Sporting Witness
Sporting Witness
The tennis champion who escaped the Nazis
Up next
June 29, 2024
9 minutes
Available for over a year
Jewish tennis star Liesl Herbst dreamt of playing at Wimbledon but after Hitler invaded Austria, she was banned from competing.
After fleeing from the Nazis with her family to London, she finally played two months before World War Two began.
When it resumed in 1946, Liesl returned with her daughter Dorli to play in the ladies' doubles.
They remain the only mother and daughter who have competed together at Wimbledon.
Felice Hardy, granddaughter of Liesl and daughter of Dorli, author of The Tennis Champion Who Escaped The Nazis, speaks to Megan Jones.
(Credit: Hardy)