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"Rabitt"-The Wendy Turnbull Thread

22K views 93 replies 19 participants last post by  Mark43 
#1 · (Edited)
TURNBULL, WENDY
Australia (Queensland)
Born 26 November 1952 - Brisbane, Queensland
Never married.
Height: 1.64 m (5 ft 5 in)
Nickname: "The Rabbitt"-bestowed by Ion Tiriac in 1975 when she was playing World Team Tennis.
Started tennis at about age 7.
[Active 1968-1990. Turned pro in 1975]

Nicknamed "Rabbit" as she was blessed with good speed on court and retrieved many balls. Very heady and clever, her all court game brought her numerous doubles titles,including 4 majors in doubles and 5 in mixed doubles. Not having a major weapon probably prevented her from scaling the ladder and winning a major in singles. All 3 times she reached a slam final in the Aussie failed to grab a set.

Quote:
"I know nuns with better social lives than me."-Turnbull in 1979, on the demands of tour life.
Coached by her father Don Turnbull and Daphne Seeney Fancutt, Wendy made her first trip to Europe in 1972. In between tennis stints she worked as a bank teller to save money to tour. Gradually getting better, she was a solid if unspectacular journey woman until 1977. Her magical run at the US Open that year was remarkable. Turnbull dispensed of Rosie Casals, Virginia Wade (who had won Wimbledon earlier that summer) and then Martina Navratilova in a thrilling 3 set semifinal. Chris Evert was a bridge too far on clay, but the 7-6 6-2 was respectable.

From that point forward Turnbull lodged herself solidly in the world top ten for the rest of the 1970s through 1984. She was also in the top 20 for ten consecutive years (1977-1986).

Another highlight was reaching all 3 finals at the 1979 French Open. The Rabbitt won both doubles, but once again fell to Evert in final. Foolishly staying back and trying to rally, she was crushed 6-2 6-0.

The last chance for a singles slam came in the final at the 1980 Australian. Turnbull upset the #1 seed Navratilova in semis. Nerves and the fine play of Hana Mandlikova overcame her in the final to the tune of 6-0 7-5. Just two weeks earlier Turnbull saved 8 match points in taking the New South Wales title at Sydney.

A final golden moment came in the 1988 Seoul Olympics. Playing doubles with Liz Smylie, they won the bronze medal. "When we realized we had at least won the bronze we were jumping up and down".

Her nickname brought her some financial gain, as Turnbull endorsed the Volkswagon Rabbit.


GRAND SLAM RECORD

Australian Open

Singles Finalist 1980, Semifinalist in 1981 and 1984. Quarterfinals in 1982 and 1983.
Doubles Finalist 1983, 1988

French Open

Singles Finalist 1979, Quarterfinalist 1980.
Doubles Winner 1979, Finalist 1982
Mixed Doubles Winner 1979, 1982

Wimbledon (competed every year from 1972 to 1990-19 consecutive years)

Singles: Quarterfinalist 3 consecutive years (1979, 1980, and 1981)
Doubles: Winner 1978 Doubles Finalist 1979, 1980,1983,1986
Mixed Doubles Winner 1983, 1984

US Open

Singles Finalist 1977, Semifinalist in 1978 and 1984; Quarterfinals 1986.
Doubles Winner 1979, 1982 Doubles Finalist 1978, 1981, 1984, 1986
Mixed Doubles Winner 1980

Career Record


Singles:

Match record: 478 won-250 lost .658 %(from the WTA-the true number is surely higher.)

Career high at #3 (07 January 1985)

21 titles:

1971: Northern Rivers Championships (Lismore NSW), City of Brisbane Championships
1972: Wynnum QLd Championships, Norwich GBR, South Coast Championships (Southport QLD), Queensland HC (Recliffe)
1973: Surbiton GBR, Merseyside GBR, South Queensland Championships (Ipswich)
1976: QBE AWTA Championships (Rockdale Sydney), Austrian Open (Kitzbuhel), Japan Open, West Australian Open
1979: Detroit VS, Philadelphia VS
1980: Hong Kong Seiko Classic, NSW Open
1981: Hong Kong Seiko Classic
1982: Queensland National Panasonic (Brisbane), Richmond VA
1983: Boston VS

