The American tennis player Maureen Connolly became the first woman to win the tennis Grand Slam in 1953. Nicknamed “Little Mo” after a US warship, Connolly dominated her sport and became a global celebrity, but her career was cut short by injury and she died an early death. BBC tennis commentator Gigi Salmon tells her story.

This programme is an Audio Always production.

Photo: Maureen Connolly with her Wimbledon trophy. Copyright: Maureen Connolly Brinker Tennis Foundation.