The contrasting extremes in the life of Toomas Leius, Estonia’s greatest male tennis player of all time. On the one hand, a successful sporting career, including victories on Wimbledon’s famous all-white tennis courts. On the other, a dark personal tragedy involving the murder of his wife and years spent in a harsh and unforgiving Soviet prison. Tomas Leius’ subsequent life became a stark fusion of the Wimbledon white and the repressive black of fate – floating between two worlds, both in exile and at home, both integrated into society and marginalised, a legend to some, a murderer to others. A white line ran through Toomas Leius’ entire life and career, defining and determining his highs and lows. On which side of the line does his legacy lie? In the annals of sporting history, or rather in the crime columns? And is it at all possible to reconcile these opposing sides?
