Julie Heldman
Encyclopedia
Julie Heldman is a retired American tennis player who won 22 professional tennis
titles.
In 1969 she was World No. 5, her highest career world ranking, and was ranked No. 2 in the U.S.
(who played at Wimbledon), she was born in Berkeley, California
and began playing tennis when she was eight years old.
She won her first national title (the Canadian 18 and under singles) at age 12, in 1958. It was the first of her three Canadian Junior Championships, and she became the first 12-year-old ever to capture a national crown. Heldman went on to win the U.S. Girls Junior Singles Title in 1960 (in the 15s) and 1963 (in the 18s).
Heldman was Cincinnati
Singles Champion in 1962. While a student at Stanford University
in 1964, Heldman reached the national collegiate singles and doubles finals. She received her B.A.
from Stanford in 1966, and went on to earn her J.D.
from UCLA Law School in 1981, where she was a Law Review editor and was Law School Graduate of the Year, as well as UCLA Graduate Woman of the Year.
Heldman won the Canadian Open
singles title in 1965. She won three medals (gold in mixed doubles, silver in women's doubles and bronze in women's singles) at the Olympic demonstration tournament
in 1968. In 1969, she won the Italian Open
, beating Kerry Melville Reid in the final. She reached the semifinals of three Grand Slam
singles tournaments: the 1970 French Open, the 1974 Australian Open
, and the 1974 US Open. She won the doubles title at the US Women's Clay Court Championships and at the Canadian Open in 1974.
In 1970, she was a member of the "Houston Nine" who left the United States Tennis Association
(USTA) to play in the Virginia Slims
tournament in Houston. Supported by her mother, the tour was so successful that it eventually merged with the USTA and became the current WTA
. The first all-woman's tour, the Virginia Slims circuit eventually earned women the right to receive equal pay with men in competitions.
She reached the semifinals in three Grand Slam events: the 1970 French Open, the 1974 Australian Open
, and the 1974 US Open. She was U.S. Clay Court Doubles Champion in 1974. She was also Canadian Doubles Championin 1974.
teams that captured the championship in 1966 and 1969. She also played on the U.S. Federation Cup teams in 1970, 1974, and 1975. She was the captain of the team in 1975. Her career win-loss record in Federation Cup competition was 21-9.
in Mexico City when tennis was a demonstration sport
.
Singles in Israel — plus the Maccabiah Doubles with Marilyn Aschner and Mixed Doubles with Ed Rubinoff.
Heldman retired in 2000. After ending her playing career she worked as a television color commentator and journalist, with CBS
, NBC
, PBS
, and HBO at the U.S. Open and Wimbledon, 1973-78. She at the same time authored articles for various publications, including her mother’s magazine, World Tennis. Covering the Avis Challenge Cup Tournament for NBC in 1976, she became the first woman to provide commentary on a men’s tennis event.
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
titles.
In 1969 she was World No. 5, her highest career world ranking, and was ranked No. 2 in the U.S.
Tennis career
The daughter of junior champion Julius Heldman (the U.S. junior champion in 1936; a leading amateur player in the 1930s and 1940s) and World Tennis founder and publisher Gladys HeldmanGladys Heldman
Gladys Medalie Heldman was the founder of World Tennis magazine; she supported Billie Jean King and other female tennis players who formed the Virginia Slims Tour in the early 1970s...
(who played at Wimbledon), she was born in Berkeley, California
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
and began playing tennis when she was eight years old.
She won her first national title (the Canadian 18 and under singles) at age 12, in 1958. It was the first of her three Canadian Junior Championships, and she became the first 12-year-old ever to capture a national crown. Heldman went on to win the U.S. Girls Junior Singles Title in 1960 (in the 15s) and 1963 (in the 18s).
Heldman was Cincinnati
Cincinnati Masters
The Cincinnati Open is an annual outdoor hardcourts tennis event held in the Cincinnati suburb of Mason, Ohio, USA. The event started on September 18, 1899 and is the oldest tennis tournament in the United States played in its original city., Between...
Singles Champion in 1962. While a student at Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
in 1964, Heldman reached the national collegiate singles and doubles finals. She received her B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
from Stanford in 1966, and went on to earn her J.D.
