A Double 'Triple Crown' at Wimbledon
Learn about Alice Marble and Bobby Riggs' success in 1939
In tennis, the 'Triple Crown' is a rare feat: winning all three events (singles, doubles, mixed doubles) at one tournament. It's incredibly uncommon, let alone for two players to achieve it simultaneously.
A Rare Triple
However, this exact scenario occurred at Wimbledon in 1939. Americans Bobby Riggs and Alice Marble won their respective singles and doubles titles while partnering to win the mixed doubles title.
Marble's Dominant Victory
Alice Marble's Wimbledon 1939 was a display of dominance. Her singles victory saw her drop only two games, and her doubles win with Sarah Palfrey saw them drop just one. A truly exceptional performance.
Alice Marble's Wimbledon triumph was even more remarkable: she played and won all three of her championship matches on the same day!
Additionally, this was Marble's second joint triple crown! At the U.S. National Championships the previous year in 1938, Marble and compatriot Don Budge swept all three competitions. For Don Budge, his singles victory also marked the first Grand Slam won in tennis history.
Riggs' Hard-Fought Wins
While Alice Marble dominated, Bobby Riggs secured his wins with hard-fought battles. His singles final went five sets and his doubles final, where he partnered with compatriot Elwood Cooke, went to four sets.
Bobby Riggs in action at Wimbledon (1939) by AP Images International Tennis Hall of Fame
Cash for Bobby
Although he was not allowed to win money in any form as an amateur per USTLA guidelines at the time, Riggs later revealed that he had bet on himself with a London bookmaker that he would win all three titles in his sole appearance at Wimbledon. He certainly made a safe bet!
Riggs told journalist Bud Collins, "Even though bookmaking was legal [in Britian] I was an amateur and the United States Lawn Tennis Association would have frowned on betting on tennis. I was hush-hush about it." Riggs reportedly pocketed $108,000.
Obviously, Riggs and Marble partnered up to secure the mixed doubles title. After a back-and-forth first set, that the duo eventually won 9-7, they hit their stride in the second set, dominating with a 6-1 victory to take home the title.
Although a handful of both men and women have accomplished the 'Triple Crown,' it has only occurred jointly four times. At Australia in 1928 (Jean Borota and Daphne Akhurst), and at the U.S. Nationals in both 1983 (Marble and Budge) and 1954 (Vic Seixas and Doris Hart, shown).
In the Open Era, the only players, men and women, to accomplish a 'Triple Crown' are Margaret Court, Billie Jean King (shown), and Martina Navratilova. Remarkably, only Billie Jean King achieved this at Wimbledon, in 1973.
The modern demands of tennis make the 'Triple Crown' increasingly rare. Although a few players have come close, Martina Navratilova was the last to accomplish it in 1987. Currently, players tend to specialize in either singles or doubles, making the feat almost obsolete.
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