The tennis champion who escaped the Nazis
The story of how Jewish tennis star Liesl Herbst fled the Nazis and ended up playing at Wimbledon with her daughter Dorli after World War Two. A record still unbroken.
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)
Last on
More episodes
Broadcasts
- Sat 29 Jun 202404:50GMTBBC World Service East and Southern Africa & Europe and the Middle East only
- Sat 29 Jun 202413:50GMTBBC World Service except East and Southern Africa, News Internet & West and Central Africa
- Sat 29 Jun 202417:50GMTBBC World Service News Internet
- Sat 29 Jun 202423:50GMTBBC World Service except Americas and the Caribbean, East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa
- Sun 30 Jun 202403:50GMTBBC World Service except East and Southern Africa, Europe and the Middle East & West and Central Africa
- Sun 30 Jun 202423:50GMTBBC World Service West and Central Africa
- Mon 1 Jul 202402:50GMTBBC World Service East and Southern Africa
Olympic history
The inside and personal story of the key moments from sporting history
Sporting Witness Films
Watch sporting heroes tell their stories of astonishing achievement
Podcast
![]()
Sporting Witness
Personal stories of amazing moments from sporting history told by people who were there