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
from UCLA Law School in 1981, where she was a Law Review editor and was Law School Graduate of the Year, as well as UCLA Graduate Woman of the Year.
Heldman won the Canadian Open
Canada Masters
The Canada Masters , currently sponsored as the Rogers Cup, is an annual tennis tournament held in Canada. The men's competition is a Masters 1000 event on the Association of Tennis Professionals tour. The women's competition is a Premier 5 tournament on the Women's Tennis Association tour...
singles title in 1965. She won three medals (gold in mixed doubles, silver in women's doubles and bronze in women's singles) at the Olympic demonstration tournament
Tennis at the 1968 Summer Olympics
Tennis returned to the Summer Olympic program as a demonstration event in 1968. Men's and women's singles and doubles and mixed doubles were held in both a Demonstration tournament and an Exhibition tournament. Both tournaments were held in Guadalajara, Mexico.-Demonstration:-Exhibition:-External...
in 1968. In 1969, she won the Italian Open
Rome Masters
The Italian Open is an annual tennis tournament held in Rome, Italy. It is the most prestigious red clay tennis tournament in the world after the French Open, with the men's competition being an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event on the Association of Tennis Professionals tour, and the women's...
, beating Kerry Melville Reid in the final. She reached the semifinals of three Grand Slam
Grand Slam (tennis)
The four Major tennis tournaments, also called the Slams, are the most important tennis events of the year in terms of world tour ranking points, tradition, prize-money awarded, strength and size of player field, and public attention. They are the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon, and...
singles tournaments: the 1970 French Open, the 1974 Australian Open
Australian Open
The Australian Open is the only Grand Slam tennis tournament held in the southern hemisphere. The tournament was held for the first time in 1905 and was last contested on grass in 1987. Since 1972 the Australian Open has been held in Melbourne, Victoria. In 1988, the tournament became a hard court...
, and the 1974 US Open. She won the doubles title at the US Women's Clay Court Championships and at the Canadian Open in 1974.
In 1970, she was a member of the "Houston Nine" who left the United States Tennis Association
United States Tennis Association
The United States Tennis Association is the national governing body for the sport of tennis in the United States. A not-for-profit organization with more than 700,000 members, it invests 100% of its proceeds to promote and develop the growth of tennis, from the grass-roots to the professional levels...
(USTA) to play in the Virginia Slims
Virginia Slims
Virginia Slims is a brand of cigarette manufactured by Altria Group . The brand was introduced in 1968 and marketed to young professional women using the slogan "You've come a long way, baby." Some media watch groups considered this campaign to be responsible for a rapid increase in smoking among...
tournament in Houston. Supported by her mother, the tour was so successful that it eventually merged with the USTA and became the current WTA
Women's Tennis Association
The Women's Tennis Association , founded in 1973 by Billie Jean King, is the principal organizing body of Women's Professional Tennis. It governs the WTA Tour which is the worldwide professional tennis tour for women. Its counterpart organization in the men's professional game is the Association of...
. The first all-woman's tour, the Virginia Slims circuit eventually earned women the right to receive equal pay with men in competitions.
She reached the semifinals in three Grand Slam events: the 1970 French Open, the 1974 Australian Open
Australian Open
The Australian Open is the only Grand Slam tennis tournament held in the southern hemisphere. The tournament was held for the first time in 1905 and was last contested on grass in 1987. Since 1972 the Australian Open has been held in Melbourne, Victoria. In 1988, the tournament became a hard court...
, and the 1974 US Open. She was U.S. Clay Court Doubles Champion in 1974. She was also Canadian Doubles Championin 1974.
Federation Cup
Heldman played on the US Federation CupFed Cup
Fed Cup is the premier team competition in women's tennis, launched in 1963 to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the International Tennis Federation...
teams that captured the championship in 1966 and 1969. She also played on the U.S. Federation Cup teams in 1970, 1974, and 1975. She was the captain of the team in 1975. Her career win-loss record in Federation Cup competition was 21-9.
Olympics
Heldman won a gold, silver, and bronze medal in the 1968 Olympic GamesOlympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
in Mexico City when tennis was a demonstration sport
Demonstration sport
A demonstration sport is a sport which is played to promote itself, most commonly during the Olympic Games, but also at other sporting events.Demonstration sports were officially introduced in 1912 Summer Olympics, when Sweden decided to include glima, traditional Icelandic wrestling, in the...
