Biographies of Female Tennis Players

SCHWIKERT, JILL
United States
Born 19 May 1954 in Las Vegas, Nevada
Married (1) Terence Michael Tippit 11th July 1977 Nevada.
Married (2) Richard Dale Butcher (20 October 1928-18 July 1999) 18th May 1988 Nevada. Later divorced
[Active 1970 to 1975]

Twin sister of Joy. The girls gave up tap dancing and bowling for tennis at the age of 10. When a delivery man failed to deliver bowling balls but had tennis racquets the curious twins were intrigued and took up the game.

Player singles at the 1974 Australian Open

In 2000 Jill dealt craps, poker and several other games at the Mirage Casino in Las Vegas.

Joy was ranked #127 at the end of 1975 on the WTA Computer.


Jill (left) and Joy (right)



Sources:

1972 USTA Yeabook
Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History Records at Ancestry.co.uk
Google

https://news.google.com/newspapers?...rs?nid=950&dat=19750312&id=ir1SAAAAIBAJ&sjid=XH0DAAAAIBAJ&pg=7144,3572705&hl=en

[Thanks to Rosamund for this information]

TOLLESON, STEPHANIE
United States
Born 25 March 1956 in Phoenix, Arizona
Married Jean-Noel Bioul in 1983
[Active from 1976 to 1979]

Took up tennis at the age of 10.

Played singles Wimbledon 1977 and 1978, US Open 1976 and 1978 (reached 3rd round after beating Barbara Potter in 2nd round). She played World Team Tennis from 1976 to 1978.

Educated at Trinity University in San Antonio.

Later involved with WTA and womens tennis development.

Joining the business side of the game in 1979, Tolleson spent two formative years with the WTA, then began a 25-year career with sports marketing giant International Management Group (IMG), founded by Mark McCormack. She quickly rose up the ranks into client management, representing the world’s top players. She has managed the business careers of No. 1 players Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, Monica Seles, Venus Williams, Serena Williams. Promoted to Senior Corporate Vice President, Tolleson oversaw all aspects of IMG’s global tennis division. She capped her remarkable career by brokering Sony Ericsson’s $88 million title sponsorship of the WTA Tour in 2005, the largest sponsorship ever in women’s sports. (ITA profile)




Sources:

International Who's Who in Tennis 1983
STEPHANIE TOLLESON | ITA Women's Hall of Fame

[Thanks to Rosamund for this information]

BARLOW,WENDY
Canada
Born 07 May, 1960 in North Bay, Ontario, Canada
Married Brad Pattenden between 1980 and July 1983.
Height: 5' 2"
[Active from 1976 to 1980 and 1983]

Taking up tennis at the age of 10, sports ran in her genes, as dad Bob Barlow was an NHL Hockey player.

Educated at Brigham Young University

Played singles at Wimbledon in 1978,failing to qualify there in 1980. Dropping off the tour for two yeas, she was attempting a comeback in 1983. Wendy represented Canada in Federation Cup play in 1978 and 1980. By 1985 she was off the tour for good but remained active as a coach.

Her daughter Hillary (born in 1990) carried on the family sports tradition, becoming a female hockey goalie.



Sources:

Who's Who in Canadian Sport 2005
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wendy_Barlow [informative, but the WTA statisitcs (1 win and 8 defeats) are not to be believed]
http://www.wimbledon.com/en_GB/scor...B/scores/draws/archive/pdfs/players/27a17365-ac44-4286-8b61-0bdd31bedabe_LS.pdf

http://icehockey.wikia.com/wiki/Hillary_Pattenden

[Thanks to Rosamund for this information]

MYSKINA, ANASTASIA
Russia

Russia's first female to win a grand slam in singles

Anastasia Myskina became Russia's first Grand Slam champion, beating Elena Dementieva in the 2004 final at Roland Garros

CAPRIATI, JENNIFER
United States
Born 29 March 1976 in New York City, New York
Height: 5' 7" (1.70 m)
Plays: Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
Pronounced: ka-pree-AH-tee
[Active 1989 to 1994, 1996 to 2004]

3 Time Grand Slam champion (2001 and 2002 Australian Opens and the 2001 French Open). In addition she was the 1992 Olympic Champion.

