Condition

9

10: New
9: Mint
8: Excellent
7: Good
6: Fair
5: Average
4: Below Average
3: Poor

| Rarity

9

10: Impossibly rare
9: Extremely rare
8: Hard to find
7: Fairly rare
6: Uncommon
5: Common
<4: Big Seller

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About This Racket

Maureen Connolly Brinker (1934-1969), known as “Little Mo,” was an American tennis player, the winner of nine Grand Slam singles titles in the early 1950s and the first woman ever to win a tennis’ Grand Slam. Maureen Connolly started her brief but legendary career in San Diego, California as a 10 year old in 1944. In 1948 the 14 year old became the youngest winner of Southern California’s 18 and under Division Championship.  In 1951 before the age of 17, Maureen became the youngest player ever to win the prestigious U.S. National Championship (now the U.S. Open). In 1952 she successfully defended her U.S. title and also won Wimbledon. Then in 1953, she won fourteen titles, including all four of the majors in one calendar year to complete the elusive Grand Slam (Australian, French, Wimbledon, and U.S. Open), becoming the first woman and second player ever to accomplish that feat.  In the history of tennis, only a few players have won the Grand Slam. In 1954 Maureen won both Wimbledon and the French Open. She also captured the Wightman Cup for four straight years (1951-1954), winning all seven of her singles matches. Maureen was still playing as an amateur when she suffered a career-ending injury in July 1954. Shortly after winning her third straight Wimbledon title, the calf muscles in her right leg were severely damaged in a horseback-riding accident. Maureen was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1968. In June 1969 she sadly died of cancer at the young age of 34.

She played with several Wilson rackets including the Speed Flo in the 1950s and joined as a member of the Wilson Advisory Staff in 1956.

Historic Gallery

Specifications (👋 not yet accurate….check back soon)

Gallery

About Wilson

Wilson Sporting Goods Company traces its origins to the “Schwarzschild & Sulzberger” meatpacking company, which later became “Sulzberger & Son’s”. Founded in 1913 to utilize animal by-products, the company initially manufactured tennis racket strings, violin strings, and surgical sutures. By 1914, it expanded into producing baseball shoes and tennis racquets. Thomas E. Wilson, a former meatpacking president, was appointed in 1915, renaming the company “Thomas E. Wilson Company”. He steered the company into producing a variety of sporting goods, including footballs and basketballs. Wilson’s entry into the sporting goods industry was marked by innovation and strategic partnerships. In the 1920s, the company introduced the Ray Schalk catcher’s mitt and collaborated with Knute Rockne on football equipment. In 1931, it was renamed “Wilson Sporting Goods Company”. The company developed the Wilson Duke football, which became the official NFL ball in 1941, a partnership that continues to this day. Wilson’s influence in tennis began in earnest in the 1950s with the partnership with Jack Kramer, resulting in the Jack Kramer Autograph racquet. This racquet became one of the best-selling models of its time, used by numerous champions including Arthur Ashe and Billie Jean King. The 1960s saw further innovation with the introduction of the first steel racquet, the Wilson T2000, endorsed by Jimmy Connors. Wilson continued to innovate with the release of the Chris Evert Autograph racquet in 1975 and the introduction of wide body racquets in the 1980s. The company’s tennis balls became the official balls for the US Open in 1979 and the Australian Open in 2006. In 2021, Wilson returned as the official game ball supplier for the NBA and WNBA.