Evonne Goolagong Cawley facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Evonne Goolagong Cawley
AC MBE

Goolagong in 1973
Full name	Evonne Fay Goolagong Cawley
Country (sports)	Australia
Born	(1951-07-31) 31 July 1951 (age 73) Griffith, New South Wales, Australia
Height	1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)
Retired	1983
Plays	Right-handed (one-handed backhand)
Prize money	US$ 1,399,431
Int. Tennis HoF	1988 (member page)
Singles
Career record	704–165 (81.01%)
Career titles	86
Highest ranking	No. 1 (1971, Lance Tingay) No. 1 (26 April 1976, WTA)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open	W (1974, 1975, 1976, 1977Dec)
French Open	W (1971)
Wimbledon	W (1971, 1980)
US Open	F (1973, 1974, 1975, 1976)
Other tournaments
Tour Finals	W (1974, 1976)
Doubles
Career titles	46
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian Open	W (1971, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977Dec)
French Open	SF (1971)
Wimbledon	W (1974)
US Open	SF (1972, 1973, 1974)
Mixed doubles
Career titles	1
Grand Slam mixed doubles results
French Open	W (1972)
Wimbledon	F (1972)
Team competitions
Fed Cup	W (1971, 1973, 1974)

Evonne Fay Goolagong Cawley (born 31 July 1951) is a famous Australian former tennis player. She was once ranked the world's No. 1 female tennis player. Evonne was one of the best players in the world during the 1970s and early 1980s.

When she was 19, she won the French Open singles title. She also won the Australian Open doubles championship that year. In 1971, she won the women's singles tournament at Wimbledon. Later, in 1980, she made history by becoming the first mother to win Wimbledon in 66 years.

Evonne won 14 major tennis titles, called Grand Slam tournaments. This included seven singles titles, six women's doubles titles, and one mixed doubles title. She played for Australia in the Fed Cup three times, helping her country win in 1971, 1973, and 1974. After she stopped playing professionally in 1983, Evonne continued to be involved in tennis. She played in special invitational matches and took on leadership roles in sports.

Evonne Goolagong was named Australian of the Year in 1971. She has received many awards for her achievements and contributions. These include being inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 1985 and the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1988. Today, she runs the Goolagong National Development Camp. This camp helps Indigenous boys and girls stay in school through tennis.

Evonne Goolagong's Early Life

Evonne is the third of eight children. She comes from an Australian Aboriginal family, the Wiradjuri people. Her father, Ken Goolagong, was a sheep shearer. Her mother, Melinda, took care of their home. Evonne was born in Griffith, New South Wales, and grew up in a small town called Barellan.

Even though Aboriginal people faced many challenges in Australia, Evonne was able to play tennis. A local resident, Bill Kurtzman, saw her watching through a fence. He invited her to come in and play. This was the start of her tennis journey.

In 1965, Vic Edwards, who owned a tennis school in Sydney, heard about Evonne. He traveled to Barellan to see her play and quickly saw her amazing talent. He convinced her parents to let her move to Sydney. There, she went to Willoughby Girls High School. She lived with Edwards' family, and he became her coach and manager.

Evonne's Amazing Tennis Career

Evonne Goolagong at the 1971 Dutch Open

Evonne Goolagong won seven Grand Slam singles championships. This places her among the top women's tennis players of all time. She won a total of 86 singles titles during her career. She won singles and doubles titles at the Australian Open and Wimbledon. She also won singles and mixed doubles titles at the French Open. The only major tournament she never won was the US Open. She reached the finals of the US Open four times in a row, from 1973 to 1976, but lost each time.

Evonne also reached seven finals in a row at the Australian Open. She won three of these titles in a row. Her career win-loss record was very impressive, winning 81% of her matches.

Reaching World No. 1

Evonne Goolagong was ranked the world's No. 1 female tennis player for two weeks in 1976. However, this was not known at the time. It was only discovered in 2007, 31 years later, that she had reached the top spot. This happened because the ranking data used back then was incomplete. She was the second woman ever to hold the top spot.

Highlights of the 1970s

During the 1970s, Evonne Goolagong Cawley played in 17 Grand Slam singles finals. This was a record for any player during that time. From 1971 to 1977, she played in 21 Grand Slam events. She reached the final in almost every Grand Slam singles event she entered between 1973 and 1977.

In 1974, she won the ladies' doubles title at Wimbledon with Peggy Michel. She also won the women's doubles title at the Australian Open five times. She won the mixed doubles title at the French Open once.