Capriati seemed destined for greatness as early as her debut on tour at the precocious age of 13. Celebrated as a breath of fresh air at her debut, her upward trajectory continued through 1992, when she upset Steffi Graf in Barcelona to win the Olympic Gold medal. The bloom came off the rose by 1993, as she increasingly acted out on and off the court. Arrests for shoplifting and possession of marijuana sent her into a spiral. Playing only 1 match all year in 1994, she missed out on 1995 entirely as she sorted out her life. In the meantime the WTA instituted what became known as "The Capriati rule", limiting how much young teens

The Capriati who returned in 1996 struggled on tour early on, slowly regaining confidence. She turned the corner in 1999, and with a semifinal at the Australian Open in 2000 her confidence was back.

If you believe, dreams do come true -Capriati on winning the 2001 Aussie capping storybook comeback

Click to expand...

With noticeably better fitness Jennifer shockingly carved through 3 tough opponents in a row ( Monica Seles, Lindsay Davenport and Martina Hingis) to win the Australian Open in 2001. Her forehand was potent, allowing her to dictate points. Increased foot sped and a solid backhand made it hard to get the ball past her. The American Princess of the 90s was back as the Comeback Cinderella who had overcome adversity. A dramatic victory over Kim Clijsters at 12-10 in the third set cemented her position at or near the top of the rankings.

The person who stopped Jen from ending the year as #1 was Venus Williams. In an absolutely wild third set at the Lipton Championships at Miami Capariati blew 8 match points to lose. Venus also defeated Capriati at New Haven and in straight sets at the US Open in the semifinals. Capriati was 0-4 lifetime vs Venus.

Her rivalry with Serena, the younger Williams sister, was often like watching fireworks. Both brought out the street fighter qualities in each other. They traded verbal barbs off court, while on court the matches were often the highlights of women's tennis. Jennifer won 7 out 17 matches vs Serena, a far better record than most contemporaries managed. 12 out the 17 encounters went to a third set.

Capariati came back to Australia in 2002 to defend her title in the most dramatic turn of events.

Career Statistics

W/L - Singles - - - 430 - 176 (.709 %)
W/L - Doubles - - - 66 - 50 (.568%)

Career High Singles: #1 on 15 October 2001
Career High Doubles: #28 on 02 March 1992

Best Grand Slam Results (3W, 10 SF, 10 QF)

Australian Open W (2001-2002); SF (2000); QF (1992-1993)
French Open W (2001); SF (1990, 2002, 2004); QF (1992-1993)
Wimbledon SF (1991, 2001); QF (1992-1993, 2002-2004)
US Open SF (1991, 2001, 2003-2004); QF (2002)

Year End WTA Rankings

2004 10
2003 6
2002 3
2001 2
2000 14
1999 23
1998 101
1997 66
1996 36
1993 9
1992 7
1991 6
1990 8

SINGLES
Winner (14): 2003 - New Haven; 2002 - Australian Open; 2001 - Australian Open, Roland Garros, Charleston; 2000 - Luxembourg; 1999 - Strasbourg, QuTbec City; 1993 - Sydney; 1992 - San Diego, Olympics; 1991 - San Diego, Toronto [Canadian Open]; 1990 - Puerto Rico.

DOUBLES
Winner (1): 1991 - Rome (w/Seles).

ADDITIONAL
United States Fed Cup Team 1990-91, 1996, 2000. United States Olympic Team 1992. United States Wightman Cup Team 1989.

Thumbnail Career History

1990 - In Tour debut at Boca Raton, became youngest-ever player to reach a pro final at 13 years, 11months. At Wimbledon, youngest-ever seed in Grand Slam history (No.12), bettering Rinaldi by two days; won first title at Puerto Rico, d. Garrison in final (fourth-youngest to win a title after Austin, Rinaldi and Jaeger) and rising to No.10, youngest-ever to be ranked in Top 10 at age 14 years, 235 days; youngest qualifier for season-ending Championships at 14 years, 8 months, stretching No.1 Graf to 3s in 1r; ended first season ranked No.8.

1991 - Won two titles and reached consecutive Grand Slam SF; aged 15 yrs, 95 days, youngest-ever semifinalist at Wimbledon (d. defending champion Navratilova in QF, forcing her earliest exit in 14 years); 16-match win streak, which included titles at San Diego d. No.1 Seles 76 third set in youngest Tour final in Open Era (combined age of 33 years) at US Open and came within two points of defeating Seles in titanic SF (served formatch twice) before falling 63 36 76 (3)

1992 - Reached three Grand Slam QF and won two titles consecutively; won singles gold medal at Barcelona Olympics, d. No.2 seed Sßnchez-Vicario in SF and No.1 Graf in gold medal match; successfully defended San Diego title;finished season at No.7.

