Queen of the Court: The Many Lives of Tennis Legend Alice Marble

by Madeleine Blais

From the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Madeleine Blais, the dramatic and colorful story of legendary tennis star and international celebrity, Alice Marble In August 1939, Alice Marble graced the cover of Life magazine, photographed by the famed Alfred Eisenstaedt. She was a glamorous worldwide celebrity, having that year won singles, women’s doubles, and mixed doubles tennis titles at both Wimbledon and the US Open, then an unprecedented feat. Yet today one of America’s greatest female athletes and most charismatic characters is largely forgotten. Queen of the Court places her back on center stage. Born in 1913, Marble grew up in San Francisco; her favorite sport, baseball. Given a tennis racket at age 13, she took to the sport immediately, rising to the top with a powerful, aggressive serve-and-volley style unseen in women’s tennis. A champion at the height of her fame in the late 1930s, she also designed a clothing line in the off-season and sang as a performer in the Sert Room of the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York to rave reviews. World War II derailed her amateur tennis career, but her life off the court was, if anything, even more eventful. She wrote a series of short books about famous women. She turned professional and joined a pro tour during the War, entertaining and inspiring soldiers and civilians alike. Ever glamorous and connected, she had a part in the 1952 Tracy and Hepburn movie Pat and Mike , and she played tennis with the likes of Charlie Chaplin, Marlene Dietrich, and her great friends, Clark Gable and Carole Lombard. However, perhaps her greatest legacy lies in her successful efforts, working largely alone, to persuade the all-white US Lawn Tennis Association to change its policy and allow African American star Althea Gibson to compete for the US championship in 1950, thereby breaking tennis’s color barrier. In two memoirs, Marble also showed herself to be an at-times unreliable narrator of her own life, which Madeleine Blais navigates skillfully, especially Marble’s dramatic claims of having been a spy during World War II. In Queen of the Court , the author of the bestselling In These Girls, Hope Is a Muscle recaptures a glittering life story.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Sports, History, Biography Memoir

432 pages, Hardcover

First published April 6, 2022

Reviews

[Neils Barringer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I somehow keep clicking on these Historical Tennis books! Again I am shocked I did not know much about Alice Marble as I grew up playing tennis, but apparently I have pretty limited knowledge of the great women who paved the way for us women today in the great sport.
What shocks and amazes me about the greats like Althea and Alice Marble is how tennis consumed their every waking moment. Alice had some very interesting life choices (smoking for one) It was sad to see how hard she worked and how many obstacles she over came in her personal life. I enjoyed reading about her adventurous life and all her dabbles in the celebrity world.
This telling of Alice Marble was a bit disconjointed at the end as Alice's reporting and documenting seemed to be fabricated at times. Blais does a decent job of informing the reader of what is real and what is "according" to Ms Marble.
Anyone who is interested in sports history, especially women's tennis, I would suggest adding this to their list. Alice was a trail blazer for sure, setting the ways with her power style of play and fashion. I enjoyed her competitive drive and love for the sport.
Thank you Net Galley for this advanced copy of "Queen of the Court: The Man Lives of Tennis Legend Alice Marble" I was not influenced or paid for my honest review.

[Chuck Neal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deeply researched and thoroughly presented by a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist the book tells the story of an almost forgotten tennis legend. Mix an improbable beginning with world class talent, movie stars, World War II and add in an irresistible charming woman and you create Alice Marble a tennis queen

[Lisa of Hopewell · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
Thank you to #Netgalley for a free copy of this audio book in exchange for an honest review.


My Interest

While I’m not big on sports, tennis is more than sport–at least it was in Alice Marple’s day. It was part of gracious living. So, I asked and #Netgalley granted.
The Story and My Thoughts

Back in the day when women playing sports was novel, Alice Marvel was a star. She was great friends with some of the lights of her day–William Randolph Hearst and Marion Davies, and most of all, Clark Gable and Carol Lombard. She was coached by the great “Teach” Tennant. She went on to win 18 Grand Slam tournaments, had a longtime “friendship” with Will Du Pont (who helped her financially) and coached young tennis players include the future superstar Billy Jean Moffatt King among others.
My Thoughts

At the University I told students 80% your words, 20% quotes or paraphrases of others was about right. I’m pretty sure the author did not hold to this. I got tired of hearing references to Marble’s autobiography. No matter, it was an interesting biography.