Doubles:

Match record: 653–225 (from the WTA-surely higher)
55 titles
5 mixed titles

Record by Year
(Statistics given from 1977-when they are reliable to 1987, her last full year in singles)

1977-world rank #9----29-17 .650% (RU US Open)
1978-world rank #7----48-23 .676% (SF US Open)
1979-world rank #7----61-25 .709% (RU French. Won Detroit and Philadelphia on Avon circuit. Won 14 doubles titles.)
1980-world rank #8----72-24 .750% (RU Australian. Won NSW and Hong Kong)
1981-world rank #8----46-23 .667% (SF Australian)
1982-world rank #5----46-19 .709% (Won Queensland and Richmond)
1983-world rank #8----46-18 .719% (Won Boston)
1984-world rank #5----37-17 .685% (SF at US open and Australian Open)
1985-world rank #14---40-18 .690% (Career high #3 in January, but slips out of world top 10 at age 32 by year's end)
1986-world rank #18---17-17 .500% (upsets doubles partner and defending champ Mandlikova at US Open.)
1987-world rank #23---20-16 .556%
1988-world rank #136--5-14 .263% (singles career winds down, Olympics bronze in doubles and RU Aussie doubles with Evert)
1989-world rank-#264--2-4 .333 %
1990-doubles only. Retires.
----------------------------------------------

At Wimbledon in 1979



Sources:

"Rabbitt: The Wendy Turnbull thread"
http://www.tennisforum.com/showthread.php?t=372883

Her website:
http://www.wendyturnbull.net/

Concise Dictionary of Tennis, by Martin Hedges, p 235.

"Weby Turnbull: The Great Survivor". by Craig Gabriel. Tennis Australia, July, 1986, pages 12-15.
 
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#2 · (Edited)
A profile from the Australian Open. This year Turnbull was inducted into the Aussie Tennis Hall of Fame.

http://www.australianopen.com/en_AU/event_guide/history/wendy_turnbull.html

Wendy Turnbull: Australian Tennis Hall of Fame 2009


Nick-named ‘Rabbit’ for her lightning-quick footwork, Wendy Turnbull tore up the world’s tennis courts during a career that spanned 14 years, pausing just long enough to capture 13 singles titles, 55 women’s doubles titles and five mixed doubles titles.

Born on 26 November 1952, Turnbull learned to play tennis at the age of five and, inspired by watching the stars of the pre-professional era play local country tournaments, contested her first junior event aged 10.

In an era when sponsorship was difficult, if not impossible, for female players to come by, Turnbull left school at 15 to work in the Commonwealth Bank, using her earnings to finance her fledgling competitive career.

Turnbull turned professional in 1975 – a golden era for the women’s game – and was a contemporary of Martina Navratilova, Chris Evert, Billie Jean King and Rosie Casals. She won her first doubles title in 1975, partnering Evonne Goolagong Cawley in Auckland. And, with slightly more than one professional year on the clock, won her first singles titles in Kitzbuhel and Tokyo.

She reached a Grand Slam singles final for the first time at the US Open in 1977, and again in 1979, conceding the title to Chris Evert on both occasions. Her only other singles final at a major came at Australian Open 1980, where she lost to Hana Mandlikova, also in straight sets.

While Grand Slam doubles finals proved fruitful for Turnbull, a home Grand Slam title eluded her throughout her career, two further near-misses occurring in the finals of the 1983 and 1988 Australian Open doubles events, partnering Anne Hobbs and Chris Evert respectively.

The Brisbane-born star did, however, win four Grand Slam women’s doubles titles and five Grand Slam mixed doubles titles during her career. Three of these were clinched with John Lloyd, with whom she had a particularly productive partnership.

Turnbull was runner-up in Grand Slam doubles finals a further 15 times, and it’s noteworthy that of the 11 women’s doubles finals in this number, nine of the losses were to teams that included the dominant Martina Navratilova.

Famed for her twinkle-toed court coverage, Turnbull was also quick-tongued with a reputation for conducting entertaining post-match press conferences. In 1977, tiring of Virginia Wade’s claims that she shouldn’t lose to a player of Turnbull’s calibre, she retorted: “Virginia doesn’t think anybody should beat her – including God.”