1993 - Won sixth career title at Sydney (d. No.3 Sabatini in SF); repeated 1992 effort of reaching QF at Australian Open, Roland Garros and Wimbledon (l. to Graf each time); runner-up at Canadian Open (Toronto; d. No.3 Snchez-Vicario), l. to Graf in 3s; after US Open 1r loss to Meskhi, did not play on Tour for 14 months; finished fourth consecutive season in Top 10.

1994 - Fell out of Top 10 on January 17 and off rankings on June 27; accepted WC into Philadelphia in November for her only match of the year, l. 1r to eventual champion A.Huber in 3s.
1995 - Did not play.
1996 - Fifteen months since last Tour match, returned at Essen and finished at No.24.
1997 - Reached Sydney final but slipped to No.66 by season-end.
1998 - Reached Hamburg QF, won first Grand Slam singles match in five years; fell to No.267 (April 6), finished No.101.
1999 - Best season in six years, winning two singles titles and finishing No.23; captured first title in six years at Strasbourg and went on to win Quebec.

2000 - First Grand Slam SF in nine years at Australian Open (l. to eventual champion Davenport); improved to No.17, first time in Top 20 since April 10, 1994; ninth career title at Luxembourg. Qualified for season-ending Championships for first time since 1993; finished season inside Top 20 for first time in seven years.

2001 - Career-best season included first Grand Slam titles, reaching world No.1 ranking for first time; won Australian Open, d. No.1 Hingis, No.2 Davenport and No.4 Seles, the last three winners of tournament; became then-lowest seed (No.12) to win a Grand Slam title in Open Era (there was one unseeded winner); first player since Austin (1979 US Open) to d. worlds Top 2 players in straight sets at a major; reentered Top 10 for first time in seven years at No.7, the longest absence from the Top 10 in Tour history; won Family Circle Cup (first American-born winner since 1985) and second Grand Slam title at Roland Garros; d. S.Williams, No.1 Hingis and Clijsters 16 64 12-10 in longest-ever third set in a Roland Garros womens final; fifth woman in history to win Australian Open and Roland Garros the same year (after Connolly, Court, Graf and Seles); two points from defeat on four occasions vs. Clijsters; also runner-up four other times (incl. Miami after holding 8mp vs. V.Williams); only player in 2001 to reach SF or better at all four Grand Slams (first SF at Wimbledon and US Open in 10 years); ending Hingis 73 consecutive-weeks run, became ninth No.1 in the world on October 15 since 1975; finished with 56-14 record, first time to win 50+ matches in a season, and as world No.2, her highest season-ending rank and first in Top 10 since 1993.

2002 - Won third Grand Slamsingles title in 13 months by defending Australian Open as No.1; d. No.7 Mauresmo, No.5 Clijsters and No.4 Hingis, coming back from 64 40 and saving 4mp in second set to win in temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius; reached three other finals (Scottsdale, Miami and Canadian Open) and as top seed at Roland Garros (led S.Williams 63 65); sixth consecutive Grand Slam tournament to reach at least SF; streak broken at Wimbledon, falling in QF to Mauresmo.

2003 - Sixth Top 10 finish; to recover from eye surgery in November 2002 to remove sunspots (pterygiums); reached at least SF of next five events; ended 28-tournament losing streak in New Haven, claiming 14th career title, benefiting from retirements of Mauresmo in SF and Davenport in final; career-third US Open SF and was two points from winning 10 times before losing three-hour-plus match to eventual champion Henin-Hardenne 46 75 76(4); reached SF of season-ending Championships, falling to No.1 Clijsters after leading 64 32 (with a break) while suffering from a right hip strain.

2004 - Withdrew from Australian Open w/back injury suffered at 2003 season-ending Championships; at Rome, d. top seed S.Williams in SF (first win since 2001 Wimbledon QF, having lost previous eight meetings), l. to seed Mauresmo in two-hour, 30-minute final 36 63 76(6) after holding mp at 5-4 in 3rd set and savingmp at 6-5 in tiebreak, her 10th career Tier I final and first there in 14 tries; at Roland Garros d. S.Williams again in QF, losing to eventual champion Myskina in SF; at Wimbledon, l. in QF to two-time defending champion Serena Williams 61 61 in 45 minutes, most lopsided result in 17-match rivalry (Capriati' s fourth straight QF there); reached fourth career US Open SF, d. S.Williams in QF, l. to Dementieva 60 26 76(5) (third time losing SF there in third-set tie-break); withdrew from Filderstadt w/influenza, then QF at Philadelphia, l. to No.11 Zvonareva 60 61, thus not qualifying for season-ending Championships for first time since 1999, and worst loss since 60 61 loss to Graf at 1999 Miami.