The audio performer though needed help.

Mispronounced:

Diocese
Calling the Women’s Army Corps “The W-A-C” instead of “The WACs”–as in “The WACs who Dressed in Slacks” [like “wacks”]
George Cukor
Babe Didrikson Zaharias
Sadly, there were several more

My Verdict
3.75

[Christi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Extremely well researched and presented.

I didn't know anything about tennis champion Alice Marble prior to reading this book though I had heard of some of her contemporaries. The section when Alice is winning all the major championships gets a little bogged down with all the match summaries and box scores. Her athletic career was cut short due to World War II. She spent the rest of her life hustling to make ends meet in public speaking, coaching clinics, and tennis club culture.

Since Alice is such an unreliable narrator, even in her two memoir/autobiographies, it's hard to find the truth in almost anything except those box scores. But boy, she sure can tell a good tale! I can imagine she was fantastic to hear at a ladies' luncheon back in the day.

*Thank you for the advance reader copy of this book from Grove Atlantic and Netgalley. I am required to disclose that in my review in compliance with federal law.

[LiA · Rating 5 out of 5]

A truly diligent, informative, and interesting biography Madeleine Blais, the US-based journalist and author, has written on Alice Marble, one of the first professional female tennis players of our times. And make no mistake: this is not a book for sports buffs, only. Sure, Alice Marble, from a modest San Francisco home, was an exceptional athlete, who started her career at a time, when tennis – as compared to (American) football and other „real sports“ was considered an activity for „sissies“, and maybe for „gals“, who wanted to spend some time moving in fresh air. Because, while tennis was considered a noble activity for the rich on green grass at the US East Coast, Californian West Coast kids just went to the park with their rackets to play, like Alice did in the Golden Gate Park. Blaise tells us Alice Marble’s life story and offers at the same time an abundant panorama of the period. She tackles issues like class (Marble’s dedication to the young and disadvantaged prodigies from poor families, like her own), race (Marble‘s support for Althea Gibson), gender (Marble’s fight for the same pay for female tennis pros), and the discriminatory, classicist and anti-female politics of major sports federations, including the US National Lawn Tennis Association and its very own agenda. We read about the discrimination of queer athletes in times, when you clearly risked your career by coming out (or being pushed out) of the closet as a gay or lesbian. A very topical book, actually. With at least as many footnotes as Alice Marble’s trophies (750, according to Blaise). We learn a lot by reading this testimony of a time that covers almost the whole 20th century – wars and cold war included. We learn a lot about how power tennis and professional tours and tournaments came about in this discipline, about what happened in the US and the European tennis world, about the early years of Wimbledon and the other Grand Slam events. And if we maybe only ever had heard of Suzanne Lenglen (an idol, when Marble started playing tennis) or Billie Jean King (whom Marble once trained) before, we now get a chance to meet many more famous women, who played this great game between the 1920s and the 1950s (and later). Alice Marble was born in 1913, was at the top of her career and fame in 1939 and carried on (as coach or sponsor of young talents) until 1990. She was a feminist (even before that word was used), and lived many years from the donations and gifts of a very generous billionaire whom she never married, although he would have loved too, and she died very poor. She was the most decorated woman in tennis in her time. And “she gloried in being the center of attention”, as Martina Navratilova’s ex-partner Rita Mae Brown (remember Rubyfruit Jungle?) once said about her. At the end of her book, just before the very long annex of endnotes, Madeleine Blais adds a chapter about the doubts and inconsistencies in Alice Marble’s lifestory, as told by herself or in anecdotes reported by others, and as written down in her two autobiographies Road to Wimbledon and Courting Danger. Well, here's your careful investigative reporter at work. I mostly skipped the “corrections”, because I felt that after reading the book I have got an excellent idea of an outstanding woman and athlete, even if not every detail of her life as told in Queen of the Court is true. I am usually not a biography reader, but I am very much into tennis, and I liked this biography a lot. Thank you netgalley for having made it available to me in exchange for a fair review.

