Erika Vollmer

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Erika Probst-Vollmer , née Obst , married Launert (born February 23, 1925 in Graz ), is a former German tennis player of Austrian origin.

Life

Her father was an officer in the Austrian army. After Austria was annexed to Nazi Germany in 1938, the family moved to Hamburg. In 1942 Erika Obst became German youth champion. A year later she passed the Abitur. Then she was drafted into the Reich Labor Service as an air force helper. After the end of the war she was taken prisoner by the English for two months. Then she began studying art history, literary history and theater studies in Hamburg. In 1947 she became German university champion. In the same year she married the doctor Johannes Vollmer. In 1949 their son Marius was born.

From 1948 to 1959, with the exception of 1951, she took part in the International German Tennis Championships . She won three titles in the doubles competitions: 1954 with the British Joy Mottram in the women's doubles and 1954 and 1955 with the American Hugh Stewart in the mixed doubles. She was twice in the individual finals, which she lost to Dorothy Head in 1952 and Beryl Penrose in 1955 . In 1952 she was the first national German champion. She also won this title in 1954, 1955, 1957 and 1959.

From 1953 to 1959 she also played at Wimbledon . In 1953 she reached the quarter-finals, where she was defeated by the eventual winner Maureen Connolly . She also reached the quarter-finals twice in the two doubles competitions: in the women's doubles in 1954 with the American Betty Pratt and in 1957 with the Czechoslovakian Věra Pužejová as well as in the mixed doubles in 1955 and 1956 at the side of Hugh Stewart.

Performing in Grand Slam tournaments

singles

competition 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 Career
French Open  2 2 1 VF - AF - - VF
Wimbledon - VF 2 1 3 3 3 3 VF

Double

competition 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 Career
French Open  1 2 HF VF - HF - - HF
Wimbledon - 1 VF AF 1 VF 2 2 VF

Mixed

competition 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 Career
French Open  2 2 2 ? - HF - - HF
Wimbledon - 2 -? VF VF 3 3 -? VF

Honors

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Vollmer, Erika
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Probst-Vollmer, Erika; Fruit, Erika (maiden name); Launert, Erika (married name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German tennis player
DATE OF BIRTH February 23, 1925
PLACE OF BIRTH Graz