![Suzanne Lenglen revolutionized women's tennis in the 1920s, with her daring outfits and aggressive style of play.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/130603200450-lenglen12.jpg?q=w_2654,h_3638,x_0,y_0,c_fill/h_447)
French Open's favorite 'Flapper' —
Suzanne Lenglen revolutionized women's tennis in the 1920s, with her daring outfits and aggressive style of play.
!["She had that thing that we love in our public figures -- she had a sense of drama," author Larry Engelmann told CNN's Open Court.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/130603193706-lenglen6.jpg?q=w_3688,h_2504,x_0,y_0,c_fill/h_447)
French Open's favorite 'Flapper' —
"She had that thing that we love in our public figures -- she had a sense of drama," author Larry Engelmann told CNN's Open Court.
!["When she walked out on the court, when she walked down the street after the match, there was a certain passion, drama, gloriousness, a suffering to her that seemed to indicated depths that people wanted to see in a national figure," Engelmann says.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/130603192341-lenglen1.jpg?q=w_3115,h_2066,x_0,y_0,c_fill/h_447)
French Open's favorite 'Flapper' —
"When she walked out on the court, when she walked down the street after the match, there was a certain passion, drama, gloriousness, a suffering to her that seemed to indicated depths that people wanted to see in a national figure," Engelmann says.
![Lenglen never played at Roland Garros, which was built after she retired in 1927, but the second show court there has since been named after her -- and the statue outside commemorates one of her most iconic action images.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/130603194521-lenglen7.jpg?q=w_2832,h_4256,x_0,y_0,c_fill/h_447)
French Open's favorite 'Flapper' —
Lenglen never played at Roland Garros, which was built after she retired in 1927, but the second show court there has since been named after her -- and the statue outside commemorates one of her most iconic action images.
!["When she was young, she studied dance -- she studied ballet and people said she played tennis like a dancer," Engelmann says. "She walked around the court between points on her tip toes. She posed a certain way when she was going to serve."](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/130603192718-lenglen2.jpg?q=w_2239,h_1661,x_0,y_0,c_fill/h_447)
French Open's favorite 'Flapper' —
"When she was young, she studied dance -- she studied ballet and people said she played tennis like a dancer," Engelmann says. "She walked around the court between points on her tip toes. She posed a certain way when she was going to serve."
!["Suzanne learned tennis from the best male players," Engelmann says. "She was very competitive and she played a much more sophisticated game and she broke the limits. It was a sort of quantum leap into a more aggressive, athletic game."](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/130603192858-lenglen3.jpg?q=w_2116,h_2879,x_0,y_0,c_fill/h_447)
French Open's favorite 'Flapper' —
"Suzanne learned tennis from the best male players," Engelmann says. "She was very competitive and she played a much more sophisticated game and she broke the limits. It was a sort of quantum leap into a more aggressive, athletic game."
![Lenglen is pictured here with fellow French tennis star Rene Lacoste, who went on to launch his own fashion house.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/130603193229-lenglen4.jpg?q=w_2880,h_2160,x_0,y_0,c_fill/h_447)
French Open's favorite 'Flapper' —
Lenglen is pictured here with fellow French tennis star Rene Lacoste, who went on to launch his own fashion house.
!["She also wore very fashionable clothing on the court -- French designers designed for her," Engelmann says. "There was more transparency to her gowns. She wore short-sleeved blouses when she played. In a period of time when light skin was highly prized -- she took glory in being out in the sun and having a tan."](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/130603193433-lenglen5.jpg?q=w_2780,h_3685,x_0,y_0,c_fill/h_447)
French Open's favorite 'Flapper' —
"She also wore very fashionable clothing on the court -- French designers designed for her," Engelmann says. "There was more transparency to her gowns. She wore short-sleeved blouses when she played. In a period of time when light skin was highly prized -- she took glory in being out in the sun and having a tan."
![She was one of the world's most famous female athletes in the 1920s, and her success inspired a character in "Le Train Bleu," a production by the Diaghilev Ballet Russe which featured costumes by Coco Chanel.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/130603195710-lenglen10.jpg?q=w_3514,h_2646,x_0,y_0,c_fill/h_447)
French Open's favorite 'Flapper' —
She was one of the world's most famous female athletes in the 1920s, and her success inspired a character in "Le Train Bleu," a production by the Diaghilev Ballet Russe which featured costumes by Coco Chanel.
![After retiring, Lenglen helped set up a tennis school near Roland Garros. She is pictured here with students in 1937, a year before her death at the age of 39. She had long suffered poor health, and was diagnosed with leukemia not long before she died.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/130603200032-lenglen11.jpg?q=w_3031,h_2205,x_0,y_0,c_fill/h_447)
French Open's favorite 'Flapper' —
After retiring, Lenglen helped set up a tennis school near Roland Garros. She is pictured here with students in 1937, a year before her death at the age of 39. She had long suffered poor health, and was diagnosed with leukemia not long before she died.
![Lenglen's crown as the queen of women's tennis was taken by American Helen Wills Moody, pictured left with Hollywood actress Joan Crawford.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/130603201146-lenglen14.jpg?q=w_3483,h_2708,x_0,y_0,c_fill/h_447)
French Open's favorite 'Flapper' —
Lenglen's crown as the queen of women's tennis was taken by American Helen Wills Moody, pictured left with Hollywood actress Joan Crawford.
![Mary Pierce was the last Frenchwoman to hold the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen for the winner of the Paris grand slam when she triumphed at Roland Garros in 2000.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/130603194900-lenglen8.jpg?q=w_2048,h_1454,x_0,y_0,c_fill/h_447)
French Open's favorite 'Flapper' —
Mary Pierce was the last Frenchwoman to hold the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen for the winner of the Paris grand slam when she triumphed at Roland Garros in 2000.