[Ann Woodbury Moore · Rating 3 out of 5]

This review is cross-posted from "The Divine Miss Marble: A Life of Tennis, Fame, and Mystery" by Robert Weintraub (2020).
3.5. After finishing [Weintraub] I went online (as I often do) for more information about the subject, 1930s tennis star Alice Marble. Much to my surprise, I discovered a second recent biography of her (2023), "Queen of the Court" by Madeleine Blais. What are the odds that two major publishers, in a three-year period, would come out with books about a woman who—though well-known and highly influential in her day--is now relatively obscure? Naturally, I reserved Blais' title and, after a couple of weeks to delve into other books, read it. It’s also a 3.5. So, this is a joint review... Marble is an absolutely fascinating character, a rags-to-riches and success story, moving from life as a fatherless, lower-class child in 1920s San Francisco to the height of fame at the US Nationals and Wimbledon and overcoming major health issues along the way. She hobnobbed with Hollywood stars, sang in nightclubs, had her own fashion line, and toured the country during World War II. In the 1950s she championed Black player Althea Gibson and briefly coached Billie Jean King, but starting in the 1960s interest in her faded except among tennis aficionados. She died, alone, in 1990. The two biographies cover the same material. Blais’ is more scholarly, Weintraub’s more casual. Weintraub also has an annoying habit of both beginning his chapters with fictionalized scenes and inserting himself into the story. On the other hand, Weintraub is far more open about Marble’s bisexuality, which Blais tiptoes around. But the biggest difference is the way the two authors handle accounts Marble either exaggerated or created out of thin air—some minor, but others as important as a supposed marriage to a serviceman during World War II and a resulting pregnancy which ended in a miscarriage; and, serving as a spy in Switzerland during the last months of the War and being shot in the back. Weintraub acknowledges these as they occur chronologically in the text, then explains the research he did to disprove them. Consequently, as I read Blais’ book and found the questionable stories presented as fact, I was perturbed. Had Blais not done her homework? Only in her very last chapter (if you make it that far) does Blais address these problems. I find Weintraub’s approach more honest and direct. Alice Marble is definitely worth reading about (and her life would make a terrific feature film). However, for a biography, I recommend sticking to Weintraub.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informative biography of Alice Marble. A very thorough bio although I had never heard of her, but I do not follow the sport of tennis at all. Of course, there were tennis stars within the story that are very well known. The history of tennis was a nice touch, it's always a good thing to understand the history of a sport. Alice herself greatly embellished just about everything regarding herself and the author does try to clear a lot of it up. The most exciting thing for me was all the information about William Randolf Hearst and Marion Davis and many of their friends. Alice was very close to Carole Lombard and Clark Gable. Overall, it seemed to me that Alice was more of a jet setter along with the rich and famous than she was a tennis star. Surprisingly the book has no photos. I can honestly say that after a couple of hundred pages into the book that I lost a huge amount of interest, and it became a let's finish it asap.
Thank you to Goodreads for the Uncorrected Proof of the book.

[Randall Nelson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alice Marble was one of the first celebrity champions in women’s tennis. This biography explores her career, her improbable rise from a working class background in an era when tennis was the provenance of the wealthy, her experiences among the rich and famous, her part time work as singer, actor and writer and the influence she had on changing the status of women athletes. It is also an interesting story of the origins of tennis. Tennis fans will find this book full of technical and behind the scenes descriptions of Marbles matches. For non-tennis fans, less play by play would have made it a better book

[LYDIA · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well-researched biography on tennis star Alice Marble who in 1939 won title championships at Wimbledon and the US Open. A true Renaissance woman who was a writer, singer, and activist, she led a very exciting life. I especially enjoyed reading about the Hollywood portion of her life detailing her relationships with Hollywood bigwigs Clark Cable and Carole Lombard and parties at the Hearst Mansion.

A complimentary ARC of this novel was provided by a giveaway on Goodreads. This is my honest review. Opinions are mine alone and not biased in any way.

