Historical information
Australian tennis champion Joan Hartigan stoops to hit a low ball at the Victorian Championships, Albert Grounds in 1934.
Photographer notations on slide: "Miss Hartigan Age 12-12-34 B62"
Published: The Age (Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 - 1954), Wednesday 12 December 1934, page 13.
Published title: INCIDENTS OF YESTERDAY'S CHAMPIONSHIP TENNIS.
Published caption: Miss J. Hartigan in a curious attitude as she tries for a low ball from Miss D. Stevenson whom she defeated in straight sets.
Trove article identifier: http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article205077983
Description:
A young woman on a tennis court wearing a white tennis dress and sun visor holds a tennis racquet while stooping and holding her knee.
Research by project volunteer,Fiona Collyer:
Joan competed in the 1934 Victorian Tennis Championships and was defeated in the singles final by Wimbledon champion Miss Dorothy Round of England, 9-7, 6-0.
Writing in the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper on 17 December 1934, Dorothy Round stated “As far as international matches are concerned, Joan is an inexperienced player, and Australians should remember this, and not think that she should win every time. Her tennis has by no means reached its apex and there is a great future for her, given the right practice and match experience.”
However, in the 1935 Wimbledon Championships Ladies’ singles, Joan sensationally eliminated 1934 title holder, Dorothy Round in the the quarterfinals, 6-4, 4-6, 3-6. When interviewed, Dorothy said -“I just did my best, but Miss Hartigan played too well for me”
The Daily Express described Joan as a “one-stroke terror. Nobody thought that the modest, almost apologetic lassie from ‘down under’ would win.”
The Daily Telegraph wrote -“Miss Hartigan has the right heart for lion hunting. Stubbornly and courageously she defended with her backhand until she got the ball that fed her robust forehand.”
Unfortunately Joan was defeated in the semifinal in straight sets by American champion Mrs Helen Wills Moody, the ultimate winner of the tournament.
Joan Marcia Hartigan (Bathurst) 1912-2000 was an Australian tennis champion. She won the Australian Championships Women’s singles (now known as the Australian Open) in 1933, 1934, 1936 and was a Wimbledon Ladies’ singles semifinalist in 1934, 1935. A tall, stylish presence in visor and pleated dress, Joan was renowned for her power game and her “upside down backhand” i.e. striking the shot with the same face of the racquet that she hit her forehand. Joan’s world ranking was No. 8 in 1934. Unfortunately, her career was interrupted by the outbreak of World War Two when international matches were suspended for five years so Joan’s potential was never reached.
Joan enlisted in the Australian Military Forces during World War Two and in 1947 she married Hugh Bathurst, private secretary to Senator James Fraser, Prime Minister Ben Chifley’s Health Minister. They had a daughter Mary and a son Thomas who became Chief Justice of NSW. Joan died in Sydney in 2000.
References:
INCIDENTS OF YESTERDAY'S CHAMPIONSHIP TENNIS. (1934, December 12). The Age (Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 - 1954), p. 13. Retrieved March 18, 2024, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article205077983
AUSTRALIAN PLAYERS. (1934, December 17). The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), p. 10. Retrieved March 19, 2024, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article17114940
MISS HARTIGAN (1935, July 4). Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners' Advocate (NSW : 1876 - 1954), p. 9. Retrieved March 21, 2024, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article138142569
Physical description
Glass plate negative
Inscriptions & markings
Photographer notations on slide: "Miss Hartigan Age 12-12-34 B62".
