Evonne Goolagong Cawley

australian-flag

Australia

retired

I can’t quite believe it’s been 50 years since I first won the women’s title there. I have so many great memories playing at the Australian Open, where I could always rely on having the support of the home crowd.

Evonne Goolagong Cawley, 16 Nov 2023
Evonne Goolagong poses at a Tennis event

Biography

Singles champion

Australian Open: 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977 (December)
Roland Garros: 1971
Wimbledon: 1971, 1980

Doubles champion

Australian Open: 1971, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977 (December)
Wimbledon: 1974

Mixed doubles champion

Roland Garros: 1972

Fed Cup representation

1970, 1972-76, 1982
Captain 2002-2004

 

Evonne Goolagong Cawley ranked in the top 10 for nine years and climbed to world No.1 for two weeks in 1976.

She won four Australian Open singles between 1974 and 1977, though not in consecutive championships, as she missed the January 1977 Open and won the December 1977 event. The beloved “Gong” finished her career in the mid-1980s with seven Grand Slam singles titles from 18 finals, and 13 major titles in all.

Renowned for her grace, ethereal touch and fluid speed around the court, Goolagong Cawley started playing as a young girl by hitting a ball against a wall with a board from an apple crate.

The US Open was the only major to elude the adored Aussie; she lost four consecutive finals in New York between 1973 and 1976. She did, however, win Wimbledon as a mother in 1980, only the second woman to do so.

Statistics

Key statistics

Age73
Born31 July 1951
Birth PlaceGriffith, New South Wales
LivesNoosa Heads, Sunshine Coast, Queensland
Height168 cm
PlaysRight-handed
Australian Tennis Hall Of Fame1994
International Tennis Hall Of Fame1988