Virginia Wade
Encyclopedia
Sarah Virginia Wade, OBE (born 10 July 1945) is a former English
tennis
player. She won three Grand Slam
singles championships and four Grand Slam doubles championships. She won the women's singles championship at Wimbledon on 1 July 1977, in that tournament's centenary year, the last time any Briton has won a singles championship at that tournament. After retiring from competitive tennis, she coached for four years.
in England
, Wade learned to play tennis in South Africa
, where her parents moved when she was one year old. Her father was the Archdeacon
of Durban
. When Wade was 15, the family moved back to England and she went to Tunbridge Wells Girls' Grammar School
and Talbot Heath School
. She went on to study mathematics and physics at the University of Sussex
, graduating in 1966.
(and the prize-money of $6,000)($ today), defeating Billie Jean King
in the final.
Wade's second Grand Slam
singles championship came in 1972 at the Australian Open
. There, she defeated the Australia
n Evonne Goolagong Cawley in the finals 6–4, 6–4.
Wade's most notable victory came at Wimbledon, England
, in 1977. It was the sixteenth year in which Wade had played at Wimbledon, and she made her first appearance in the final by beating the defending champion Chris Evert
in a semifinal 6–2, 4–6, 6–1. In the finals, she faced Betty Stöve
. Not only was 1977 the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Wimbledon Championships, but it was also the 25th year of the reign (the Silver Jubilee
) of Queen Elizabeth II
. The Queen attended the Wimbledon championships for the first time in a quarter-century to watch the final. Wade beat Stöve in three sets to claim the championship, nine days before her 32nd birthday. Wade received the trophy from Queen Elizabeth, and the audience at Centre Court
burst out into a chorus of "For She's a Jolly Good Fellow!" to celebrate her triumph.
Wade also won four Grand Slam women's doubles championships with Margaret Smith Court
– two of them at the U.S. Open Tennis Tournament, one at the Australian Open
, and one at the French Open.
Over her career, Wade won 55 professional singles championships and amassed $1,542,278 dollars in career prize money. She was ranked in the world's top 10 continuously from 1967 through 1979. Her career spanned a total of 26 years. She retired from singles competition at the end of the 1985 tennis season, and then from doubles at the end of 1986.
Since 1981, Wade has been a reporter on tennis events for the British Broadcasting Corporation.
In 1982, Wade became the first woman to be elected to the Wimbledon Committee.
In 1983, at the age of 37, she won the Italian Open
women's doubles championship, along with her teammate Virginia Ruzici
of Romania
.
The 24 times that Wade has played in the women's singles tournament at Wimbledon is an all-time record.
In 1986, Wade was honored with the distinction of Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE).
In 1989, Wade was also inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame
in Newport, Rhode Island
.
A = did not participate in the tournament.
SR = the ratio of the number of singles tournaments won to the number of those tournaments played.
Note: The Australian Open was held twice in 1977, in January and December.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
tennis
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...
player. She won 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 championships and four Grand Slam doubles championships. She won the women's singles championship at Wimbledon on 1 July 1977, in that tournament's centenary year, the last time any Briton has won a singles championship at that tournament. After retiring from competitive tennis, she coached for four years.
Early life
Born in BournemouthBournemouth
Bournemouth is a large coastal resort town in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. According to the 2001 Census the town has a population of 163,444, making it the largest settlement in Dorset. It is also the largest settlement between Southampton and Plymouth...
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, Wade learned to play tennis in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, where her parents moved when she was one year old. Her father was the Archdeacon
Archdeacon
An archdeacon is a senior clergy position in Anglicanism, Syrian Malabar Nasrani, Chaldean Catholic, and some other Christian denominations, above that of most clergy and below a bishop. In the High Middle Ages it was the most senior diocesan position below a bishop in the Roman Catholic Church...
of Durban
Durban
Durban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism...
. When Wade was 15, the family moved back to England and she went to Tunbridge Wells Girls' Grammar School
Tunbridge Wells Girls' Grammar School
Tunbridge Wells Girls' Grammar School , established in 1905, is an all female selective state school in Royal Tunbridge Wells, a town in Kent, England...
and Talbot Heath School
Talbot Heath School
Talbot Heath School is a selective, independent day and boarding school for girls aged 3–18 located in Talbot Woods, Bournemouth.The school was founded in 1886 as Bournemouth High School, by Mary Broad, with eighteen pupils. In 1935 the school moved from its original site in Westbourne to Talbot...
