Fifty-two years ago, Olga Morozova became the last woman to lift the Queen’s trophy. Her stint as defending champion lasted until Tatjana Maria lifted an enormous new trophy – the old one lost to the mists of time – on Sunday. It crowned a week in which the traditions of one of the game’s most hallowed tournaments merged with the contemporary drive to push women’s sport to even greater heights.
This time a year ago, there was outrage from some quarters at the thought that women would return to Queen’s after half a century’s absence. Members of the prestigious west London club objected to their facilities being taken out of action for even longer than usual; there were concerns over wear on the grass ahead of the men’s event. A bloc of Queen’s members even attempted to force the board to resign over the concept of dragging the tournament into the 21st century.
