| One of eight children of part aborigine background, Goolagong played cricket, rugby, and soccer with boys as a child and began playing tennis informally when she was eight years old. Coach Vince Edwards recognized her potential when she was thirteen and took her into his Sydney home to polish her game.
Goolagong playing internationally in 1970. A year later, she won the French and Wimbledon singles titles and she also won the hearts of British fans by going on a shopping spree in King's Road, London, to celebrate her Wimbledon victory.
Named the female athlete of the year by the Associated Press in 1971, Goolagong won the Italian Open in 1973 and was the Virginia Slims circuit champion in 1974 and 1976. She won the Australian Open four times in five years, from 1974 through 1976 and in 1978. Although she never won the U. S. Open, she reached the finals there four years in a row, 1973 through 1976.
Goolagong married English businessman Roger Cawley and had a daughter in 1977. She returned to competition in 1979, when she became the fifth woman to surpass $1 million in winnings. The following year, Goolagong won her second Wimbledon singles championship, matching Bill Tilden for the longest expanse of time between titles.
After giving birth to a son in 1981, Goolagong made a brief comeback attempt in 1982 before retiring. She is third on the all-time list with 88 tournament victories. |
Australia