[Ashley : bostieslovebooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

A biography of Alice Marble – tennis legend and celebrity.

Though sometimes cumbersome to read due to the detail, QUEEN OF THE COURT provided an interesting look at Alice Marble’s life story. I was not familiar with Alice prior to reading, so I had a great deal to learn about her as well as the rise of women’s tennis including Alice’s work to dismantle the color barrier within competitive tennis. There was much more to her life beyond the court.

QUEEN OF THE COURT was a great book that I’d recommend for those interested in sports history (particularly tennis) and biographies (especially of athletes).

Thank you to Atlantic Monthly Press for the giveaway ARC.

[Janet Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

A long time tennis fan, I enjoyed the inside look of the sport over time. The history only increased my fandom.
I also enjoyed learning about historical time period, as Blais does an excellent job putting Marble’s story into broader context. At the end, I felt conflicted about Marble’s story, which is how I believe the author wanted me to feel.

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a perfect book to read as tennis grand slam tournaments get underway this summer. Blais dives deep into Marble's intriguing life and, in doing so, delivers a fantastic history of tennis in the U.S. and deep insight into the places and namesakes of courts where action continues with modern-day tennis.

[LiA · Rating 5 out of 5]

A truly diligent, informative, and interesting biography Madeleine Blais, the US-based journalist and author, has written on Alice Marble, one of the first professional female tennis players of our times. And make no mistake: this is not a book for sports buffs, only. Sure, Alice Marble, from a modest San Francisco home, was an exceptional athlete, who started her career at a time, when tennis – as compared to (American) football and other „real sports“ was considered an activity for „sissies“, and maybe for „gals“, who wanted to spend some time moving in fresh air. Because, while tennis was considered a noble activity for the rich on green grass at the US East Coast, Californian West Coast kids just went to the park with their rackets to play, like Alice did in the Golden Gate Park. Blaise tells us Alice Marble’s life story and offers at the same time an abundant panorama of the period. She tackles issues like class (Marble’s dedication to the young and disadvantaged prodigies from poor families, like her own), race (Marble‘s support for Althea Gibson), gender (Marble’s fight for the same pay for female tennis pros), and the discriminatory, classicist and anti-female politics of major sports federations, including the US National Lawn Tennis Association and its very own agenda. We read about the discrimination of queer athletes in times, when you clearly risked your career by coming out (or being pushed out) of the closet as a gay or lesbian. A very topical book, actually. With at least as many footnotes as Alice Marble’s trophies (750, according to Blaise). We learn a lot by reading this testimony of a time that covers almost the whole 20th century – wars and cold war included. We learn a lot about how power tennis and professional tours and tournaments came about in this discipline, about what happened in the US and the European tennis world, about the early years of Wimbledon and the other Grand Slam events. And if we maybe only ever had heard of Suzanne Lenglen (an idol, when Marble started playing tennis) or Billie Jean King (whom Marble once trained) before, we now get a chance to meet many more famous women, who played this great game between the 1920s and the 1950s (and later). Alice Marble was born in 1913, was at the top of her career and fame in 1939 and carried on (as coach or sponsor of young talents) until 1990. She was a feminist (even before that word was used), and lived many years from the donations and gifts of a very generous billionaire whom she never married, although he would have loved too, and she died very poor. She was the most decorated woman in tennis in her time. And “she gloried in being the center of attention”, as Martina Navratilova’s ex-partner Rita Mae Brown (remember Rubyfruit Jungle?) once said about her. At the end of her book, just before the very long annex of endnotes, Madeleine Blais adds a chapter about the doubts and inconsistencies in Alice Marble’s lifestory, as told by herself or in anecdotes reported by others, and as written down in her two autobiographies Road to Wimbledon and Courting Danger. Well, here's your careful investigative reporter at work. I mostly skipped the “corrections”, because I felt that after reading the book I have got an excellent idea of an outstanding woman and athlete, even if not every detail of her life as told in Queen of the Court is true. I am usually not a biography reader, but I am very much into tennis, and I liked this biography a lot. Thank you netgalley for having made it available to me in exchange for a fair review.