Evonne Goolagong
Encyclopedia
Evonne Fay Goolagong Cawley, AO, MBE (born 31 July 1951) is a former World No. 1 Australian female tennis player. She was one of the world's leading players in the 1970s and early 1980s, when she won 14 Grand Slam titles: seven in singles (four Australian Open, two Wimbledon and one French Open), six in women's doubles, and one in mixed doubles.
) and Melinda, are members of the Wiradjuri
people. She was born in Griffith
, New South Wales
, and grew up in the small country town of Barellan
. Although Aboriginal people faced widespread discrimination in rural Australia at this time, Evonne was able to play tennis in Barellan from childhood thanks to a kindly resident, Bill Kurtzman, who saw her peering through the fence at the local courts and encouraged her to come in and play. In 1967, the proprietor of a tennis school in Sydney, Vic Edwards, tipped off by two of his assistants, travelled to the country to take a look at the young Evonne and immediately saw her potential. He persuaded her parents to allow Evonne to move to Sydney, where she attended Willoughby Girls High School
. Here, she completed her School Certificate in 1968 and was at the same time coached by Edwards, and lived in his household.
and promptly retired. She was known for "going walkabout
" in the latter stages of matches.
The National Museum of Australia
holds the Evonne Goolagong Cawley collection of memorabilia. This includes Evonne's 1971 and 1980 Wimbledon
singles trophies, the trophy from her 1974 doubles win, and two racquets used in these tournaments. The museum's collection also includes a signed warm-up jacket, and a dress with a bolero style top, designed by Teddy Tinling in the early 1970s.
Goolagong was ranked number one in the world for two weeks in 1976. This was never reported in 1976 due to a computer error. This was discovered in December 2007. She was the 16th woman to hold the spot, reported 31 years later.
Goolagong was a member of the Board of the Australian Sports Commission
from 1995 to 1997 and since 1997 has held the position of Sports Ambassador to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities. Goolagong was appointed captain of the Australian Fed Cup team in 2002. In 2003, she was winner for the Oceania region of the International Olympic Committee
's 2003 Women and Sports Trophy. Goolagong also runs an annual "Goolagong National Development Camp", with the aim of facilitating Aboriginal children playing competitive tennis.
Goolagong was awarded Australian of the Year
in 1971. Goolagong was awarded an MBE
in 1972 and made an Officer of the Order of Australia
(AO) in 1982. In 1988, Goolagong was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame
.
. After living in the U.S. for eight years, the couple bought a home at Noosa Heads, Queensland
, where they settled with their two children. Daughter Kelly Inalla (born 12 May 1977, Beaufort, South Carolina
, USA) helps run her tennis camps, and son Morgan Kiema Cawley
(born 1981) was a National Soccer League
player.
^ Note: The Australian Open was held twice in 1977, in January and December. Goolagong did not play in the January edition but did make the December final.
Early life
Goolagong is the third of eight children from an Australian Aboriginal family; her parents, Kenny Goolagong (an itinerant sheep shearerSheep shearer
A sheep shearer is a worker who uses -blade or machine shears to remove wool from domestic sheep during crutching or shearing.-History:...
) and Melinda, are members of the Wiradjuri
Wiradjuri
The Wiradjuri are an Indigenous Australian group of central New South Wales.In the 21st century, major Wiradjuri groups live in Condobolin, Peak Hill, Narrandera and Griffith...
people. She was born in Griffith
Griffith, New South Wales
Griffith is a city in south-western New South Wales, Australia. It is also the seat of the City of Griffith local government area. Like the Australian capital, Canberra and the nearby town of Leeton, Griffith was designed by Walter Burley Griffin. Griffith was named after Sir Arthur Griffith the...
, New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, and grew up in the small country town of Barellan
Barellan, New South Wales
Barellan is a small village in Narrandera Shire in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. On Census night 2006, Barellan had a population of 366 people...
