Margaret Osborne duPont

Margaret Osborne duPont. . , Tennis Champion and Champion for Tennis , Margaret Osborne was already tennis champion when she married William duPont, Jr. in 1947. She went on to win titles both in this country and Europe, while working in Delaware to advance the game of tennis., Osborne's early love of tennis soon developed into a national and then international reputation. She was a regular on the public courts of her hometown of Joseph, Oregon, and won her first trophy at the age of 12 in 1930, after her family moved to San Francisco. Osborne entered the California State Tournament in 1931 and won her first national championship in 1936. Osborne became one of Women's Tennis' greatest players, earning 25 U.S. titles, seven wins at Wimbledon, England and five at the French Championships. She was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1987 and into the Delaware Sports Hall of Fame in 1996., After Osborne married William duPont, Jr., they worked together to promote tennis in Delaware. She became an officer of the Delaware Lawn Tennis Association, helping to build sixty public tennis courts and sponsoring young players throughout the state. The organization won financial support for this work from the United States Lawn Tennis Association. New York is the only other state to receive such funding., Margaret Osborne duPont moved to Texas in 1964 to breed and race thoroughbred horses with her friend, former racquet sports star Margaret Verner Bloss., [Captions:] , As a tennis player, Osborne duPont was known for her strong forehand, powerful serve, and superb net play. Photo courtesy of the International Tennis Hall of Fame., Osborne duPont was at her best when teamed with her friend Louise Brough. Together, they won nine U.S. and eight European doubles titles. Seen here together with Brough in 1949, they collect the Women's Doubles Trophy at the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships in England. Photo courtesy of the Hulton Archive., Osborne duPont (on the right) shakes hands with her opponent after winning a match at Wimbledon in 1949. For her outstanding record of championships and sportsmanship, Osborne was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1987. Photo courtesy of the Hulton Archives.