Virginia Wade

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**Virginia Wade**

Country	United Kingdom
Residence
Date of birth	July 10, 1945 (age 61)
Place of birth	Bournemouth, England
Height	5'7" (1.70 m)
Weight	135 lbs. (61.2 kg)
Turned Pro	1968
Retired	1986
Plays	Right-handed
Career Prize Money	US$1,542,278
Singles
Career record:	839-329 (WTA website)
Career titles:	-
Highest ranking:	-
Grand Slam results
Australian Open	W (1972)
French Open	QF (1970, 1972)
Wimbledon	W (1977)
U.S. Open	W (1968)
Doubles
Career record:	42-48 (WTA website)
Career titles:	-
Highest ranking:	-
Infobox last updated on: January 27, 2007.

Sarah Virginia Wade (born July 10, 1945, in Bournemouth, Hampshire, England) is a former tennis player from the United Kingdom. She won three Grand Slam singles titles and four Grand Slam doubles titles. She is particularly remembered for winning the women's singles title at Wimbledon in the championship's Centenary year on July 1, 1977, currently the last Briton to do so. It was also the Queen's Silver Jubilee year.

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. She went on to study mathematics and physics at the University of Sussex, graduating in 1966.

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 U.S. $720 first prize. Five months later, she had become a professional and captured the women's singles title at the first U.S. Open (and prize-money of U.S. $6,000). She beat Billie Jean King in the final 6-4, 6-2.

Wade's second Grand Slam singles title came in 1972 at the Australian Open. She defeated Evonne Goolagong in the final 6-4, 6-4.

Wade's most notable victory came at Wimbledon in 1977. It was the 16th year in which Wade had played at Wimbledon, and she made her first appearance in the final by beating defending champion Chris Evert in a semifinal 6-2, 4-6, 6-1. In the final, she faced Betty Stove. Not only was 1977 the 100-year anniversary of the founding of the Wimbledon Championships, but it was also the 25th year of the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, and the Queen attended the championships for the first time in a quarter-century to watch the women's final. In the final, Wade beat Stove 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 to claim the title, nine days short of her 32nd birthday. Wade received the trophy from her Queen, and the Centre Court crowd burst into a chorus of "For She's a Jolly Good Fellow!" to celebrate her triumph.

Wade also won four Grand Slam women's doubles titles partnering Margaret Smith Court – two at the U.S. Open, one at the Australian Open, and one at the French Open.

Wade was coached by Jerry Teeguarden, father of the professional player Pam Teeguarden.

Over her career, Wade won 55 professional singles titles and amassed U.S. $1,542,278 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 at the end of 1985 and from doubles at the end of 1986.

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 title partnered by Virginia Ruzici of Romania

The 24 times that Wade played in the women's singles tournament at Wimbledon is an all-time record.

Since retiring from tennis, Wade has commentated on tennis events for the BBC.

In 1989, Wade was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

1 Grand Slam record
2 Singles titles (55)
3 Grand Slam singles tournament timeline
- 3.1 See also
4 External links

[edit] Grand Slam record

Australian Open
- Singles champion: 1972
- Women's Doubles champion: 1973

French Open
- Women's Doubles champion: 1973
- Women's Doubles finalist: 1979

Wimbledon
- Singles champion: 1977
- Women's Doubles finalist: 1970

U.S. Open
- Singles champion: 1968
- Women's Doubles champion: 1973, 1975
- Women's Doubles finalist: 1969, 1970, 1972, 1976

[edit] Singles titles (55)

1968 - US Open, Bloemfontein-RSA, Bournemouth, East London-RSA, Dewar Cup-Crystal Palace
1969 - Cape Town-RSA, Hoylake, Dewar-Perth, Dewar-Stalybridge, Dewar-Aberavon, Dewar-Crystal Palace, East London-RSA
1970 - German Indoors, West Berlin Open, Irish Open, Stalybridge, Aberavon
1971 - Cape Town, Catania Open, Rome, Newport-Wales, Cincinnati, Dewar-Billingham, Dewar-Aberavon, Dewar Cup Final-London, Clean Air Classic-NY
1972 - Australian Open, VS Indoors-Mass., Merion, Buenos Aires
1973 - Dallas, Bournemouth, Dewar-Aberavon, Dewar-Edinburgh, Dewar-Billingham, Dewar Cup Final-Albert Hall
1974 - VS Chicago, Bournemouth, VS Phoenix, Dewar-Edinburgh, Dewar Cup-London
1975 - VS Dallas, VS Philadelphia, Paris Indoors , Eastbourne, Dewar Cup, Stockholm
1976 - US Indoors, Dewar Cup
1977 - Wimbledon, World Invitational Hilton Head, Tokyo Sillook
1978 - Mahwah, Tokyo Sillook, Florida Open

[edit] 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	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	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