Sutton, May G. (Mrs. Bundy))
Tennis
b. Sept. 25, 1887, Plymouth, England
d. Oct 24, 1975
Sutton's father was a U. S. Navy officer who retired and moved the family to California when she was six years old. He built a tennis court on their property and four of the five Sutton girls became very good players. Early in the century, the saying in California tennis circles was, "It takes a Sutton to beat a Sutton."
Though the youngest, May emerged as the best of the four. She went East for the first time in 1904 to win the national singles championship and she also teamed with Miriam Hall to win the doubles title. The following year, Sutton became the first American of either sex to win the Wimbledon championship. She won again at Wimbledon in 1907.
After marrying Tom Bundy in 1912, she retired to raise a family, but she returned to competitive tennis in 1921. She reached the finals of the national doubles championship in 1925 and the quarterfinals of the Wimbledon singles in 1929.
Sutton had speed, a strong serve and forehand, and the willingness to rush the net and volley when the opportunity arose. She was also a pioneer in sports attire, wearing shorter skirts than other women players of the time and rolling up her sleeves to gain more freedom of movement. She predicted that some day women would actually wear shorts on the tennis court.