. She went on to study mathematics and physics at the University of Sussex
University of Sussex
The University of Sussex is an English public research university situated next to the East Sussex village of Falmer, within the city of Brighton and Hove. The University received its Royal Charter in August 1961....
, graduating in 1966.
Tennis career
Wade's tennis career spanned the end of the amateur era and the start of the open era. In 1968, she scored two notable firsts. As an amateur, she won the inaugural open tennis competition — the British Hard Court Open at Bournemouth. She turned down the US$720 first prize. Five months later, she had become a professional and captured the women's singles championship at the first U.S. OpenU.S. Open (tennis)
The US Open, formally the United States Open Tennis Championships, is a hardcourt tennis tournament which is the modern iteration of one of the oldest tennis championships in the world, the U.S. National Championship, which for men's singles was first contested in 1881...
(and the prize-money of $6,000)($ today), defeating Billie Jean King
Billie Jean King
Billie Jean King is a former professional tennis player from the United States. She won 12 Grand Slam singles titles, 16 Grand Slam women's doubles titles, and 11 Grand Slam mixed doubles titles. King has been an advocate against sexism in sports and society...
in the final.
Wade's second 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 championship came in 1972 at the 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...
. There, she defeated the Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n Evonne Goolagong Cawley in the finals 6–4, 6–4.
Wade's most notable victory came at Wimbledon, England
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...
, in 1977. It was the sixteenth year in which Wade had played at Wimbledon, and she made her first appearance in the final by beating the defending champion Chris Evert
Chris 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...
in a semifinal 6–2, 4–6, 6–1. In the finals, she faced Betty Stöve
Betty Stöve
Betty Stöve is a former Dutch professional tennis player. She is best remembered for reaching the ladies' singles final at Wimbledon in 1977. She also won ten Grand Slam titles in women's doubles and mixed doubles.-Career:...
. Not only was 1977 the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Wimbledon Championships, but it was also the 25th year of the reign (the Silver Jubilee
Silver Jubilee
A Silver Jubilee is a celebration held to mark a 25th anniversary. The anniversary celebrations can be of a wedding anniversary, ruling anniversary or anything that has completed a 25 year mark...
) of Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
. The Queen attended the Wimbledon championships for the first time in a quarter-century to watch the final. Wade beat Stöve in three sets to claim the championship, nine days before her 32nd birthday. Wade received the trophy from Queen Elizabeth, and the audience at Centre Court
Centre Court
Centre Court is the main court at the Wimbledon Championship, the 3rd annual Grand Slam event of the tennis calendar. It is situated adjacent to Aorangi Terrace and is home to the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. Its only regular use is for the two weeks a year that the Championships take...
burst out into a chorus of "For She's a Jolly Good Fellow!" to celebrate her triumph.
Wade also won four Grand Slam women's doubles championships with Margaret Smith Court
Margaret Smith Court
Margaret Court, AO MBE, is a retired former World No. 1 tennis player from Australia. In 1970, she became the first woman during the open era and the second woman in history to win all four Grand Slam tournament singles titles in the same calendar year. Court won a record 24 of those titles during...
– two of them at the U.S. Open Tennis Tournament, one at the 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 one at the French Open.
Over her career, Wade won 55 professional singles championships and amassed $1,542,278 dollars in career prize money. She was ranked in the world's top 10 continuously from 1967 through 1979. Her career spanned a total of 26 years. She retired from singles competition at the end of the 1985 tennis season, and then from doubles at the end of 1986.
Since 1981, Wade has been a reporter on tennis events for the British Broadcasting Corporation.
In 1982, Wade became the first woman to be elected to the Wimbledon Committee.
In 1983, at the age of 37, 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...
women's doubles championship, along with her teammate Virginia Ruzici
Virginia Ruzici
Virginia Ruzici is a former professional tennis player from Romania. She was born in Câmpia Turzii, Romania and turned professional in 1975. One of her main assets on court was her powerful forehand....
of Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
.
The 24 times that Wade has played in the women's singles tournament at Wimbledon is an all-time record.
In 1986, Wade was honored with the distinction of Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE).
In 1989, Wade was also 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...
in Newport, Rhode Island
Newport, Rhode Island
Newport is a city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States, about south of Providence. Known as a New England summer resort and for the famous Newport Mansions, it is the home of Salve Regina University and Naval Station Newport which houses the United States Naval War...
.
