Angela Mortimer Barrett, the 1961 Wimbledon ladies’ singles champion and one of Britain’s most successful postwar players, has died at the age of 93.
The Plymouth born star won three Grand Slam singles titles during a glittering career at the French Championships in 1955, the Australian Championships in 1958 and Wimbledon in 1961, as well as a Wimbledon doubles crown alongside Anne Shilcock in 1955.
Mortimer was known for her fierce determination, overcoming both hearing loss and recurring injury to reach the top of the sport.
In 1961, hampered by a painful bout of tennis elbow, she produced one of the most memorable runs by a British player, defeating fellow Brit Christine Truman 4-6, 6-4, 7-5 in the final to lift the Venus Rosewater Dish.
Debbie Jevans, chair of the All England Club, said Mortimer would be remembered ‘for her determination and extraordinary dedication’.
She added: ‘An honorary member since her triumph in 1961, Angela was a familiar face and valued member for more than six decades. Her passing leaves a hole in the fabric of the club, and she will be greatly missed.
Angela Mortimer Barrett, the 1961 Wimbledon ladies’ singles champion, has died at the age of 93
Mortimeer produced one of the most memorable runs by a British player to triumph at Wimbledon in 1961
‘On behalf of everyone at the All England Club, I offer my sincere condolences to Angela’s husband, John; their children, Michael and Sarah Jane; grandchildren, family and friends.’
Mortimer was made an MBE in 1967 for services to tennis, the same year she married John Barrett, the former player who later became one of the BBC’s most recognisable commentators.
The pair later became one of the few married couples inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
