Virginia MacVeagh

Full name: Virginia Cameron MacVeagh
Nickname: Mia, Nonni
Alias: Ms. Frederick de Billier
Virginia Ferrante di Ruffano

Died
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Plays
Bio	Virginia was an American tennis player, playing on the courts at the beginning of the 20th century. She was the daughter of Lincoln Nanuk MacVeagh and Mary Wolfe Hammond. After her parents divorced Mary got married again, her second husband being the Ambasador of Greece, a Mr Frederick de Billier. She went down in tennis history as the first French Open finalist who was not French. An American abroad, she was very prominent in the early 1900s on the continent in Europe. She was sent to a Swiss boarding school at the age of 12, therefore French was as natural to her as English. It was probably at boarding school that she took up the sport of tennis. In 1906 she was the finalist at the French National Championships. This event was open only to French nationals or members of French tennis clubs. This is shrouded in a veil of mystery as no available score for the final she lost to Kate Gillou. Many sources are often mistake her nationality by listing her as English. MacVeagh spent time in the US in 1907. The 1908 Wright and Ditson tells us on page 150 the scratch event at the Maidstone Club was won "with ease by Miss Virginia MacVeagh, whose remarkably strong game is not yet well known in this country as she has been abroad for a number of years. She beat Miss Natalie Wildey 6-1 6-0." 1907 was probably a stint to reconnect with American relatives, including her father. She was back in Europe the next year, winning the 1908 Swiss Championships. Virginia met her future husband in Greece, while he was on his way to Turkey for a diplomatic posting. Engaged in 1910, they were married in Cannes, France. Her spouse was of Italian nobility as well as being a diplomat. Her domineering mother was a unique character. After divorcing Virginia's father she told everyone he was dead. Only years later did family members learn he was still alive. When Nonno di Ferrante asked Mrs de Billier for her daughters hand in marriage she agreed only after a demand that the couple name their fist son Tony, after her pet dog! Agnostino (known as "Nonno') was sent all around the world until his retirement in the 1950s. The couple lived in Italy, Turkey (1914-1916), Brazil, Spain, and Boston (1920-1928)-where Nonno was the Italian legate. Later they lived in Dresden, Germany during the early part of World War II, leaving only when Italy left the Axis in 1914. She played in the 1922 Mixed doubles at the US Nationals only months after the birth of her 3rd child.
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Tournament	AO	RG	W	US	Win-Loss
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		All-time					Amateur era					Open Era
		Total	A	R	W	U	Total	A	R	W	U	Total	A	R	W	U
1	GS Appearances	Subscribe now This information and data is not available because you are not our subscriber yet. Please click here and get full access to the entire database!
2	GS Matches
3	GS Appearances Representing The Same Nation
4	Represented different nations
5	Years Between 2 GS Appearances
6	Years Between The First And Last GS Appearance
7	Decades Between The First And Last GS Appearance
8	GS Final Appearances
9	GS Final Appearances Representing The Same Nation
10	Represented different nations in the GS Finals
11	Years Between 2 GS Final Appearances
12	Years Between The First And Last GS Final Appearance
13	Decades Between The First And Last GS Final Appearance
14	GS Titles