Wins (3)
| Year | Championship | Opponent in final | Score in final |
| 1968 | US Open |  Billie Jean KingBillie Jean King Billie Jean King is a former professional tennis player from the United States. She won 12 Grand Slam singles titles, 16 Grand Slam women's doubles titles, and 11 Grand Slam mixed doubles titles. King has been an advocate against sexism in sports and society... |
6–4, 6–1 |
| 1972 | 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... |
 Evonne Goolagong Cawley |
6–4, 6–4 |
| 1977 | 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... |
 Betty StöveBetty Stöve Betty Stöve is a former Dutch professional tennis player. She is best remembered for reaching the ladies' singles final at Wimbledon in 1977. She also won ten Grand Slam titles in women's doubles and mixed doubles.-Career:... |
4–6, 6–3, 6–1 |
Wins (4)
| Year | Championship | Partner | Opponents in final | Score in final |
| 1973 | 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... |
Margaret Court |
Kerry Harris Kerry Harris Kerri Harris is an Australian former professional tennis player, active from 1967 to 1975, who reached the semi-final of the 1972 Australian Open, and reached four Grand Slam doubles finals, of which she won one, in the 1972 Australian Open.-Career:Harris first reached a Grand Slam final in the... Kerry Melville Reid |
6–4, 6–4 |
| 1973 | French Open | Margaret Court |
 Françoise DurrFrançoise Durr Françoise Durr is a retired tennis player from France. She won 26 major singles titles and over 60 doubles titles.... Betty StöveBetty Stöve Betty Stöve is a former Dutch professional tennis player. She is best remembered for reaching the ladies' singles final at Wimbledon in 1977. She also won ten Grand Slam titles in women's doubles and mixed doubles.-Career:... |
6–2, 6–3 |
| 1973 | US Open | Margaret Court |
Billie Jean King Billie Jean King Billie Jean King is a former professional tennis player from the United States. She won 12 Grand Slam singles titles, 16 Grand Slam women's doubles titles, and 11 Grand Slam mixed doubles titles. King has been an advocate against sexism in sports and society... Rosemary CasalsRosemary Casals Rosemary "Rosie" Casals is a former American professional tennis player.Rosemary Casals earned her reputation as a rebel in the staid tennis world when she began competing in the early 1960s. During a tennis career that spanned more than two decades, she won more than 90 tournaments and worked for... |
3–6, 6–3, 7–5 |
| 1975 | US Open (2) | Margaret Court |
Billie Jean King Rosemary Casals |
7–5, 2–6, 7–6 |
Runner-ups (6)
| Year | Championship | Partner | Opponents in final | Score in final |
| 1969 | US Open | Margaret Court |
Françoise Durr Françoise Durr Françoise Durr is a retired tennis player from France. She won 26 major singles titles and over 60 doubles titles.... Darlene HardDarlene Hard Darlene Hard is an American former amateur tennis player. Known for her volleying ability and strong serves, she captured singles titles at the French Championships in 1960 and the U.S... |
0–6, 6–3, 6–4 |
| 1970 | 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... |
Françoise Durr |
Billie Jean King Billie Jean King Billie Jean King is a former professional tennis player from the United States. She won 12 Grand Slam singles titles, 16 Grand Slam women's doubles titles, and 11 Grand Slam mixed doubles titles. King has been an advocate against sexism in sports and society... Rosemary CasalsRosemary Casals Rosemary "Rosie" Casals is a former American professional tennis player.Rosemary Casals earned her reputation as a rebel in the staid tennis world when she began competing in the early 1960s. During a tennis career that spanned more than two decades, she won more than 90 tournaments and worked for... |
6–2, 6–3 |
| 1970 | US Open (2) | Rosemary Casals |
Margaret Court Judy Tegart Dalton |
6–3, 6–4 |
| 1972 | US Open (3) | Margaret Court |
Françoise Durr Betty Stöve Betty Stöve Betty Stöve is a former Dutch professional tennis player. She is best remembered for reaching the ladies' singles final at Wimbledon in 1977. She also won ten Grand Slam titles in women's doubles and mixed doubles.-Career:... |
6–3, 1–6, 6–3 |
| 1976 | US Open (4) |  Olga MorozovaOlga Morozova Olga Vasilyevna Morozova is a retired female tennis player who competed for the Soviet Union. She was the runner up in singles at the 1974 French Open and 1974 Wimbledon Championships.-Career:... |
 Delina BoshoffLinky Boshoff Delina Ann Boshoff-Mortlock was born on 12 November 1956, and is a former professional tennis player who won the 1976 US Open women's doubles title with her partner Ilana Kloss... Ilana KlossIlana Kloss Ilana Sheryl Kloss is a former professional tennis player and the commissioner of World Team Tennis.-Tennis career:Kloss was born in Johannesburg, South Africa. Before turning professional, in 1972 she won the Wimbledon juniors singles title. In 1974 she won U.S... |
6–1, 6–4 |
| 1979 | French Open | Françoise Durr |
Betty Stove Wendy Turnbull Wendy Turnbull Wendy Turnbull, MBE, is a retired Australian professional tennis player. During her career, she won 9 Grand Slam titles, 4 of them in women's doubles and 5 of them in mixed doubles. She also was a 3-time Grand Slam singles runner-up and won 13 singles titles and 55 doubles titles.-Career:Turnbull... |
3–6, 7–5, 6–4 |
Singles Championships (55)
- Bold type indicates a Grand Slam championship
- 1968 - US Open, Bloemfontein, Bournemouth, East London, Dewar Cup-Crystal Palace
- 1969 - Cape Town, Hoylake, Dewar-Perth, Dewar-Stalybridge, Dewar-Aberavon, Dewar-Crystal Palace, East London
- 1970 - German Indoors, West Berlin Open, Irish Open, Stalybridge, Aberavon
- 1971 - Cape Town, Catania Open, Rome, Newport-Wales, CincinnatiCincinnati MastersThe 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...
