She twice won the singles title at Wimbledon in 1934 and 1937, and the singles at the Australian Championships in 1935. She was born in Dudley, Worcestershire, England. This statue was commissioned by Dudley MBC for a site in Priory Park, Dudley adjacent to the park Tennis courts. John McKenna modelled the claywork and cast the bronze statue in his A4a art foundry studio in Ayrshire.

The statue is named 'The Return of Dorothy Round' and the idea and arrangement of the pose was conceived by Steve Field, a close artistic associate of ours. Dorothy was famed for her ability to return the tennis ball well and in consultation with her family relatives it was decided that a statue pose depicting this return stance would be created.