Eleanor Tennant

Eleanor "Teach" Tennant (1895 – May 11, 1974^[1]) was a tennis player and coach from the U.S., notable for the being the first female player to turn professional.^[2] Tennant was once ranked third in America^[3] and was the coach of Grand Slam winners Alice Marble, Bobby Riggs, Pauline Betz, and Maureen Connolly. Tennant also coached Hollywood stars including Clark Gable and Carole Lombard, who gave her the nickname Teach.^[2][4]

Eleanor Tennant

Born	1895 (1895)
Died	May 11, 1974 (aged 78–79)
Doubles
Grand Slam doubles results
US Open	Loss (1920)
Coaching career
Alice Marble Bobby Riggs Pauline Betz Maureen Connolly

Grand Slam finals

Doubles: (1 runner-up)

Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Loss	1920	U.S. Championships	Grass	Helen Baker	Eleanor Goss Marion Zinderstein	3–6, 1–6

Further reading

• Spain, Nancy (1953). Teach Tennant: The Story of Eleanor Tennant, the Greatest Tennis Coach in the World. London: W. Laurie.
• Marble, Alice; Leatherman, Dale (1991). Courting Danger. New York: St. Martin's Press. ISBN 9780312928131.