Lottie Dod facts for kids

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Lottie Dod

Dod in 1891

Full name

Charlotte Dod

Country (sports)

United Kingdom

Born

24 September 1871
Bebington, Cheshire, England

Died

27 June 1960 (aged 88)
Sway, Hampshire, England

Height

5 ft 6.5 in (1.69 m)

Plays

Right-handed

Int. Tennis HoF

1983 (member page)

Singles

Grand Slam singles results

Wimbledon

W (1887, 1888, 1891, 1892, 1893)

Medal record

Women's archery

Olympic Games
Silver	1908 London	Double National round

Charlotte Dod (born September 24, 1871 – died June 27, 1960) was an amazing English athlete. She was famous for playing many sports, but especially tennis. She won the Wimbledon Ladies' Singles title five times! Her first win was in 1887 when she was just 15 years old. She is still the youngest ladies' singles champion ever.

Besides tennis, Lottie Dod was great at many other sports. She played golf, field hockey, and archery. She even won the British Ladies Amateur Golf Championship. She also played twice for the England women's national field hockey team, which she helped start. At the 1908 Summer Olympics, she won a silver medal in archery. The Guinness Book of Records has called her one of the most versatile female athletes of all time.

Growing Up
Tennis Achievements
- Wimbledon Finals
Other Sports and Adventures
Later Life
Images for kids
See also

Growing Up

Lottie Dod was born on September 24, 1871, in Bebington, Cheshire, England. She was the youngest of four children. Her father, Joseph, earned a lot of money in the cotton business. This meant the family was very wealthy. Lottie and her brother Willy never had to work.

All of Lottie's siblings were good at sports too. Her sister, Annie, was a skilled tennis player, golfer, ice skater, and billiards player. Her brother Willy won an Olympic gold medal in archery in 1908. Her other brother, Tony, was also good at archery, chess, and tennis. The Dod children were taught at home by tutors. When Lottie was nine, two tennis courts were built at their family home. Lawn tennis was new and popular with rich families in England. All the Dod children played often. They sometimes held tennis parties, inviting future Wimbledon champions like Joshua Pim. When she was eleven, Lottie joined the Rock Ferry Tennis Club.

Tennis Achievements

Lottie played in her first tennis tournament at age eleven in 1883. She played doubles with her older sister, Annie. In 1885, Lottie became well-known when she almost beat the Wimbledon champion, Maud Watson, in a final. She lost closely but won the doubles event with Annie. She also won her first singles title that year. Because of these wins, the newspapers called her "Little Wonder."

In 1886, Lottie won the singles title at the West of England Championships. She beat Maud Watson, ending Watson's amazing streak of 55 wins in a row. By 1887, Lottie was a top player. She won the singles title at the Irish Championships, beating Watson easily. She also won the Northern Championships without losing a single set.

The ladies shake hands at the end of the Lawn-Tennis Championship Match at Wimbledon, 1887

These wins encouraged her to enter the 1887 Wimbledon Championships. Only six players entered. Lottie easily won her matches to reach the final. There, she played against the defending champion, Blanche Bingley. Lottie won quickly, 6–2, 6–0. The second set lasted only 10 minutes! At 15 years and 285 days old, she became the youngest ladies' singles champion ever.

Lottie Dod in 1891

Lottie and Blanche Bingley (now Blanche Hillyard) met again in the Wimbledon final of 1888. Lottie won again, defending her title. Lottie's tennis style was unusual for her time but seems very modern now. She hit the ball just as it reached the top of its bounce. Her shots were very powerful. However, like many women players then, she served underhand.

In 1889, Lottie only played in one tournament, which she won. She did not play at Wimbledon that year. She was on a sailing trip and did not want to return for the tournament. She also did not play any tennis in 1890.

Lottie wanted to win Wimbledon three times in a row. She returned in 1891 and won her third Wimbledon title. She beat Blanche Hillyard again. In 1892, Lottie lost a singles match for the first time since 1886. This was only her fifth loss in her whole tennis career. She still won Wimbledon easily that year. Lottie's last year as a competitive tennis player was 1893. She won both tournaments she entered, including Wimbledon. She beat Blanche Hillyard in a tough three-set match. Lottie's record of five Wimbledon titles was later broken by Blanche Hillyard, who won her sixth title in 1900.

