Kathleen "Kitty" McKane Godfree (née McKane; 7 May 1896 – 19 June 1992) was a British tennis and badminton player and the second most decorated female British Olympian, joint with Katherine Grainger.

Career According to A. Wallis Myers of The Daily Telegraph and the Daily Mail, Godfree was ranked in the world top 10 from 1921 (when the rankings began) through 1927, reaching a career high of world No. 2 in these rankings in 1923, 1924, and 1926.Kitty and King George V. at Wimbledon 1926 in The Illustrated London News

Godfree won five Olympic medals in tennis at the 1920 Antwerp and 1924 Paris games, the most Olympic medals won by a tennis player until Venus Williams matched this record at the 2016 Olympic Games. In 1923, she captured the title at the World Covered Court Championships.

Godfree won the Wimbledon singles title twice. In the 1924 final, Godfree recovered from a set and 4–1 (40–15) down against Helen Wills to win the title. This was the only defeat at Wimbledon for Wills who later won eight titles. In the 1926 final, Godfree recovered from a 3–1 and game-point-against deficit in the third set to defeat Lili de Alvarez.

The 1924 Wimbledon final was not Godfree's only victory over Wills. Godfree also defeated Wills during the 1924 Wightman Cup 6–2, 6–2.Collins, Bud (2008) p. 565 On at least two other occasions, Godfree pushed Wills to the limit. Wills won their quarterfinal in the 1923 U.S. Championships 2–6, 6–2, 7–5 after Godfree recovered to 5–5 in the third set after trailing 5–2. In the final of the 1925 U.S. Championships, Wills won in three sets.

In 1925, Godfree became the first person to have reached the singles finals of the French Championships, Wimbledon, and U.S. Championships during her career.

In 1922, Kitty and her sister Margaret McKane Stocks were the only sisters to contest a Wimbledon doubles final (until Serena and Venus Williams reached the final in 2000), losing to Suzanne Lenglen and Elizabeth Ryan 6–0, 6–4.

Godfree's lifetime record at Wimbledon was 38–11 in singles, 33–12 in women's doubles, and 40–12 in mixed doubles.

Godfree received a Centenary medallion on Wimbledon's Centre Court in 1977. She presented the winner's trophy to Martina Navratilova in 1986, in honour of the centenary year of play at Wimbledon. Godfree was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1978.

In badminton, Godfree won eight All England Open Badminton Championships from 1920 through 1925, considered the unofficial World Badminton ChampionshipsThe History of All England Championships until 1977.

She was the subject of This Is Your Life in 1987 when she was surprised by Eamonn Andrews while shopping in a supermarket in East Sheen.

Godfree died on 19 June 1992 at the age of 96.

Godfree's name lives on in Wimbledon at Kathleen Godfree Court, a later-living development that she opened on 25 July 1989.

In 2025 the Museum of Richmond included her in their exhibition "Trailblazing Women – Richmond’s Sporting Superstars".

Grand Slam finals

Singles: 5 (2 titles, 3 runners-up) ResultYearChampionshipSurfaceOpponentScoreLoss 1923 Wimbledon Grass Suzanne Lenglen 2–6, 2–6Win 1924 Wimbledon Grass Helen Wills 4–6, 6–4, 6–4Loss 1925 French Championships Clay Suzanne Lenglen 1–6, 2–6Loss 1925 U.S. National Championships Grass Helen Wills 6–3, 0–6, 2–6Win 1926 Wimbledon Grass Lilí de Álvarez6–2, 4–6, 6–3

Doubles: 7 (2 titles, 5 runners-up) ResultYearChampionshipSurfacePartnerOpponentsScoreLoss 1922 Wimbledon Grass Margaret McKane Stocks Suzanne Lenglen Elizabeth Ryan 0–6, 4–6Win 1923 U.S. National Championships Grass Phyllis Howkins Covell Eleanor Goss Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman 2–6, 6–2, 6–1Loss 1924 Wimbledon Grass Phyllis Howkins Covell Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman Helen Wills 4–6, 4–6Loss 1925 French Championships Clay Evelyn Colyer Suzanne Lenglen Julie Vlasto 1–6, 11–9, 2–6Loss 1926 French Championships Clay Evelyn Colyer Suzanne Lenglen Julie Vlasto 1–6, 1–6Loss 1926 Wimbledon Grass Evelyn Colyer Mary Browne Elizabeth Ryan 1–6, 1–6Win 1927 U.S. National Championships Grass Ermyntrude Harvey Joan Fry Betty Nuthall 6–1, 4–6, 6–4

Mixed doubles: 5 (3 titles, 2 runners-up) ResultYearChampionshipSurfacePartnerOpponentsScoreLoss 1923 U.S. National Championships Grass John Hawkes Molla Bjurstedt Mallory Bill Tilden 3–6, 6–2, 8–10Win 1924 Wimbledon Grass Brian Gilbert Dorothy Shepherd Leslie Godfree 6–3, 3–6, 6–3Win 1925 U.S. National Championships Grass John Hawkes Ermyntrude Harvey Vincent Richards 6–2, 6–4Win 1926 Wimbledon Grass Leslie Godfree Mary Browne Howard Kinsey 6–3, 6–4Loss 1927 Wimbledon Grass Leslie Godfree Elizabeth Ryan Frank Hunter 6–8, 0–6

Grand Slam singles tournament timeline

Tournament 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 Career SR AustraliaNHNHNHAAAAAAAAAAAAA 0 / 0 France1NHAASFFNH FQFAAAAAAAA 0 / 4 WimbledonQF3R2R2R F W SF WQFAAA4R4R2R3R 2 / 13 United StatesAAAAQFA FA1RAAAAAAA 0 / 3 SR0 / 10 / 10 / 10 / 20 / 31 / 10 / 31 / 20 / 20 / 00 / 00 / 00 / 10 / 10 / 10 / 1 2 / 20

1Through 1923, the French Championships were open only to French nationals and foreigners who had membership with a French tennis club. The World Hard Court Championships (WHCC), actually played on clay in Paris or Brussels, began in 1912 and were open to all nationalities. The results from that tournament are shown here from 1920 through 1923. The Olympics replaced the WHCC in 1924, as the Olympics were held in Paris. Beginning in 1925, the French Championships were open to all nationalities, with the results shown here beginning with that year.

Husband Kitty and her husband Leslie remain the only married couple to have won the mixed doubles championship at Wimbledon, winning the title in 1926. Kitty has also been referred to as Mrs. L. A. Godfree on sportscards and in reference material.

See also Performance timelines for all female tennis players since 1978 who reached at least one Grand Slam final

References

External links