. Although Aboriginal people faced widespread discrimination in rural Australia at this time, Evonne was able to play tennis in Barellan from childhood thanks to a kindly resident, Bill Kurtzman, who saw her peering through the fence at the local courts and encouraged her to come in and play. In 1967, the proprietor of a tennis school in Sydney, Vic Edwards, tipped off by two of his assistants, travelled to the country to take a look at the young Evonne and immediately saw her potential. He persuaded her parents to allow Evonne to move to Sydney, where she attended Willoughby Girls High School
Willoughby Girls High School
Willoughby Girls' High School is a public, secondary, day school for girls, located in Willoughby, a lower North Shore suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia....
. Here, she completed her School Certificate in 1968 and was at the same time coached by Edwards, and lived in his household.
Grand Slam success
Goolagong won seven Grand Slam singles titles in her career, reaching a total of eighteen Grand Slam singles finals. During the 1970s, she played in seventeen Grand Slam singles finals, a period record for any player; man or woman. Between 1973 and 1978, she reached the final of almost every Grand Slam singles event she entered. There was only one exception. After losing to Billie-Jean King at Wimbledon 1973 at the semi-final stage, Goolagong only suffered one defeat prior to the final until Wimbledon 1978, when she lost at the semi final stage to Martina Navratilova. The only defeat that prevented her from reaching every final in this five-year period was a loss at Wimbledon at the quarter-final stage to Australian Kerry Melville Reid. Otherwise, Goolagong would have made eleven straight finals instead of ten. In the year of her early Wimbledon defeat, Goolagong teamed up with Peggy Michel to win the Ladies' Doubles title. She is the only mother to have won the Wimbledon title since before World War I. She won the 1980 Wimbledon title. At the U.S. Open, Mrs. Cawley reached four consecutive finals at the championships, losing them all. She is the only player in the Open era of the event to have lost four consecutive finals, and the only woman to do so in the entire U.S. championships history. Goolagong made seven consecutive finals at the Australian Open, winning four titles in a row, both records for the open era, although she did not compete in the January 1977 event. Despite reaching the final at her first two appearances in 1971 & 1972, after 1973 Goolagong did not compete at the French Open championships for a decade. She returned in 1983 for her final Grand Slam singles appearance. She lost in the last thirty-two to Chris EvertChris Evert
Christine Marie "Chris" Evert is a former world number 1 professional tennis player from the United States. She won 18 Grand Slam singles championships, including a record seven championships at the French Open and a record six championships at the U.S. Open. She was the year-ending World No...
and promptly retired. She was known for "going walkabout
Walkabout
The walkabout is a purported Australian aboriginal ritual of manhood.Walkabout may also refer to:- Art :*Walkabout , a 1959 book written by James Vance Marshall, set in the Australian outback...
" in the latter stages of matches.
The National Museum of Australia
National Museum of Australia
The National Museum of Australia was formally established by the National Museum of Australia Act 1980. The National Museum preserves and interprets Australia's social history, exploring the key issues, people and events that have shaped the nation....
holds the Evonne Goolagong Cawley collection of memorabilia. This includes Evonne's 1971 and 1980 Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon , is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, considered by many to be the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London since 1877. It is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, the other three Majors...
singles trophies, the trophy from her 1974 doubles win, and two racquets used in these tournaments. The museum's collection also includes a signed warm-up jacket, and a dress with a bolero style top, designed by Teddy Tinling in the early 1970s.
Goolagong was ranked number one in the world for two weeks in 1976. This was never reported in 1976 due to a computer error. This was discovered in December 2007. She was the 16th woman to hold the spot, reported 31 years later.
Life after touring
Goolagong spent some time as the touring professional at the Hilton Head Racquet Club in South Carolina before returning to Australia.Goolagong was a member of the Board of the Australian Sports Commission
Australian Sports Commission
The Australian Sports Commission is the governing body responsible for distributing funds and providing strategic guidance for sporting activity in Australia. It is an agency of the Government of Australia within the portfolio of Health and Ageing...
from 1995 to 1997 and since 1997 has held the position of Sports Ambassador to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities. Goolagong was appointed captain of the Australian Fed Cup team in 2002. In 2003, she was winner for the Oceania region of the International Olympic Committee
International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...