Lottie sometimes played matches against men, who usually had a handicap. She even beat famous male players when playing doubles with a partner.

Wimbledon Finals

Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Opponent	Score
Win	1887	Wimbledon	Grass	Blanche Bingley Hillyard	6–2, 6–0
Win	1888	Wimbledon	Grass	Blanche Bingley Hillyard	6–3, 6–3
Win	1891	Wimbledon	Grass	Blanche Bingley Hillyard	6–2, 6–1
Win	1892	Wimbledon	Grass	Blanche Bingley Hillyard	6–1, 6–1
Win	1893	Wimbledon	Grass	Blanche Bingley Hillyard	6–8, 6–1, 6–4

Other Sports and Adventures

After her tennis career, Lottie focused on other sports. In 1895, she visited St. Moritz, a popular winter sports resort. There, she passed a difficult figure skating test. She also rode the toboggan on the famous Cresta Run. Lottie started mountaineering with her brother Tony, climbing high mountains in Switzerland and Norway.

Field Hockey

Lottie started playing women's field hockey in 1897. She helped start a women's hockey club in Spital. She played as a central forward and soon became the team captain. Her team usually won when she played.

By 1899, Lottie was captain of the Cheshire county team. She played for the English national team on March 21, 1899, winning against Ireland. She scored both English goals in a 2–1 win against Ireland in 1900. Lottie stopped playing national and county matches after her mother died in 1901. She still played for her local club until 1905.

Golf

Lottie Dod first played golf at age fifteen. Unlike tennis, she found golf hard to learn. By the time she became serious about golf, the Ladies Golf Union (LGU) had been created. Women's golf was becoming a real sport.

Lottie helped start a ladies' golf club in Moreton in 1894. She played in the National Championships that year. Her interest in golf grew, and she played in many tournaments. In 1898 and 1900, she reached the semi-finals of the National Championships. In 1904, she played in the British Ladies Amateur. She reached the final for the first time. She played against May Hezlet, a former champion. The match was very close. Lottie won unexpectedly, becoming the first woman to win both British tennis and golf championships.

After her golf victory, Lottie traveled to Philadelphia. She was invited to watch the U.S. Women's Amateur golf tournament. When she arrived, the rules had changed, allowing non-Americans to compete. Lottie was asked to play. She lost in the first round, but she encouraged American players to come to the British championships the next year. Lottie played her last golf tournament in 1905.

Archery

In 1905, Lottie and her brothers moved to a new home near Newbury, Berkshire. They had practiced archery before, but now they became more serious. They joined the Welford Park Archers. Lottie won her first archery tournament by 1906. She finished fifth in the Grand National Archery Meeting for three years in a row.

Lottie's archery skills earned her a spot on the British Olympic team in 1908. The women's archery event at the 1908 Summer Olympics only had British women competing. Lottie led after the first day, but Queenie Newall passed her on the second day. Lottie won a silver medal, finishing second. Her brother Willy won the gold medal in the men's archery competition.

In 1910, Lottie almost won the Grand National, which would have made archery the third sport where she was a national champion. After her archery club closed in 1911, Lottie's long sports career came to an end.

Later Life

In 1913, Lottie and Willy moved to a new house. When World War I started, Lottie worked for the British Red Cross as a nurse from 1916. She worked in hospitals in England. She wanted to work in France during the war, but health issues stopped her. She received a medal from the Red Cross for working over 1,000 hours.

Lottie lived in London and Devon later in life. She always went to the Wimbledon Championships until she was almost 90 years old. After her brother Willy died in 1954, she lived in nursing homes. She passed away at age 88 while listening to Wimbledon on the radio. She was never married.

Lottie Dod was honored by being chosen for the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1983. A public house in Moreton was renamed "Lottie Dod" in May 2024.