Paula von Reznicek (née Heimann; 17 October 1895 – 12 October 1976), was a German tennis player, journalist and author.
Paula Von Reznicek was born on 17 October 1895[a] in Breslau, daughter of banker Georg Heimann and Valesca (Vally) Molinari.
She competed at the Wimbledon Championships in 1927 and 1928. Her best result in singles was reaching the second round in 1928 where she was defeated by fifth-seeded Kea Bouman. In 1928 the mother of fellow tennis player Cilly Aussem claimed that Von Reznicek had twice defeated her daughter by using hypnotism, which led to an altercation and a lawsuit in which Von Reznicek filed charges of 'defamation of character' and Aussem's mother charged her with 'insulting assault'.[5][6][7] Von Reznicek won the singles title at the 1929 German Championships, held in Hamburg, after defeating Violet Chamberlain in the final in three sets.[8] Von Reznicek won the singles title at the South of France Championships in 1928 and 1929, defeating Cilly Aussem and Phyllis Covell in the respective finals.[9] The following year, 1930, she became the singles champion at the French Covered Court Championships after a win in the final against Marguerite Bordes.
From 1928 onward she wrote several books including a biography of tennis player Gottfried von Cramm, published in 1949.[10] She was a contributor to the illustrated magazine Die Dame (English: The Lady).
Personal life
In 1925 she married sportsjournalist Burghard Freiherr von Reznicek whom she divorced in 1931. In 1932 she married German racing driver Hans Stuck with whom she had gone on a sports tour of South America and the United States in early 1932.[11] They were divorced in 1948. Von Reznicek died on 12 October 1976, aged 80, in Munich.
^"Paula von Reznicek and Hans Stuck on tour". Hartford Courant. 26 December 1931. p. 12 – via Newspaper.som. Paula von Reznicek, prominent woman tennis player, and Hans Stuck, auto race driver, left here today on a sports tour that will pit them against the leading talent in South America and the United States.