The Tennis Champion Who Escaped the Nazis

Liesl Herbst, Austrian National Tennis champion, fled Nazi occupation with her family - this is the moving story of their escape and of what happened to those left behind

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



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