Dorothy Head Knode

Dorothy Head Knode (née Head; born July 4, 1925) is a former tennis player from the United States who reached the women's singles final of the French Championships in 1955 (losing to Angela Mortimer Barrett in three sets) and 1957 (losing to Shirley Bloomer Brasher in straight sets). She reached the semifinals of six other Grand Slam singles tournaments from 1952 through 1957.

In 1948 she won the singles title at the Cincinnati Championships after defeating Mercedes Madden Lewis in the final in two straight sets. Knode won the singles title at the German Championships in 1950, 1952, and 1953. She also won the singles title at the U.S. Women's Clay Court Championships in 1951, 1955, 1958, and 1960 and the bronze medal at the 1959 Pan American Games in Chicago. She and her partner Darlene Hard were the runners-up in women's doubles at the 1956 French Championships, losing to the team of Althea Gibson and Angela Buxton 6–8, 8–6, 6–1.

According to Lance Tingay of The Daily Telegraph and the Daily Mail, Knode was ranked in the world top ten in 1952, 1953, 1955, 1957, and 1958 (no rankings issued from 1940 through 1945), reaching a career high of World No. 5 in those rankings in 1955 and 1957. Knode was included in the year-end top ten rankings issued by the United States Lawn Tennis Association in 1943, 1944, 1946, 1947, 1949, 1951, and 1956 through 1959. She was the third-ranked United States player in 1957 and 1959.

As of October 2008, Knode is still active in international and national senior events, winning the 80-and-over Super-Seniors World Individual Championships in Antalya, Turkey in 2005.