.
Maccabiah Games
In 1969, Heldman, who is Jewish, won the Maccabiah GamesMaccabiah Games
The Maccabiah is an international Jewish athletic event similar to the Olympics held in Israel every four years under the auspices of the Maccabi Federation, affiliated with the Maccabi World Union. The Maccabiah Games is the third largest international sports competition in the world...
Singles in Israel — plus the Maccabiah Doubles with Marilyn Aschner and Mixed Doubles with Ed Rubinoff.
Other career highlights
- Ranked in the USTA Top 10, 1963–65, 1968–69, 1971–75
- Ranked in the World Top 10, 1969–70, 1973–74
- Virginia Slims Professional Tour, 1971–75
- U.S. Wightman CupWightman CupThe Wightman Cup was a team tennis competition for women contested from 1923 through 1989 between teams from the United States and Great Britain. U.S. player Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman wanted to generate international interest in women's tennis the way Davis Cup did for men's...
Team Member, 1969–71, 1974; Most Valuable Player, 1969; Team Captain, 1974–75 - U.S. Bonne Bell Cup Team Member, 1973–1974; Most Valuable Player, Team Captain, 1974
- Winner of USTA Service Bowl 1975
Halls of Fame
Heldman was inducted into the:- Stanford University Athletic Hall of Fame, 1978
- National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame, 1989
- ITAItaIta or ITA may refer to:* Itá, Paraguay* ITA Software, Inc., a travel industry software firm* Italian language, from its ISO 639-2 language code* Italy, from its ISO 3166-1 country code* Aeta, an ethnic group in the Philippine Islands...
Women's Hall of Fame, 1998 - International Jewish Sports Hall of FameInternational Jewish Sports Hall of FameThe International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame was opened July 7, 1981, in Netanya, Israel. It honors Jewish athletes and their accomplishments from anywhere around the world....
, 2001 - USTA Eastern Tennis Hall of Fame, 2006 http://www.bigvdesign.com/USTA_EASTERN/inductees.htm
Personal life
- Married Bernie Weiss is 1981
- In 1985 Heldman became President & Co-Chairman of Signature Eyewear.
- Had daughter Amy Rebecca in 1987
Heldman retired in 2000. After ending her playing career she worked as a television color commentator and journalist, with CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
, NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
, PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
, and HBO at the U.S. Open and Wimbledon, 1973-78. She at the same time authored articles for various publications, including her mother’s magazine, World Tennis. Covering the Avis Challenge Cup Tournament for NBC in 1976, she became the first woman to provide commentary on a men’s tennis event.
Singles 1
| Legend | |
| Grand Slam | 0 |
| WTA Championships | 0 |
| Tier I | 0 |
| Tier II | 0 |
| Tier III | 0 |
| Tier IV & V | 0 |
| Olympic Games | 0 |
| Outcome | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
| Runner-up | 1. | 26 October 1968 | Olympics-Mexico City Exhibition, Mexico | Clay |  Jane Bartkowicz |
3-6, 2-6 |
Doubles 2 (1-1)
| Legend | |
| Grand Slam | 0 |
| WTA Championships | 0 |
| Tier I | 0 |
| Tier II | 0 |
| Tier III | 0 |
| Tier IV & V | 1 |
| Olympic Games | 0 |
| Titles by Surface | |
| Hard | 0 |
| Clay | 1 |
| Grass | 0 |
| Carpet | 0 |
| Outcome | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
| Runner-up | 1. | 20 October 1968 | Olympics-Gudalajara Demo, Mexico | Clay |  Rosy Darmon |
 Edda BudingEdda Buding Edda Buding is a retired German tennis player of Romanian birth. She received the doubles gold medal at the 1968 Summer Olympics doubles demonstration event partnered with Helga Niessen Masthoff... Helga Niessen |
3-6, 4-6 |
| Winner | 2. | 26 October 1968 | Olympics-Mexico City Exhibition, Mexico | Clay | Rosy Darmon |
Jane Bartkowicz Valerie Ziegenfuss Valerie Ziegenfuss Valerie Bradshaw is an American former female professional tennis player. She started off as an amateur player at the beginning of the 1970s before turning professional.... |
6-0, 10-8 |