChampionshipsGrassUnited States Doris HartUnited States Louise Brough
United States Margaret Osborne duPont		3–6, 6–1, 3–6
Loss1956U.S. ChampionshipsGrassUnited States Betty RosenquestUnited States Louise Brough
United States Margaret Osborne duPont		3–6, 0–6
Win1957Australian ChampionshipsGrassUnited States Althea GibsonAustralia Mary Bevis Hawton
Australia Fay Muller		6–2, 6–1

Mixed doubles: 5 (1 title, 4 runners-up)
Result Year Championship Surface Partner Opponents Score
Loss1951U.S. ChampionshipsGrassAustralia Mervyn RoseUnited States Doris Hart
Australia Frank Sedgman		3–6, 2–6
Loss1952French ChampionshipsClaySouth Africa Eric SturgessUnited States Doris Hart
Australia Frank Sedgman		8–6, 3–6, 3–6
Loss1953WimbledonGrassArgentina Enrique MoreaUnited States Doris Hart
United States Vic Seixas		7–9, 5–7
Loss1955U.S. ChampionshipsGrassUnited States Gardnar MulloyUnited States Doris Hart
United States Vic Seixas		5–7, 7–5, 2–6
Win1956WimbledonGrassUnited States Vic SeixasUnited States Gardnar Mulloy
United States Althea Gibson		2–6, 6–2, 7–5

See also

Notes
  1. along with Maureen Connolly, Margaret Court, Steffi Graf, Doris Hart, Billie Jean King, Martina Navratilova, Chris Evert, Maria Sharapova, and Serena Williams.[5]

References
  1. Drucker, Joel (July 14, 2021). "In Memoriam: Shirley Fry Irvin". International Tennis Hall of Fame. Retrieved July 15, 2021.
  2. David Whitley (September 8, 2000). "Orlando's Wimbledon Champion". Orlando Sentinel.
  3. "Shirley Fry engaged; to wed in February". St. Petersburg Times. December 4, 1956. p. 22 – via Google News Archive.
  4. "Women's Collegiate Tennis Hall of Fame". Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA).
  5. "Shirley Fry". International Tennis Hall of Fame. Retrieved July 15, 2021.
  6. Collins, Bud (2008). The Bud Collins History of Tennis: An Authoritative Encyclopedia and Record Book. New York, N.Y: New Chapter Press. pp. 695, 702–3. ISBN 978-0-942257-41-0.
  7. United States Tennis Association (1988). 1988 Official USTA Tennis Yearbook. Lynn, Massachusetts: H.O. Zimman, Inc. p. 261.
  8. "Tennis Hall of Famer Shirley Fry Irvin dies at 94". Associated Press. July 14, 2021. Retrieved July 15, 2021.
  9. "Hall of Famer Shirley Fry Irvin dies at 94". Reuters. July 14, 2021. Retrieved July 15, 2021.
  10. Enceladus (February 5, 2021). "The oldest living female grandslam singles champions". Talk Tennis. Retrieved July 15, 2021.
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