Wills, Helen Newington (1905-1997)

US tennis player. One of the sport's all-time greats, she won 31 Grand Slam championships between 1922 and 1938, including 19 singles titles and 9 women's doubles titles. She was the winner of eight Wimbledon titles and seven US Open titles. A hard-hitting baseline player, she was regarded as the first exponent of the power game. Such was her dominance of the women's game, she was unbeaten in singles play from the autumn of 1926 until August 1933.

Born in Centerville, California, USA, Wills was educated at the University of California. From 1929 to 1937 she played under her married name, Helen Wills Moody.