's 2003 Women and Sports Trophy. Goolagong also runs an annual "Goolagong National Development Camp", with the aim of facilitating Aboriginal children playing competitive tennis.
Awards and recognition
Australian of the Year
Since 1960 the Australian of the Year Award has been part of the celebrations surrounding Australia Day , during which time the award has grown steadily in significance to become Australia’s pre-eminent award. The Australian of the Year announcement has become a very prominent part of the annual...
in 1971. Goolagong was awarded an MBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
in 1972 and made an Officer of the Order of Australia
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
(AO) in 1982. In 1988, Goolagong was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame
International Tennis Hall of Fame
The International Tennis Hall of Fame is located in Newport, Rhode Island, United States. The hall of fame and honors players and contributors to the sport of tennis and includes a museum, grass tennis courts, an indoor tennis facility, and a court tennis facility.-History:The hall of fame and...
.
Personal life
Goolagong married a British tennis player Roger Cawley on 19 June 1975. Following her wedding, Goolagong settled in Naples, FloridaNaples, Florida
Naples is a city in Collier County, Florida, United States. As of July 1, 2007, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated the city's population at 21,653. Naples is a principal city of the Naples–Marco Island Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had an estimated total population of 315,839 on July 1, 2007...
. After living in the U.S. for eight years, the couple bought a home at Noosa Heads, Queensland
Noosa Heads, Queensland
Noosa Heads is one of the three major centres of the Noosa region on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia. It is located north of Brisbane, the state's capital. The Noosa River forms one boundary of the town, the headlands of the Noosa National Park another...
, where they settled with their two children. Daughter Kelly Inalla (born 12 May 1977, Beaufort, South Carolina
Beaufort, South Carolina
Beaufort is a city in and the county seat of Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States. Chartered in 1711, it is the second-oldest city in South Carolina, behind Charleston. The city's population was 12,361 in the 2010 census. It is located in the Hilton Head Island-Beaufort Micropolitan...
, USA) helps run her tennis camps, and son Morgan Kiema Cawley
Morgan Cawley
Morgan Cawley is an Australian football player. Cawley last played for the Coniston Lions in the Illawarra Premier League in New South Wales. He is the son of former tennis player Evonne Goolagong Cawley....
(born 1981) was a National Soccer League
National Soccer League
The National Soccer League is the former national association football competition in Australasia, overseen by Soccer Australia and later the Australian Soccer Association. The NSL spanned 28 seasons from its inception in 1977, until its demise in 2004...
player.
Biography
- Home! The Evonne Goolagong Story, Cawley, Evonne Goolagong and Jarrett, Phil (1993), ISBN 0-7318-0381-7
Records
- These records were attained in the Open EraOpen eraOpen era or Open Era may refer to:* Open Era , the period since 1968 where professionals can compete in Grand Slams* Glasnost era, the increased openness in the Soviet Union from the mid-1980s...
of tennis.Grand Slam Years Record accomplished Player tied Australian Open 1971–76 6 consecutive finals Martina Hingis Martina HingisMartina Hingis is a retired Swiss professional tennis player who spent a total of 209 weeks as World No. 1. She won five Grand Slam singles titles...Australian Open 1974–76 3 consecutive wins Margaret Court, Steffi Graf, Monica Seles, Martina Hingis Australian Open 1971–77^ 7 finals overall Stands Alone Australian Open 1975, 76, 77^ Won Australian Open three times in straight sets Steffi Graf US Open 1973–76 4 consecutive final defeats Stands Alone
^ Note: The Australian Open was held twice in 1977, in January and December. Goolagong did not play in the January edition but did make the December final.
See also
- Performance timelines for all female tennis players who reached at least one Grand Slam finalTennis performance timeline comparison (women)This article presents in a tabular form the career tennis Grand Slam, World Hard Court Championships and Olympic singles results of every woman who has reached the singles final of at least one Grand Slam, World Hard Court Championships or Olympic tournament during her career...