With consistency her hallmark, Turnbull held a top 10 ranking for eight consecutive years between 1977 and 1984, and was a Fed Cup team stalwart, holding Australian records for the most ties played (45), most doubles rubber wins (29), most rubber wins in total (46) and most successful doubles partnership, boasting an 11-4 win-loss record with Kerry Reid.

Recognition followed records and in 1984 Queen Elizabeth made her a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in a ceremony at Buckingham Palace. In 1988 Turnbull capped off her career by winning an Olympic bronze medal for women’s doubles in partnership with Liz Smylie. She was particularly amused by this achievement saying, “I'm very good friends with Chris Evert and Chrissie's never won an Olympic medal so sometimes she'll say: 'Rabbit's got something that I haven't got'.”

In 1999 Turnbull retired from professional tennis, her tongue firmly in her cheek when she explained, “I just got sick of looking at these 18 year olds across the net.”

Today a keen golfer, she splits her time between Sandgate in Brisbane and Boca Raton in Florida, playing occasional masters and veterans’ tennis events.

Wendy Turnbull achievements:
• Runner-up in three Grand Slam singles finals:
1997 – US Open (l Chris Evert )
1979 – French Open (l Evert)
1980 - Australian Open (l Hana Mandlikova)
• Won four Grand Slam women’s doubles titles:
1978 - Wimbledon (w/Kerry Melville Reid)
1979 - French Open (w/Betty Stove)
1979 - US Open (w/Stove)
1982 - US Open (w/Rosie Casals)
• Won five Grand Slam mixed doubles titles:
1979 – French Open (w/Bob Hewitt)
1980 - US Open (w/Marty Riessen)
1982 – French Open (w/John Lloyd)
1983 - Wimbledon (w/Lloyd)
1984 – Wimbledon (w/Lloyd)

• Amassed 13 singles titles, 55 doubles titles and five mixed doubles titles.
• Won 478 tour-level singles matches and 653 doubles matches during her 14-year career as a professional player.
• Represented Australia in five Fed Cup finals:
1984 (l Czechoslovakia)
1980 (l USA)
1979 (l USA)
1978 (l USA)
1977 (l USA)
• Captained or coached Australia’s Fed Cup team between 1985 and 1993.
• 1988 Seoul Olympics women’s doubles bronze medallist (w/Liz Smylie).
• Honoured by the City of Brisbane in 1993 with a public park named after her.
 
#3 ·
Looking at her records Turnbull started playing in the senior tournaments in 1968 and reached her first singles final in 1970 (South Queensland Champs). I have 8 more tournament wins for her, mainly Australian tournaments.

Turnbull Singles Titles

1971
Northern Rivers Championships (Lismore NSW), City of Brisbane Championships

1972
Wynnum QLd Championships, Norwich GBR, South Coast Championships (Southport QLD), Queensland HC (Recliffe)

1973
Surbiton GBR, Merseyside GBR, South Queensland Championships (Ipswich)

1976
QBE AWTA Championships (Rockdale Sydney), Austrian Open (Kitzbuhel), Japan Open, West Australian Open

1979
Detroit VS, Philadelphia VS

1980
Hong Kong Seiko Classic, NSW Open

1981
Hong Kong Seiko Classic

1982
Queensland National Panasonic (Brisbane), Richmond VA

1983
Boston VS

Runner-ups (24)
 
#5 ·
I thought Turnbull was fun to watch. What a magical run she had at the U.S. Open in 1977 -- seemingly out of nowhere. And then going on to build on that success and fashion a stellar career. The 1977 Open final with Evert was an excellent match. It's too bad she never managed to win a grand slam title -- she probably could have won Australia against Mandlikova, but I don't think she really believed. The same as Tauziat with Novotna in their Wimbledon final. I remember Turnbull endorsing the Volkswagon Rabbit. Pretty cool at the time.
 
#6 ·
I remember being a spectator at the 1973 Merseyside tournament at the Vagabonds Tennis Club. Wendy beat Susan Minford in that final. Her brother, Harry, also played in the tournament, losing in a first round upset to Canadian Guy Tytherleigh. John Clifton ended up taking the men's final, with a win over Mark Farrell. Many thanks for the trip down memory lane...
 