2005 -Underwent shoulder surgery on January 27 in Wilmington, Delaware, Though she never announced her retirement Capriati's career was effectively over.









Sources:

Players | WTA Tennis English
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jennifer_Capriati
tennis.com - 2001: Jennifer Capriati's comeback win at the Australian Open

O'KEEFE, MARCY
United States
Born 05 November 1955 in Santa Clara, California
Married William M. Doyle on 16 June 1979 in Santa Clara, California
[Active 1973 to 1976]

Educated at Stanford University

Played singles US Championships 1973 and 1976.

In 1975 Marcy was ranked #70 on the WTA computer.

On her facebook is with Roland Deptuch as of 2016.

Sources:

Sources 1972 USTA Yearbook
Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History Records at Ancestry.co.uk


[Thanks to Rosamund for this information]

HENREID, MIMI
United States
Born 24 March 1945
Married (1) Russell J. Abbott 28th November 1970 Los Angeles County---Divorced March 1971
Married (2) Mr Duncan
[Active 1965 to 1967]

Adopted daughter of actor Paul Henreid, most famous for his role in the film 'Casablanca'.

[From Sports Illustrated on 19 June 1961]

MIMI HENREID

Star's starlet




View Cover
June 19, 1961


Original Layout


In the country club atmosphere of Hollywood, kids grow up playing golf and tennis the way kids elsewhere play hopscotch and stickball. Even so, it took a lot of coaching to get Viennese Actor Paul Henreid's daughter Mimi to play tennis. When her older sister Monica started taking lessons on the family court eight years ago, Mimi hovered bashfully on the sidelines, watching but refusing to play. "Only after months of eavesdropping," recalls Henreid, "did Mimi finally decide to have a try at the game."
Once started, however, Mimi was impossible to stop. Within three years she was playing tournament-caliber tennis. Last year, at 15, she earned a No. 2 place in the national rankings for girls of her age.
"She has a fine potential," says Mimi's proud father. The only trouble is he can no longer enjoy playing with her. "The last time we played she spotted me 30 love, and I only took one game."


NCAA Singles Champion 1965
Educated UCLA

Played singles US Championships 1965,1966, French 1967 (won 1 match) and Wimbledon 1967.

Sources:

Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History Records at Ancestry.co.uk
USLTA Championship Rolls
http://www.si.com/vault/1961/06/19/583885/mimi-henreid

[Thanks to Rosamund for this information]

DE ROBIGLIO, "MARGHERITA" (Robina Margherita Salmond de Robiglio)
Italy/France
Born 20 August 1887 in Newport, Rhode Island, United States *(see below for a slightly different date)
Died 09 December 1971 in Toulon, France.
Married Colonel Paul Marie Alexandre Astraud on 2 February 1907 in Nice, France
[Active 1902-06]

Margharita de Robiglio, as she was known, was the daughter of Count Joseph Hamilton de Robiglio (1864-1951), and Countess Elise Sarah de Robiglio (née King; 1856-99), who was originally from the American state of Connecticut.

Count Joseph Hamilton de Robiglio was the son of Countess Robina de Robiglio (née Hamilton Salmond; 1821-87), a native of Glasgow, Scotland, and Count Joseph de Robiglio (c. 1793-1870), who was from Florence, Italy. (This was probably a second marriage for both parties.) They married each other on 15 September 1863 in Edinburgh, Scotland. Elise Sarah King was the daughter of Jonathan Williams King (1813-63), a native of New York City and wealthy businessman, and his second wife Ann Margaret King (née Masters; 1821-90).

It’s possible that Elise King and Count Joseph H. de Robiglio first met each other in Newport, Rhode Island, which by the end of the nineteenth century was a popular summer holiday destination for many wealthy people. (In the U.S. City Directories for the years 1822 to 1995, Count Joseph de Robiglio, of Nice, France, is listed several times in the Newport Summer Residents section as staying in a cottage at 60 Ayrault Street in the years circa 1885-1905.)