After winning the WTA Championships in 1976, Evonne continued to play until 1983. However, she did not play a full season again. In 1976, she realized she was pregnant during the US Open final. She then took a break from playing.

After her daughter was born, Evonne returned to tennis in 1977. She had a very successful comeback, winning ten tournaments. This included another Australian Open title. In March 1978, she won the Virginia Slims of Boston. She beat both Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert to win that title. Her ranking rose to No. 3 in the world.

Playing in the 1980s

At the start of the 1980s, injuries and illness kept Evonne away from the tour. But she made a triumphant return at Wimbledon in 1980. For this victory, she beat four players ranked in the top 10. This is the only time a Wimbledon champion has done this. She also beat two former Grand Slam finalists.

She had to withdraw from the US Open that year due to a back injury and her second pregnancy. Evonne was absent for most of 1981. She returned to play in Australia at the end of the year. Her comeback was not always consistent.

In 1982, she played less. She won two of her three matches in the Federation Cup. In November, she reached her only singles final in Sydney. She beat world No. 3 Andrea Jaeger before losing to Martina Navratilova.

In 1983, she did not reach the quarterfinals of any event. She played her last Grand Slam singles match at the French Open. She lost in the third round to Chris Evert. She then withdrew from Wimbledon singles. She played in the doubles event at Wimbledon, which was her last Grand Slam appearance.

Evonne is the only mother to have won the Wimbledon title since Dorothea Lambert Chambers in 1914. She married Roger Cawley in 1975 and had her daughter in 1977.

Life After Professional Tennis

Evonne Goolagong in 2012

Even during her playing days, Evonne Goolagong appeared in many commercials. After she retired, she continued to endorse products. She also worked as a touring professional at a tennis club in South Carolina.

In 1988, she was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. In 1990, Evonne started playing in senior invitational competitions. She returned to Wimbledon to play in the first ladies' senior invitational doubles.

Evonne was a member of the Board of the Australian Sports Commission from 1995 to 1997. Since 1997, she has been a Sports Ambassador for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities. She was also the captain of the Australian Fed Cup team in 2002. In 2003, she won an award from the International Olympic Committee for "Women and Sports."

She also runs an annual "Goolagong National Development Camp." This camp helps Aboriginal children stay in school by encouraging them to play competitive tennis.

Awards and Special Recognition

Evonne Goolagong Park, Barellan

The "big" tennis racquet at Barellan, New South Wales, commemorates the achievements of Evonne Goolagong.

Evonne Goolagong received the Australian of the Year award in 1971. She was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire in 1972. In 1982, she was made an Officer of the Order of Australia. She was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 1985. In 1988, she joined the International Tennis Hall of Fame. In 2018, she received the highest honor, a Companion of the Order of Australia. This was for her great service to tennis and for supporting Indigenous youth through sport.

In 1978 and 1980, she received the WTA Karen Krantzcke Sportsmanship Award. This award recognizes fair play and good conduct. The Evonne Goolagong Cawley Trophy is named in her honor. It is awarded to the female champion at the Brisbane International tennis tournament.

In 1993, a RiverCat ferry in Sydney was named after her. This ferry travels daily from Parramatta to Circular Quay.

(Now Withdrawn and Scrapped) Rivercat MV Evonne Goolagong at Circular Quay as it came from the Parramatta River

The National Museum of Australia has a collection of Evonne Goolagong Cawley's memorabilia. This includes her Wimbledon singles trophies from 1971 and 1980. It also has her 1974 doubles trophy and racquets she used.

In 2001, Evonne was added to the Victorian Honour Roll of Women. This was for her achievements as a tennis player. In her hometown of Barellan, there is a giant replica of a tennis racquet she used. It is 13.8 meters (about 45 feet) long. Evonne herself unveiled this "big" tennis racquet in 2009.

In 2016, Australia Post honored Evonne and ten other Australian tennis players. They appeared on a special set of postage stamps. Also in 2016, she received an honorary doctorate from the University of South Australia. In 2018, the International Tennis Federation gave her its highest award, the Philippe Chatrier Award. This was for her contributions to tennis.

Evonne Goolagong is widely considered one of the greatest women's tennis players of all time.

Personal Life

When Evonne started training with Victor Edwards, she lived with him and his family. He became her coach and manager. In 1971, she met Roger Cawley, a former junior British tennis player. Evonne and Roger married on 19 June 1975. After her marriage, she moved to Naples, Florida. Roger became her coach and manager.