#7 ·
So glad to see Wendy "Rabbit" Turnbell has her own thread for us Trip down memory lane fans

Such a great person for the game here in Australia,

Does anyone recall Rabbit Turnbell win in Sydney over Pam Shriver 1980 NSW Open, think Rabbit saved around 8 match points against Shriver,

Wendy was working with channel 7 as a commentator when she retired but this was short lived, such a shame!

With the new Tennis Complex opening in Brisbane this year, IMHO..... I think TA or whoever was involved in making the decision on the naming of the stadium court made such a mistake of not naming the stadium in Wendy's Honour, the likes of Wendy were the reason the likes of Rafter took to playing tennis in the first place, & her career record stacks up pretty impressive against Rafter's
 
#8 ·
I love Wendy. A true 'lil aussie battler'.

Two years ago, me and a couple of friends were at Wimbledon and we came across a back court where good old Rab's was playing Champions Ladies Doubles with Helena Sukova. I can confirm that these days, Wendy is very near as wide as she is tall. She was never that tall lol.

She looked like a tank. So me and my mates all sat courside and started cheering our asses off for wendy. One of my friends is fairly camp but he is from sydney's western suburbs.. I still crack up when I think about my friend crying out 'CAAARRN WENDY' time and time again - 'CAAARRN' - 'Come on Wendy' with a thick aussie drawl.

Wendy loved our support and gave us about 3 smiles when we were being a bit overzealous in our appreciation.
 
#9 · (Edited)
The only memory I have of Wendy from her days on tour is actually the speech she gave after her last tour match. I believe Gretchen Majors in her last everbeat her 2 and 2 or something in her last ever match. Funny the things u remember.
 
#29 ·
The only memory I have of Wendy from her days on tour is actually the speech she gave after her last tour match. I believe Gretchen Majors in her last everbeat her 2 and 2 or something in her last ever match. Funny the things u remember.
Actually it was 6-0 6-0 :eek: Gretchen pounded her. Wendy in her humourous way said that Gretchen should respect her elders! :lol:

She then fronted up and played the AO and got beaten by I think Natalie Herreman 75 75. And that was supposed to be her last tour match. But not to be. Because her family was coming down to the UK she then accepted a wildcard into Wimbledon and beat Pascale Paradis, to then lose to Judith Weisner.

One reported had the temerity to ask Wendy to whether the w/c shouldve went to a junior. Wendy snapped that if the junior was any good they wouldnt need a w/c :lol:
 
#10 ·
Wendy sure was a lil aussie battler,

Never was the type of player who was going to wipe you of the court, a late starter to the tour, not bad for a Bank Teller from Brisbane

Wendy will go down as getting the most out of her ability & such a joy to watch over the years

One of her great things that kept her in the game was her speed & anticipation at the net,

Wonder how her Doubles game is going these days;)
 
#11 ·
It's funny how fortunes have changed in Tennis over the years

Back in those days the Aussies had Evonne Cawley, Dianne Balastrat, Wendy Turnbell & Kerry Reid all in the top ten, even the english were in the top ten with Sue Barker & Virginia Wade with Betty Stove also in the top ten around this era

The young brigade from the US came to town & took over

Those were the days my friend & we thought they would never end
 
#13 ·
Does any aussie's on the WTF know why channel 7 dumped Rabbit from it's Aust Open team many years ago???
& does anyone from around the globe know if Rabbit is involved in tennis these days in the media???

I get so annoyed that channel 7 brings Tracy Austin out year after year, time for some new faces I think.....

What about the Aussie's.... Evonne, Wendy, Di, Kerry , But if we have to have O/S ones.... Approach Chrissie! or Natasha Zvreva(Now I reckon she would be a laugh like Henri Leconte

Just my little take on it all

Cheers

Bren
 
#14 ·
Not sure why they dropped her but I really liked Rabbit. She made a good commentator as well.

I met her once at Wimbledon in the players lounge and she was so chatty and friendly. Turns out she is also a collector or tennis memorabilia so we really hit it off and had a great chat about our collections.