, Dewar-Billingham, Dewar-Aberavon, Dewar Cup Final-London, Clean Air Classic - 1972 - Australian OpenAustralian OpenThe 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...
, VS Indoors-Mass., Merion, Buenos Aires - 1973 - Dallas, Bournemouth, Dewar-Aberavon, Dewar-Edinburgh, Dewar-Billingham, Dewar Cup Final-Albert Hall
- 1974 - VS ChicagoAmeritech Cup ChicagoThe Ameritech Cup is a defunct WTA Tour affiliated tennis tournament held every year from 1971 until 1997 in Chicago, Illinois in the United States. Its sponsors were Virginia Slims from 1971 to 1978 and again from 1983 to 1994, Avon from 1979 to 1982 and Ameritech from 1995 to 1997...
, Bournemouth, VS Phoenix, Dewar-Edinburgh, Dewar Cup-London - 1975 - VS Dallas, VS PhiladelphiaAdvanta Championships PhiladelphiaThe Advanta Championships of Philadelphia was a WTA Tour professional tennis tournament for women played from 1971 through 2005 in Philadelphia, United States. The tournament was classified on the WTA Tour as a Tier I event from 1993 through 1995. It was classified as a Tier II event in 1991,...
, Paris Indoors, Eastbourne, Dewar Cup, Stockholm - 1976 - U.S. Indoor ChampionshipsUS IndoorsThe US Indoors, known formally as the U.S. Indoor Championships, was a national tennis championship for women that was sanctioned by the United States Tennis Association and held 79 times from 1907 through 2001 at various locations and on various surfaces. The event was affiliated with the WTA...
, Dewar Cup - 1977 - Wimbledon, World Invitational Hilton Head, Tokyo Sillook
- 1978 - MahwahWTA New JerseyThe WTA New Jersey is a defunct WTA Tour affiliated tennis tournament played from 1978 to 1989. It was held in Mahwah, New Jersey in the United States and played on outdoor hard courts....
, Tokyo Sillook, Florida Open
Grand Slam singles tournament timeline
| Tournament | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | Career SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia 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... |
A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | W | QF | A | A | A | A / A | A | A | A | A | A | 2R | 2R | 2R | 1 / 5 |
| France | A | A | A | A | A | 4R | A | 2R | QF | 1R | QF | 3R | 2R | A | A | A | A | 2R | 3R | 4R | 3R | 1R | 1R | 2R | 0 / 14 |
| 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... |
2R | 2R | 2R | 4R | 2R | QF | 1R | 3R | 4R | 4R | QF | QF | SF | QF | SF | W | SF | QF | 4R | 2R | 2R | QF | 3R | 3R | 1 / 24 |
| United States | A | A | 4R | 2R | QF | 4R | W | SF | SF | A | QF | QF | 2R | SF | 2R | QF | 3R | QF | 3R | 3R | 1R | 2R | 2R | A | 1 / 20 |
| SR | 0 / 1 | 0 / 1 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 3 | 1 / 2 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 2 | 1 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 2 | 1 / 2 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 3 | 3 / 63 |
A = did not participate in the tournament.
SR = the ratio of the number of singles tournaments won to the number of those tournaments played.
Note: The Australian Open was held twice in 1977, in January and December.
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...