The Tennis Champion Who Escaped the Nazis: Liesl Herbst's Journey, from Vienna to Wimbledon

'A fabulous story guaranteed to capture people’s imagination' Mail on Sunday

'Stunningly descriptive, compelling writing. I was moved close to tears on several occasions.' Peter James, international bestselling crime writer

In 1930, at the age of twenty-seven, Liesl Herbst was the Austrian National Tennis Champion, a celebrity in Vienna. Liesl, her husband David and their daughter Dorli came to Britain after escaping the Nazis.

In London, though initially stripped of their Austrian passports and rendered stateless aliens, both Liesl and her daughter Dorli competed at Wimbledon. They remain the only mother and daughter ever to have played doubles together at Wimbledon.

This moving story of escape and survival is told by Liesl’s grand-daughter, Dorli’s daughter. Some of the story, the author heard first-hand from her grandmother; the rest, she has meticulously researched over many years in four countries. It is as much a search for the author’s own identity as for her own children and grandchildren to ensure that their remarkable family history is never lost again.

Illustrated throughout with family photographs and original documents, this is a story of survival against terrible odds, an inspiring tale of resilience and hope.

© 2023 Boldwood Books (Audiobook): 9781802471595

Release date

Audiobook: July 3, 2023