I loved watching her play, esp doubles. She wasn't the most stylish in terms of stroke production but she was so gutsy and fast around the court.

Yes, the good old days of Aussie womens tennis. We had it good from 1960 until about 1980 ... Court, Turner, Lehane, Tegart, Melville, Ebbern, Krantzcke, Goolagong, Hunt, Fromholtz, Turnbull et all ...
 
#15 ·
Hey thanks for the reply.....
I thought Wendy was a pretty damn good commentator but she went off into the sunset!!!

Saw her play @Kooyong, & Melb Park..... won't forget her playing doubles with Rosie@Kooyong & Rosie's Bright Bright Red Dress.....:lol:

Fantastic Doubles Player & underated singles...... They say about Lleyton Hewitt, they have him go to war as he never gave up, The same about Rabbit, she wasn't ever going to be a week in week out challenger to Chrissie & Martina but god she fought & fought her butt off & you knew she would be trying every trick in her book!!
 
#16 ·
I liked Wendy too. Pity she never won a major doubles title Down Under. Surprising, since was so good, and played well with a number of partners. Unfortunate they didn't stage the mixed at the Australian during her heyday. I feel for sure she would have bagged an Australian Open title if they had.
 
#17 ·
Wendy was definitely fun to watch. I remember when she beat Shriver one year at the USO, Shriver commented that it was unfortunate that Wendy won because she wouldn't have as good a chance to beat Martina. Wendy enjoyed entertaining the crowd. I used to be a neighbor of Lee Jackson's daughter, Lesley. Lesley told me that Wendy really struggled with being forgotten after her retirement.

It's amazing that she only won 4 GS doubles titles. She always seemed to be one of the best. Unfortunately, in the wake of Martina, there weren't many titles left for other players to claim.
 
#18 ·
Wendy beat Pam Shriver at the NSW open or it may have being the NSW Building Society Classic..... Pam blew about 8 Match points...
Shriver would of maybe being 18-19 broke down in tears after the match...
funny how these things get retained in the memory bank;) think that was Rabbits 1st tournement win on home soil
 
#19 · (Edited)
Wendy was a fine player, but she was never really one of my favourites. I guess it's hard at a time that you have a few other Aussies in the top ten such as everyone's favourite Evonne plus the great hope Di Fromholtz, as well as the veteran Kerry Reid. We didn't know how well we had it...

I think it was a real shame Kerry and Wendy didn't keep playing through 1979. Wendy always seemed to be playing musical doubles and just as soon as you got used to her playing with a partner, she'd switch again. I never really liked her partnerships with Betty Stove (past her prime), Rosie Casals (even more past her prime) or Anne Hobbs (just not good enough).

She's still the last Aussie to make an Aussie final (oh so long ago now) but she was never at her best on grass although she was better on Aussie grass than Wimbledon. You just knew Wendy wasn't going far in the All-England singles. Funny that her first real success came on clay at the US Open in 77 as apart from the French a few years later, she never really seemed to like that surface either.

She also used to bitch about Evonne quite a bit in the press (complaining about appearance fees and Evonne's lack of participation in Fed Cup around 1979/81 for a start) which probably didn't help to increase her fan base too much.

Still there's much to admire about a woman who made singles finals at 3/4 slams, won 4 GS doubles and 6 GS mixed titles, stayed in the top ten for the best part of 10 years, represented Australia for a record number of Fed Cup appearances and shared in Australia's first ever Olympic medal in tennis.

Today it'd be rare to have a tennis player virtually unknown until she was 25 years of age.

ETA I was thinking 'surface' and typed 'service' :lol:
 
#20 ·
She also used to bitch about Evonne quite a bit in the press (complaining about appearance fees and Evonne's lack of participation in Fed Cup around 1979/81 for a start) which probably didn't help to increase her fan base too much.

Still there's much to admire about a woman who made singles finals at 3/4 slams, won 4 GS doubles and 6 GS mixed titles, stayed in the top ten for the best part of 10 years, represented Australia for a record number of Fed Cup appearances and shared in Australia's first ever Olympic medal in tennis.

