Maria has been described in countless books over the past 40 years but a recurring theme is her feline quality. Here are but a few examples:-
TED TINLING (Washington Port, 1989)
“She was an actress. I would leave her alone for a few minutes and she would do her poses in front of the mirror and please herself how the dress was going to look on her.”
C. M. (“Jimmy”) JONES (Lawn Tennis Magazine)
“A one-grip stroke maker, Maria’s backhand was a poem of sweeping grace and her volleys the brushings of a master artist. Send her a lob and she pounced with the menacing swiftness of a panther to bury the ball with a frightening finality; hers was a smash no man would scorn.”
GWEN ROBYNS (“Wimbledon: The Hidden Drama”, published 1973)
“She looked like an exotic Siamese cat as she roamed the court. Maria was sinuous, sensuous and feminine. They called her the Queen of Wimbledon.”
TED TINLING (“A Handful of Summers” by Gordon Forbes, published 1978)
“Maria Bueno, a magnificent panther of a woman.”
BUD COLLINS (“Tennis Encyclopaedia”, published 1997)
“… the incomparably balletic and flamboyant Bueno. Volleying beautifully, playing with breathtaking boldness and panache, the lithe Brazilian became the first South American woman to win the Wimbledon singles.
MAX ROBERTSON (“Wimbledon 1877 – 1977″, published 1977)
“Rarely, if ever, has such physical beauty of movement been combined with such marvellous strokes, to which timing gave ferocious power, allied usually to impeccable length. She looked like a panther hunting for the kill. At peak form her game was imperious; all she lacked was Little Mo’s consistency….. At her height, Maria had been a queen whose grace and power were without compare.”
DAVID GRAY (“Shades of Gray”, published 1988)
“Miss Bueno, slim, dark, swift, and super-feminine in her inconsistency, her love for a fine dress and for a quick cry of admiration…. “
JOHN BARRETT (“100 Wimbledon Championships, A Celebration”, published 1986)
“Between 1959 and 1964 we were treated to three regal wins from the artistic racket of the elegant queen of Brazilian tennis, Maria Bueno. Here was poetry in motion whose every movement combined the grace of a ballet dancer with the controlled power of a top gymnast.”
FRANÇOISE DURR
“She was such a beautiful player. I used to watch her play, and not watch the ball at all.”
The Top 5 First Wimbledon Wins by the Greatest Women Tennis Stars of All Time
Alfonso Coley, Yahoo Contributor Network, May 5, 20101. Maria Bueno vs. Darlene Hard: Even though Maria Bueno did not overpower Darlene Hard in her first Wimbledon appearance in 1959-60, the contest would prove that Bueno’s court skills, and volleys would be too much for the power play of Darlene Hard. Maria Bueno solid serves and grand slams would overwhelm Darlene Hard – as the match would conclude 6-4, 6-3. This was a great match-up due to the fact that Darlene Hard was a well respected champion, and she could also control the court with her dominating serves, on the other hand, Maria Bueno was a very graceful player who was not intimidated by an opponent’s power or first serves. Maria Bueno is the pride of Brazil, she is a rare breed, an athlete that comes along once in a lifetime, and that is why the Argentinean people call her the queen of swing.