Evonne's father, Ken, passed away in a car crash in 1974. Her mother, Melinda, passed away in 1991. After meeting many Indigenous Australian relatives at her mother's funeral, Evonne and Roger decided to move back to Australia. They bought a home in Noosa Heads, Queensland. They settled there with their two children, who were born in the United States.

Her daughter, Kelly (born 1977), helps run her tennis camps. Her son, Morgan Kiema Cawley (born 1981), was a soccer player. Evonne Goolagong is also the great-aunt of National Rugby League player Latrell Mitchell.

Evonne's brother, Ian, was an amateur tennis player. He played mixed doubles with Evonne at Wimbledon in 1982. As of 2015, Ian Goolagong was the president and coach at the Lalor Tennis Club in Victoria.

Autobiography

Evonne Goolagong Cawley wrote a book about her life. It is called Home! The Evonne Goolagong Story. It was published in 1993.

Career Statistics

Grand Slam Tournament Performance

Note: The Australian Open was held twice in 1977, in January and December. Goolagong won the December edition. She was seeded fourth for the 1980 US Open Championships, but withdrew from the tournament before play began.

Grand Slam Tournament Finals

Singles: 18 (7 wins, 11 losses)

Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Opponent	Score
Loss	1971	Australian Open	Grass	Margaret Court	6–2, 6–7(0–7), 5–7
Win	1971	French Open	Clay	Helen Gourlay	6–3, 7–5
Win	1971	Wimbledon	Grass	Margaret Court	6–4, 6–1
Loss	1972	Australian Open	Grass	Virginia Wade	4–6, 4–6
Loss	1972	French Open	Clay	Billie Jean King	3–6, 3–6
Loss	1972	Wimbledon	Grass	Billie Jean King	3–6, 3–6
Loss	1973	Australian Open	Grass	Margaret Court	4–6, 5–7
Loss	1973	US Open	Grass	Margaret Court	6–7(2–7), 7–5, 2–6
Win	1974	Australian Open	Grass	Chris Evert	7–6(7–5), 4–6, 6–0
Loss	1974	US Open	Grass	Billie Jean King	6–3, 3–6, 5–7
Win	1975	Australian Open (2)	Grass	Martina Navratilova	6–3, 6–2
Loss	1975	Wimbledon	Grass	Billie Jean King	0–6, 1–6
Loss	1975	US Open	Clay	Chris Evert	7–5, 4–6, 2–6
Win	1976	Australian Open (3)	Grass	Renáta Tomanová	6–2, 6–2
Loss	1976	Wimbledon	Grass	Chris Evert	3–6, 6–4, 6–8
Loss	1976	US Open	Clay	Chris Evert	3–6, 0–6
Win	1977	Australian Open [Dec.] (4)	Grass	Helen Gourlay	6–3, 6–0
Win	1980	Wimbledon (2)	Grass	Chris Evert	6–1, 7–6(7–4)

Women's Doubles: 7 (6 wins, 1 loss)

Evonne Goolagong (right) partnering Margaret Court in a doubles semifinal at the 1971 Wimbledon Championships

Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Win	1971	Australian Open	Grass	Margaret Court	Jill Emmerson Lesley Hunt	6–0, 6–0
Loss	1971	Wimbledon	Grass	Margaret Court	Rosemary Casals Billie Jean King	3–6, 2–6
Win	1974	Australian Open (2)	Grass	Peggy Michel	Kerry Harris Kerry Melville	7–5 6–3
Win	1974	Wimbledon	Grass	Peggy Michel	Helen Gourlay Karen Krantzcke	2–6, 6–4, 6–3
Win	1975	Australian Open (3)	Grass	Peggy Michel	Margaret Court Olga Morozova	7–6, 7–6
Win	1976	Australian Open (4)	Grass	Helen Gourlay	Renáta Tomanová Lesley Turner Bowrey	8–1
Win	1977	Australian Open [Dec.] (5)	Grass	Helen Gourlay	Mona Guerrant Kerry Melville Reid	Shared - final rained out

Note: The shared women's doubles title at the Australian Open in 1977 (December) is not always counted in Goolagong's total wins because the finals were never played.

Mixed Doubles: 2 (1 win, 1 loss)

Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Win	1972	French Open	Clay	Kim Warwick	Françoise Dürr Jean-Claude Barclay	6–2, 6–4
Loss	1972	Wimbledon	Grass	Kim Warwick	Rosemary Casals Ilie Năstase	4–6, 4–6

Records and Achievements

• These records were achieved during the Open Era of tennis.
• Records in bold mean she is the only player to have achieved them.

Images for kids

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  Goolagong in 1971