Darlene Hard
A ferocious net-rusher with a cannonball serve who dominated mid-century tennis, collecting 21 major titles and becoming perhaps the greatest doubles player of her era.
1936–2021 (age 85)·American tennis player·Birthday: January 6·The Silent Generation
Biography
Darlene Hard played tennis with a masculine, aggressive style that was ahead of its time. In an age of baseline play, she charged the net behind powerful serves and crisp volleys, a tactic that brought her three major singles titles at the French and U.S. Championships. But it was in doubles where she built an immortal legacy. With a seemingly telepathic sense of court geometry and a fierce competitive will, she won 18 Grand Slam doubles titles with various partners, including a young Billie Jean King. Hard was the engine of the U.S. Wightman and Federation Cup teams, known for her clutch performances. After an initial retirement in 1963, she staged a remarkable comeback six years later, winning the 1969 US Open women's doubles title at age 33. She later coached at Pomona College, imparting her attacking philosophy to new generations.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Darlene was born in 1936, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Darlene Was Born
The biggest hits of 1936
#1 Movie
San Francisco
Best Picture
The Great Ziegfeld
Darlene's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1936Born
Jesse Owens wins four golds at the Berlin Olympics
Gas: $0.19/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"The Way You Look Tonight" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: The Great Ziegfeld
1941Started school
Pearl Harbor attack brings the US into WWII
Gas: $0.19/galHome: $3,060Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Chattanooga Choo Choo" — Glenn MillerBest Picture: How Green Was My Valley
1949Became a teenager
NATO founded; Mao proclaims the People's Republic of China
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Riders in the Sky" — Vaughn MonroeBest Picture: All the King's Men
1952Could drive
Queen Elizabeth II ascends the throne
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,350Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Blue Tango" — Leroy AndersonBest Picture: The Greatest Show on Earth
1954Could vote
Brown v. Board of Education desegregates US schools
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $8,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Little Things Mean a Lot" — Kitty KallenBest Picture: On the Waterfront
1957Turned 21
Sputnik launches the Space Age
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $10,550Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"All Shook Up" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: The Bridge on the River Kwai
1966Turned 30
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1976Turned 40
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1986Turned 50
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1996Turned 60
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
2006Turned 70
Twitter launches; Pluto reclassified as dwarf planet
Gas: $2.59/galHome: $174,700Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Bad Day" — Daniel PowterBest Picture: The Departed
2016Turned 80
Donald Trump elected president; Brexit vote
Gas: $2.14/galHome: $181,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Love Yourself" — Justin BieberBest Picture: Moonlight
2021Died at 85
January 6 Capitol breach; COVID vaccines roll out globally
Gas: $3.01/galHome: $298,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Levitating" — Dua LipaBest Picture: CODA
Key Achievements
- Won 21 Grand Slam titles total: 3 in singles, 13 in women's doubles, and 5 in mixed doubles.
- Captured the US Championships singles title in consecutive years (1960, 1961).
- Won the US Open women's doubles title in 1969, six years after her first retirement from top-level play.
Did You Know?
She was the first woman to use a metal tennis racket in tournament play.
Hard worked as a tennis teaching pro at the exclusive Virginia Country Club in Long Beach for many years.
She and her mixed doubles partner, Rod Laver, completed a Calendar Year Grand Slam in mixed doubles in 1960.
“I'd rather volley at the net than stay back and wait for the ball to come to me.”
