Christine Truman facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Christine Truman
MBE

Full name	Christine Clara Truman Janes
ITF name	Christine Janes
Country (sports)	United Kingdom
Born	(1941-01-16) 16 January 1941 (age 84) Loughton, England
Plays	Right-handed
Singles
Career record	611-207 (74.7%)
Career titles	38
Highest ranking	No. 2 (1959)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open	SF (1960)
French Open	W (1959)
Wimbledon	F (1961)
US Open	F (1959)
Doubles
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian Open	W (1960)
French Open	SF (1959)
Wimbledon	F (1959)
Grand Slam mixed doubles results
Australian Open	SF (1960)
French Open	SF (1967)
Wimbledon	QF (1959)
US Open	SF (1958)
Team competitions
Wightman Cup	W (1958, 1960, 1968)

Christine Clara Truman Janes, born on January 16, 1941, is a famous former tennis player from the United Kingdom. She played tennis from the mid-1950s to the mid-1970s. Christine won a major tennis title called a Grand Slam at the French Championships in 1959. She also reached the finals at two other big tournaments: Wimbledon and the U.S. Championships. Christine helped Great Britain win the Wightman Cup, a team tennis competition, three times in 1958, 1960, and 1968. She was also awarded an MBE for her services to tennis.

Her Amazing Tennis Career

Christine Truman came from a family who all loved and played tennis. She often played mixed doubles at Wimbledon with her brother, Humphrey. She also had a great doubles partnership with her younger sister, Nell Truman. Christine was the best junior player in Britain in both 1956 and 1957.

She first played at Wimbledon in 1957 when she was just 16 years old. She surprised everyone by beating the French Open champion, Shirley Bloomer. She made it all the way to the semifinals before losing to Althea Gibson, who went on to win the tournament.

Winning the Wightman Cup

In 1958, Christine caused a big stir by beating Althea Gibson, who was the current Wimbledon champion, in the Wightman Cup. This helped Great Britain win the cup back after 21 years of losing to the United States. She also won her doubles match with Shirley Bloomer. However, a few weeks later at Wimbledon, she lost early, which made some people think she was an unpredictable player.

Becoming a Grand Slam Champion

In 1959, Christine became the youngest women's singles champion at the French Championships. She was only 18! She beat Sandra Reynolds and then the defending champion, Zsuzsa Körmöczy, in the final. This was her best year by far. She also won the Italian Championships that year. In 1959, she was also a runner-up at the U.S. Championships, losing to Maria Bueno in the final. At Wimbledon, she and her partner Beverly Baker reached the women's doubles final.

In 1960, Christine reached the semifinals of Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, losing to Maria Bueno both times. She teamed up with Maria Bueno to win the women's doubles title at the Australian Championships that year. She also won the British Hard Courts championships and the Queen's tournament.

Wimbledon Finalist

In 1961, Christine had another great run at Wimbledon. She beat Margaret Smith (who later became Margaret Court) in a very close match. She then won her semifinal match and reached the final. She played against fellow British player Angela Mortimer in the final but lost in three sets.

In 1962, it was found out that Christine had some vision problems in her left eye. After a tough year, she came back strong in 1963. She reached the semifinals of the French Open and the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open. She also won tournaments in Monte Carlo in 1964 and the South African championships in 1965.

Christine had another good Wimbledon performance in 1965. Even though she wasn't expected to do well, she reached the semifinals. However, she had been affected by injuries and illness. In 1965, she badly hurt her Achilles tendon, which caused her to stop playing for 18 months. After this injury, she wasn't ranked among the top 10 players in the world again.

The Open Era Begins

In April 1968, Christine and her sister Nell Truman made history. They were the first winners of an open tennis event. This meant that both professional and amateur players could compete together. They won the women's doubles title at the British Hard Court Championships.

Christine's tennis style was very attacking. She would rush to the net as soon as possible. She had a very strong forehand shot and was excellent at volleys and serves. She beat many top players of her time, including Althea Gibson, Maria Bueno, and Margaret Smith. She was ranked among the world's top 10 players from 1957 to 1961 and again in 1965. Her highest ranking was world No. 2 in 1959.

Life After Tennis

In December 1967, Christine married Gerry Janes, who was a rugby player. They have four children, including Amanda Keen, who also became a professional tennis player. They also have six grandchildren.

Christine stopped playing tennis in 1975. In the same year, she started working as a commentator for BBC Radio, talking about tennis matches. In 2001, she was given the Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) award for all her contributions to tennis. Since 2011, she has also written several children's books.

Grand Slam Finals

Grand Slams are the four most important annual tennis tournaments: the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open.

Singles: 3 (1 title, 2 runners-up)

Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Opponent	Score
Win	1959	French Championships	Clay	Zsuzsi Körmöczy	6–4, 7–5
Loss	1959	U.S. Championships	Grass	Maria Bueno	1–6, 4–6
Loss	1961	Wimbledon	Grass	Angela Mortimer	6–4, 4–6, 5–7

Doubles: 2 (1 title, 1 runner-up)

Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Loss	1959	Wimbledon	Grass	Beverly Baker	Jeanne Arth Darlene Hard	6–2, 2–6, 3–6
Win	1960	Australian Championships	Grass	Maria Bueno	Lorraine Coghlan Robinson Margaret Smith	6–2, 5–7, 6–2

See also

• Performance timelines for all female tennis players who reached at least one Grand Slam final