Today it'd be rare to have a tennis player virtually unknown until she was 25 years of age.
I never heard the bit about Evonne. If it's true, have to say Turnbull would be the only one on record as ever saying a bad thing about Evonne! And.....shame on Wendy for doing so :(

If the Aussies were paying Evonne appearance money, well it was money well worth it. As much as I liked Wendy, she was hardly the gal they'd line up 10 deep to watch. I have no idea why Evonne didn't play Fed Cup from 1979-1981, but in 1981 she was out having a baby, and for parts of 1979 and 1980 she was dealing with lots of injuries.
 
#21 ·
I like Wendy. I appreciate her for her speed and thoughtfulness around the court, and also for always seeming to be so good natured. And I say this as a credit to her and not the other way around. But I do look at her as someone like Mary Joe Fernandez, someone who should've never made 3 slam finals, but did. So I would definitely put her in the category of someone that got a lot out of her game.

She just didn't have any weapons to beat the better players with. She was wiley enough to make them struggle now and again. But her serve was so soft (though backed up extremely well) and her groundstrokes were of no real threat.

I always enjoyed watching her play doubles. And her 1984 US Open QF and SF and 1986 4R matches are all on my "want list" of matches to see.
 
#27 ·
I agree she was someone who got a lot out of her game. But I don't get why she was a player who "should have never made 3 major finals." Why not? She earned her way to those finals! I believe she beat Navratilova in two of three events en route to the finals. Her 1977 run to the US Open finals was a major accomplishment, turning back three higher ranked, top 10 opponents: Casals, Wimbledon champ Wade, and a great come from behind win over # 2 Martina. And she acquitted herself very well against Evert in the final. Her 1979 French Open final round appearance was a shocker, then again it didn't have quite the field strength as the US Open.

Still, pretty good for a player better known for her fast court results to have been in the finals of 2 majors on clay!
 
#24 · (Edited)
This image is from the dramatic Fed Cup final in Australia late in 1978. Evert and King won the deciding doubles for the cup in 3 sets over Reid and Turnbull. Earlier in the year Kerry and Wendy won Wimbledon-coming back from match point down to win.



 
#31 · (Edited)
Hi Louloubelle:wavey:

My favorite Turnbull quote came from a match in 1977 (?) when she beat Virginia Wade in Atlanta.

By the sound of things Wendy and Virginia were having a post-match press conference side by side. Wade was making her excuses (something like "Wendy played well, but I was below form, etc).

Turnbull then piped up: (and I'm paraphrasing) "Virginia doesn't believe she should ever lose to anybody, including God"

:lol:
 
#35 ·
Hi Louloubelle:wavey:

My favorite Turnbull quote came from a match in 1977 (?) when she beat Virginia Wade in Atlanta.

By the sound of things Wendy and Virginia were having a post-match press copnference side by side. Wade was making her excuses (something like "Wendy played well, but I was below form, etc).

Turnbull then piped up: (and I'm paraphrasing) "Virginia doesn't believe she should ever lose to anybody, including God"

:lol:
Hey Rollo :wavey: Wendy certainly had a wicked sense of humour. I remember during a doubles win that herself and Chris Evert had, a reporter asked her which Lloyd she preferred to play doubles with, Chris or John. And Im paraphrasing too... I think Wendy said John because he's bum is better or something similar :lol:

HanaFanGA - Pam certainly said too much after that US match. She also said that Wendy won because she was just so lucky with net cords. Hana during that round also got stuck into Carling Bassett when she lost to her and said that because Carling is so rich, she can play without pressure.... I think the No. 3 and 4 players of that time were a bit insulted that they didnt get their god given right of being in the semi final. :lol:
 
#32 ·
I don't have the exact quote in front of me. But my favorite Turnbull quote was folliwng her upset win over Shriver in the US Open QF and Pam said that it was a shame for womens tennis because she (Pam) had a better shot at beating Martina. Wendy's reply was something to the affect of, "Actually I have a better shot at beating Martina because I'm still in the tournament."

Pam wrote about that incident in an article Tennis magazine did about "Tennis jerks." She admitted that she'd had some moments and that she cringed when she thought about what she said about Wendy. I also got the impression from Pam's book that she liked Wendy, but there was always a competitive tension between the two. Shriver vs. Turnbull was a pretty good, even though lesser known, rivalry.
 
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