 | |
| Full name | Jennifer Staley Hoad |
|---|---|
| Country (sports) |  Australia |
| Born | (1934-03-03)3 March 1934 Melbourne, Australia |
| Died | 14 February 2024(2024-02-14) (aged 89) Fuengirola, Spain |
| Plays | Left-handed |
| Singles | |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Australian Open | F (1954) |
| French Open | QF (1956) |
| Wimbledon | 4R (1955,1956) |
| US Open | 2R (1956) |
| Doubles | |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| Australian Open | SF (1955) |
| Wimbledon | SF (1955) |
| Grand Slam mixed doubles results | |
| Australian Open | F (1955) |
| French Open | F (1955) |
| Wimbledon | SF (1955) |
Jenny Staley Hoad (3 March 1934 – 14 February 2024) was an Australian tennis player who was mainly active in the 1950s.
In January 1951 Staley won the junior doubles title at theAustralian Championships partnering Margaret Wallis.[1][2] In 1953 she also won the junior Australian singles title.[3]
As Jenny Staley she reached the singles final of1954 Australian Championships, played in Sydney, but lost in straight sets to top-seededThelma Coyne Long.[4] Also in 1954, Staley won the women's singles title at theAustralian Hard Court Championships,[5] defeating the defending championBeryl Penrose in a close match.In November 1954 she reached the final of theNew South Wales Championships which she lost in three sets to Beryl Penrose.[6] In December 1954 she was runner-up to Coyne Long at the Victorian Championships, played inKooyong.[7]
Staley won the women's singles title at theSouth Australian Championships atMemorial Drive Park in Adelaide in January 1955 defeatingFay Muller in the final in straight sets.[7]
At the1955 Australian Championships she partnered her then boyfriendLew Hoad in the mixed event and were runners-up to Thelma Coyne Long andGeorge Worthington.[8] Her best singles performance at theWimbledon Championships was reaching the fourth round in 1955, losing to eight-seededAngela Buxton, and 1956 when she was defeated by fifth-seeded and eventual championShirley Fry.[9]
Lew Hoad proposed to Staley on her 21st birthday party in March 1955, and they planned to announce their engagement in June in London while both were on an overseas tour.[10] After arriving in London Staley discovered that she was pregnant, and the couple decided to get married straight away. The marriage took place the following day on 18 June 1955 atSt Mary's Church, Wimbledon in London on the eve of Wimbledon.[11][12][13] They had two daughters and a son. After Hoad's retirement they moved to Fuengirola, Spain, near Málaga, where they constructed and operated the tennis resort Lew Hoad's Campo de Tenis for more than 30 years, entertaining personal friends that included actorsStewart Granger,Sean Connery,Richard Burton,Peter Ustinov,Deborah Kerr and her husbandPeter Viertel,Kirk Douglas, singerFrank Sinatra and saxophonistStan Getz.[14][15][16] Lew Hoad was diagnosed with a rare and incurable form of leukemia on 13 January 1994, which caused his death on 3 July 1994, at the age of 59.[17][18]
Jenny Hoad sold the club in April 1999 but continued to live at the accompanying residential complex.[19] In 2002, she publishedMy Life with Lew withJack Pollard.
Jenny Staley Hoad died inFuengirola, Spain on 14 February 2024, at the age of 89.[20]
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 1954 | Australian Championships | Grass | Thelma Coyne Long | 3–6, 4–6 |
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 1955 | Australian Championships | Grass | Lew Hoad | Thelma Coyne LongGeorge Worthington | 2–6, 1–6 |
| Loss | 1955 | French Championships | Clay |  Luis Ayala |  Darlene Hard Gordon Forbes | 7–5, 1–6, 2–6 |
| W | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | DNQ | A | NH |
| Tournament | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1955 | 1956 | 1957 | 1958–67 | 1968 | 1969–71 | 1972 | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Open | 2R | 2R | F | SF | A | QF | A | A | A | A | 0 / 5 |
| French Open | A | A | A | 2R | QF | 2R | A | A | A | A | 0 / 3 |
| Wimbledon | A | A | A | 4R | 4R | 1R | A | 2R | A | Q1 | 0 / 4 |
| US Open | A | A | A | A | 2R | A | A | A | A | A | 0 / 1 |
| Strike rate | 0 / 1 | 0 / 1 | 0 / 1 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 1 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 13 |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
