The Bueno Game

REX BELLAMY (“Love Thirty”,  published 1990)

“The memories of her early splendour are vivid if few : the elegant figure in Tinling-designed  dresses; the magnetic, aloof, slightly imperious personality; the grace and  panache; the blazing facility of service and volley; and the Latin instinct for  style and artistry. One must recall the homespun eccentricity of her response to  a good lob.

Lacking Court’s athleticism or Turner’s footwork, Bueno set off  towards the backstop with as much speed as she could muster and hit a return  back over her left shoulder. It was usually an impressively crisp shot and her  opponents had little idea where it was going. Bueno enjoyed doing that – and  hearing the crowd gasp with astonishment and pleasure. It was like a grace note  in music or a painter’s flamboyant signature in a corner of a canvas.”

DAN MASKELL (“From where I sit”, published 1988)

“This  supremely stylish player, always strikingly dressed by Ted Tinling, was a joy to  watch. On reflection I  cannot ever remember her playing an ugly shot even under the severest of  pressure.”

AL LANEY

“Not only  is she the most graceful of all players – but she uses every shot known to the  game and all of the court.”

Nicknames

   

  • La  Bueno
  • La  Belle Bueno
  • The  Brazilian Bombshell
  • La  Panthère
  • Mestra
  • The  Sâo Paulo Swallo