Count Joseph H. and Countess Elise de Robiglio must have also spent some time living in New Haven, Connecticut, because their first child, a boy also named Joseph Hamilton de Robigio, was probably born there in May 1885. This child died on 3 July 1889, also in New Haven, at only three years of age.

Robina Margharita Salmond de Robiglio was born on 20 August 1887 in the aforementioned cottage located on 60 Ayrault Street in Newport, Rhode Island. Interestingly, Robina was given two of her paternal grandmother’s names, including her first name, but was probably called Margharita to avoid confusion. Although born in Italy, her paternal grandfather, Count Joseph de Robiglio, had lived for some time on the French Riviera, dying in Nice circa 1870. This would explain the family’s association with that particular French city, one of the centres of lawn tennis in the early years of the sport in France (beginning circa 1890), and not least during the early months of the year when the climate was favourable for sport.

Despite the international flavor of her background Robina was as Italian national until her marriage. This is confirmed by passenger records which listed her whole family as Italian by citizenship.

Margharita’s father, Count Joseph H. de Robiglio, was taking part in lawn tennis tournaments on the French Riviera as early as 1896, and in March of that year won the men’s singles event at the second edition of the South of France Championships, soon to be arguably the most important of the lawn tournaments held on the Riviera.

The de Robiglio family had a residence at 36 Boulevard Hugo in Nice, not far from the Nice Lawn Tennis Club, which Joseph H. and Margharita de Robiglio both joined. Margharita was already enjoying success at lawn tennis tournaments by early 1903 when, at the age of 15, she reached the semi-finals of the women’s singles event at the South of France Championships before losing to the German player Countess Clara von der Schulenburg, 6-4 6-3.

According to an unsigned report in the German-language Prager Tagblatt newspaper, Margharita de Robiglio was a rather delicate and weak player, at least in early 1903. However, the same writer predicted that she could soon be a threat to even the best of the English players. Indeed, one year later the same newspaper reported that Margharita defeated Countess Clara von der Schulenburg, 6-2, 6-2, by combining hard-hitting with safe returns, and using her cross-court forehand drive to great effect. This notable victory came in early March 1904, in the final of the women’s singles event at the prestigious Monte Carlo tournament.

The year 1904 was something of an annus mirabilis for Margharita de Robiglio because, in addition to her success in Monte Carlo, she also reached the final of the women’s singles event at the South of France Championships in Nice in mid-March, before Countess Clara von der Schulenburg gained her revenge by the close score of 8-6, 7-5.

On 7 February 1907, in Nice, Margharita de Robiglio married Colonel Paul Marie Alexandre Astraud, a member of the French military. He was born on 18 July 1877 in Toulon, to Charles Marcel Astraud, a member of the French Marine Artillery (part of the French Army, not the French Navy), and Marie Félicité Astraud (née Allègre). Paul Astraud appears to have been a career soldier and served with distinction during World War One, being made a Knight of the Legion of Honour (1919), with this award being upgraded to Officer of the Legion of Honour (1926) and, lastly, Commander of the Legion of Honour (1959).

Like several other female lawn tennis players, Margharita de Robiglio appears to have given up serious competitive play on her marriage to Paul Astraud in February 1907. They had at least two children together, a boy called Bertrand Joseph (circa 1907-1972), and a girl called Josette Suzanne Marie Marguerite (1914-1990). Josette would also enjoy success as a tennis player, both under her maiden and after her marriage in 1932 to Marcel Amouretti.

Margharita (de Robiglio) Astraud was widowed on 18 February 1963 when Paul Astraud died at the age of 85 in the port city of Toulon on the French Riviera. Margharita survived her husband by eight years. She died on 9 December 1971, four months after her 84th birthday, in Toulon, close to where she and her father had enjoyed success on the tennis court more than half a century earlier.

*She is buried in the British Protestant cemetery in Nice, whose site suggests she was born 13 March 1887.

Her daughter Josette already has an entry here in the encyclopedia: Biographies of Female Tennis Players


[Thanks to Newmark for this information. Rollo confirmed her citizenship via ancestry.com]

DIGNAM, ERIN
United States
Born 20 July 1955 in Los Angeles, California
[Active in 1975-1978]

Played singles 1977 Wimbledon in the main draw after fighting her way through the qualies.

