Dec 31, 2019
Charlotte Reinagle Cooper, the first Olympic champion in women's tennis (date unknown).
Cooper was one of the first women to use an overhead serve. She had an offensive playing style, and was excellent at volleying, although it was rare in women's tennis at the time. At the Paris Olympics in 1900, she placed first in women's singles and mixed doubles (with Reginald Doherty). Like most of the winners at these Olympics, she received trophies rather than medals (it wasn't until the 1904 Olympics that the gold-silver-bronze tradition began).