[2] Her family home in Park Road, Dudley, included a hard tennis court laid down by her grandfather.

[12] Round put in some impressive performances at the Wightman Cup trials held at Wimbledon in April 1930, defeating a number of established British players.

[13] In the same month, "Bunny" Austin one of the top British male players, called Round "a bright new star".

[21] At the 1931 Wimbledon Championships, she reached the quarterfinal stage for the first time after defeating fifth-seeded Lili Álvarez in the third round, and she was rewarded with a spot on the British team for the Wightman Cup, the annual women's team tennis competition between Great Britain and the United States, which in 1931 was held in August at Forest Hills.

[4] Later in the same month, Round reached the doubles final of the U.S. National Championships at Forest Hill, where she was partnered with Helen Jacobs.

[a][28] She proceeded with a tour to the United States where she competed in the 1933 Wightman Cup and won the singles title at the Eastern Grass Court Championships in Rye, beating compatriot Mary Heeley in the final.

[31] The following May, Round retained her British Hard Court Championships single title in Bournemouth, beating Peggy Scriven in the final.

[32] Seeded number 2 in the 1934 Wimbledon Championships, she won the tournament, defeating sixth-seeded Lolette Payot in the quarterfinals[33] and eighth-seeded Simonne Mathieu in the semifinals,[34] and Helen Jacobs, 6–2, 5–7, 6–3 in the final.

[35] In late 1934, Round was part of a British team that sailed to Australasia, arriving at Auckland on 2 November 1934 on board the Mariposa.

[36] After playing matches in New Zealand, the British team went to Australia in mid-November, where they were given a reception by the New South Lawn Tennis Association on 19 November 1934.

[37] Round won the Victorian Championships, held in Melbourne, in December 1934 after a two-sets win in the final against Joan Hartigan.

[38] In January 1935, Round added the Australian Championships title to her Wimbledon one, beating compatriot Nancy Lyle in the final, 6–1, 1–6, 6–1.

[42] Round lost her Wimbledon singles title in the summer of 1935, defeated in the quarterfinals by Australian Joan Hartigan, 6–4, 4–6, 3–6.

[45] Despite being the top seed in the singles of the Wimbledon Championships of summer 1936, Round lost in the quarterfinals, beaten by German Hilde Sperling.

[48] In July 1936, a "lawn tennis experiment" was staged in the form of a match between Round and a top male player Bunny Austin.

[53] In December 1938, it was reported that Round was planning a comeback to competitive tennis, but she stated that her participation at Wimbledon would depend on the progress she made during the year.

[60] In May 1940, Round won the doubles, partnered with Mrs. S H. Hammersley, at the Priory Lawn Tennis Tournament held at Edgbaston, Birmingham.

[62][63] She also took part in competitions, exhibition matches and raised money for charity in Canada and the USA[64] as well as promote the sale of War Bonds in the U.S.[65] In August 1940, Round won both the singles and doubles (partnered with Mrs Ross Harrington) in the Eastern Canada Championships held at Halifax, Nova Scotia.

[69] In June 1942, Round appeared with Mary Hardwick, Bobby Riggs and Wayne Sabin in a tennis exhibition held at the Edgemoor Club, Washington D.C.

[74] However, Round remained an active tennis player, and after a break in 1946 when she had her second child,[75] she continued to appear in British tournaments until the 1940s and later.

[78] In July 1948, she appeared at the Midlands Counties Championship in Birmingham, where she lost the singles final to Barbara Knapp.

The lifesize bronze statue, unveiled by her daughter, was created by the British sculptor John McKenna and depicts Dorothy Round making a return play of the ball.

[89] On 2 September 1937 she married Dr Douglas Leigh Little, a medical practitioner, at the Wesley Methodist Church in Dudley.