An article from the St Petersburg Evening Star throws a sporlight on how tough it was for women on the margins of tennis in the 1970s. Erin earned only $75 for losing in the first round of qualifying at Tampa, hardly enough to pay for her flight home to California. In late 1977 she was giving herself a year to make a success of things. The next year proved to be her last.

Before tennis Dignam had aspired to be a ballet dancer.

People think they can be really good. Everybody would quit if they always thought they would be number 150

Click to expand...

Later writer and director.

Dignam on the right


Sources:

1972 USTA Yearbook
http://www.wimbledon.com/en_GB/scor...B/scores/draws/archive/pdfs/players/3364c35a-08bd-4f57-b09d-823187ed22dd_LS.pdf

"She's Set a Limit on Her Search for Stardom" The St Petersburg Evening Independent, September 26 1977, page 17.
https://news.google.com/newspapers?...rs?nid=950&dat=19770926&id=XVpQAAAAIBAJ&sjid=tlgDAAAAIBAJ&pg=1872,2222310&hl=en

Contemporary North American Film Directors: A Wallflower Critical Guide. By Yoram Allon, Del Cullen, Hannah Patterson. [2002] p. 139

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0226586/


[Thanks to Rosamund for this information]

MCGREGOR, CAMMY
United States
Born 11 October 1968 in Torrance, California
Height: 5' 6"
Name variant: Cammie
[Active from 1986 to 1995 ]

Cammy was more active in Grand Slam singles than her sister Cynthia, debuting at the 1986 US Open. She ended 1986 ranked #78, with a SF in Newport her best showing. Her second year in the top 100 came in 1989. She reached the 4R at the Australian Open (her best showing in a slam) and ended the year at #96.

She played in 14 Grand Slams winning 10 singles matches.

Since about 2000 she has been a teaching pro in San Diego.

Singles

Career record 44–84
Highest ranking # 75 (October 13, 1986)

Doubles

Career record 128–143
Career titles 3
Highest ranking # 38 (October 26, 1992)

Won 3 tour doubles events.

Sources:

1987 World of Tennis, page 317. [where her name is rendered as "Cammie".

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cammy_MacGregor

http://www.wtatennis.com/players/player/4956

[Thanks to Rollo and Rosamund for this information]

MACGREGOR, CYNTHIA
United States
Born 26 March 1964 in Torrance, California
Died 13 February 1996 Monterey Park California
Nickname: "Cinny"
[Active 1980-1991]

Played for USA in 1984 Maureen Connolly Cup.
Played singles in 1988 Australian Open.

Educated at San Diego State University, where she had a sterling tennis record. She has been inducted into the San Diego State Athletic Hall of fame.

Sister Cammy was also tennis pro. Together reached the quarterfinals of the 1990 Australian Open.

Sadly her early death was largely due to complications from anorexia.

Singles:

Career record 38-50
Highest ranking # 177 (March 14, 1988)

Doubles:

Career Record: 78-80 (Won Taipei in 1987 with sister Cammy)
Highest ranking: #50 on April 11, 1988)

Sources:

1983 USTA Yearbook
Aztec Tennis Reporter January 2007.
Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History Records at Ancestry.co.uk

http://www.wtatennis.com/players/player/4958
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cynthia_MacGregor

NEVIASER, NANCY
United States
Born 18 April 1958 in Fairfax, Virginia
Married (1) Bruce Killingsworth 03 December 1983 in Miami-Dade, Florida
Married (2) Robert McNair Baker 06 February 1993 in Duval,Florida
[Active in 1982]

Played singles French and US Championships 1982. Her career high of #95 came in August of 1982.

Nancy attended Rollins College in Florida. She helps run a prominent charity foundation.

Sources:

1983 International Who's Who of Tennis
Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History Records at Ancestry.co.uk
https://communityhospice.com/about-...-neviaser-charitable-foundation-continues-commitment-to-community-pedscare.aspx

GOMER, SARA
Great Britain
Born 13 May 1964 in Torquay, England
Married John Palombo in July 1994 in Uttlesford, Essex
Height: 6' 2 "
[Active 1982-1992]

Gomer, 21, a 6-foot-2 left-hander from Torquay, was one of the giants of the women`s tour. She won 2 ITF singles titles and a lower level tour level event in 1988 at the Northern California Open at Aptos. She was the last British player to win a tour title until Heather Watson did it in 2012.

Gomer was on the Wightman Cup team from 1986 to 1989. She failed to win a match in 9 attempts.

