Tennis champion Margaret Osborne duPont won 31 doubles and mixed doubles titles at grand slam tournaments from 1941 to 1962. She also won the singles title at Wimbledon in 1947, the US National Championship (now the US Open) singles title from 1948 to 1950 and the French singles title in 1946 and 1949.
DuPont won more titles at what is now the US Open in singles, doubles and mixed doubles - 25 - than anyone else in history. She might have won more grand slam tournament titles if World War II had not interrupted competition in Europe and if she had played in the Australian Open, the fourth major. Her husband, chemical company heir William duPont jnr, persuaded her to bypass the Australian event because he preferred to spend his winters in California.
The right-handed duPont played an aggressive game, serving and volleying, that suited her well for doubles. She paired particularly well with Louise Brough, winning 20 major doubles titles together.
Margaret Osborne duPont, left, and opponent Jean Bostock at Wimbledon in 1948. Photo: Topical Press Agency/Getty Image
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Tennis great Billie Jean King said in a statement that duPont
had a ''huge impact'' on her career. ''She was one of my she-roes and
was a great influence on my life both on and off the court,'' King said.''I hope today's players and any boy or girl who dreams of a career in tennis will go to the history books and read about Margaret because her career wasn't just about winning matches, it was also about mentoring others.''
Margaret Evelyn Osborne was born March 4, 1918, in Joseph, Oregon, where her parents had a ranch. When the family moved to San Francisco, she played her first tennis at Golden Gate Park. Before long she was playing tennis on the national amateur circuit. During World War II, she worked in a shipbuilding plant in Sausalito, California.
She married in 1947 and the couple's son, William III, was born in 1952. But having a child didn't slow down her tennis competition. Her last grand slam title, mixed doubles at Wimbledon, came in 1962, when she was 44.
The couple divorced in 1964 then duPont moved to El Paso in 1966 and became involved in the horse racing business with her long-time friend and business partner Margaret Bloss.
DuPont followed the modern game, but she remarked on how much the game had changed. ''You hit the ball as hard as you can and, every once in a while, come to the net,'' she said.
''Not too much thought involved. And, of course, the racket technology makes it just an entirely different sport.''
Margaret Osborne duPont is survived by Bloss, her son and four grandchildren.
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