A gentle giant, Gomer relied on a big forehand and a huge serve.

She is now the mother of 3 children.

[From a Daily Telegraph article]

“It was really hard, quite a grind. I had established the fact that I was never going to be a top 50 player. Then my sister had children, and I realised I wanted to start a family. It was really hard to meet anyone with all the travelling I was doing. I was lucky that I met my husband soon after I finished.”

Click to expand...

--Gomer on her decision to leave the tour.

According to Chris Bradnam, who was Gomer’s coach when she won in Aptos, her problem was one of self-confidence. “Her height had been an issue for her from an early age. I think the amount of ribbing she took at school knocked her confidence.” Gomer doesn’t dispute this diagnosis. “If I’d had a bit more belief, maybe I’d have gone further,” she says. “Now I can hardly believe that I played at all — but I do still have the little watch I won in Aptos, tucked away in a drawer somewhere.”

Career Statistics

W/L - Singles - - - 153 - 163---Career-high Singles on 26-Sep-1988 (#46)
W/L - Doubles - - - 28 - 80----Career-high Doubles on 21-Dec-1986 (149)

WTA Year-End Singles Rankings

1992 172
1991 123
1990 92
1989 124
1988 51
1987 72
1986 59
1985 77
1984 128
1983 160



Sources:

Players | WTA Tennis English

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sara_Gomer

"Sara Gomer, Britain's previous WTA title winner, believes she might have taken her career further with more belief", The Daily Telegraph, 2012.
Sara Gomer, Britain's previous WTA title winner, believes she might have taken her career further with more belief - Telegraph

Source Ancestry? | Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History Records

MCINERNEY, SHEILA (Sheila McInerney)
United States
Born 22 February 1958 Rome New York
[Active 1976-1979 and to 1981 to 1983]

Member 1977 Maureen Connolly Cup Team.

Played singles 1977 US Championships (reached last 32 lost Billlie Jean-King) 1978, 1981 and Wimbledon 1978. Her highest rank in singles was #75. She took a break from the tour in 1979 and 1980 to complete college.

McInerney earned a bachelor's degree in public relations from the University of Southern California in 1980. Assistant Coach at USC 1983-84, she became head Coach at Arizona State in 1985 as has remained there ever since.

In Arizona State’s history, no coach has the amount of accolades that Sheila McInerney has accumulated during her 32-year tenure as a Sun Devil. Since her first season as head coach in 1985, Sun Devil women’s tennis has won 463 matches, advanced to 30 of 31 NCAA Tournaments, including 28 straight, and has finished each season in the top 38 nationally. That’s the second most wins by any Arizona State coach in school history (Arizona Website)

Click to expand...

WTA YEAR-End Rankings:

1979: #94

Sources:

International Who's Who in Tennis 1983.

http://www.thesundevils.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=30300&ATCLID=207911273

http://www.wtatennis.com/players/player/5157/title/sheila-mcinerney

[Thanks to Rosamund for this information]

MCDANIEL, KAY
United States
Born 25 September 1957 in Shreveport, Louisiana.
[Active 1979 to 1982 and 1985 to 1987]

Made history at Atlanta when she won the Avon Futures of Atlanta as a "lucky loser",having lost in the qualifying event and admitted to the main draw when another player withdrew.

"She won Avon Futures Atlanta in 1980 after losing in the final round of qualifying when she was beaten by Hallquist. However, she returned to the draw as lucky loser and proceeded to romp through the tournament, becoming the first woman to achieve this remarkable feat." (1981 World of Tennis).

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Played in 1978 Maureen Connolly Cup Team

Played singles French 1979, Wimbledon 1979 (reached last 32 losing to Betty Stove)1980, US 1979 and Wimbledon 1986 after qualifying.

Educated Louisiana State University.
Inducted 2005 into the US Tennis Association Hall of Fame.
Inducted 2007 into the Southern Tennis Hall of Fame
2015 was the 24th year of tennis clinic at Lee University.






Sources:

flowers, butterflies, macro, photography, inspirational,colorful, art

International Who's Who in Tennis 1983
1981 World of Tennis. Page 321

Wimbledon Compendium 2015
Players | WTA Tennis English (inaccurate statistics)
https://www.tennisforum.com/12-general-messages/411268-has-lucky-loser-ever-won-tournament.html
KAY MCDANIEL TENNIS CLINICS | 24 Years of Serving Excellence

[Thanks to Rollo and Rosamund for this information]