| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| Residence | Santa Monica |
| Born | December 8, 1945 Berkeley, California |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 70–31 |
| Highest ranking | 5 (1969) |
| Grand Slam results | |
| Australian Open | SF (1974) |
| French Open | SF (1970) |
| Wimbledon | QF (1969) |
| US Open | SF (1974) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 39–22 |
| Grand Slam Doubles results | |
| Australian Open | SF (1974) |
| French Open | SF (1968, 1969, 1970) |
| Wimbledon | SF (1969, 1974) |
| US Open | QF (1968, 1969) |
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Competitor for the United States | ||
| Maccabiah Games | ||
| Women's tennis | ||
| Gold | 1969 Israel | Women's Singles |
| Gold | 1969 Israel | Women's Doubles |
| Gold | 1969 Israel | Mixed Doubles |
Julie Heldman (born December 8, 1945) is a retired American tennis player who won 22 professional tennis titles.
In 1969 she was World No. 5, her highest career world ranking, and was ranked No. 2 in the U.S.
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The daughter of junior champion Julius Heldman (the U.S. junior champion in 1936; a leading amateur player in the 1930s and 1940s) and World Tennis founder and publisher Gladys Heldman (who played at Wimbledon), she was born in Berkeley, California and began playing tennis when she was eight years old.
She won her first national title (the Canadian 18 and under singles) at age 12, in 1958. It was the first of her three Canadian Junior Championships, and she became the first 12-year-old ever to capture a national crown. Heldman went on to win the U.S. Girls Junior Singles Title in 1960 (in the 15s) and 1963 (in the 18s).
Heldman was Cincinnati Singles Champion in 1962. While a student at Stanford University in 1964, Heldman reached the national collegiate singles and doubles finals. She received her B.A. from Stanford in 1966, and went on to earn her J.D. from UCLA Law School in 1981, where she was a Law Review editor and was Law School Graduate of the Year, as well as UCLA Graduate Woman of the Year.
Heldman won the Canadian Open singles title in 1965. She won three medals (gold in mixed doubles, silver in women's doubles and bronze in women's singles) at the Olympic demonstration tournament in 1968. In 1969, she won the Italian Open, beating Kerry Melville Reid in the final. She reached the semifinals of three Grand Slam singles tournaments: the 1970 French Open, the 1974 Australian Open, and the 1974 US Open. She won the doubles title at the US Women's Clay Court Championships and at the Canadian Open in 1974.
In 1970, she was a member of the "Houston Nine" who left the United States Tennis Association (USTA) to play in the Virginia Slims tournament in Houston. Supported by her mother, the tour was so successful that it eventually merged with the USTA and became the current WTA. The first all-woman's tour, the Virginia Slims circuit eventually earned women the right to receive equal pay with men in competitions.
She reached the semifinals in three Grand Slam events: the 1970 French Open, the 1974 Australian Open, and the 1974 US Open. She was U.S. Clay Court Doubles Champion in 1974. She was also Canadian Doubles Championin 1974.
Heldman played on the US Federation Cup teams that captured the championship in 1966 and 1969. She also played on the U.S. Federation Cup teams in 1970, 1974, and 1975. She was the captain of the team in 1975. Her career win-loss record in Federation Cup competition was 21-9.[1]
Heldman won a gold, silver, and bronze medal in the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City when tennis was a demonstration sport.
In 1969, Heldman, who is Jewish, won the Maccabiah Games Singles in Israel — plus the Maccabiah Doubles with Marilyn Aschner and Mixed Doubles with Ed Rubinoff.
Heldman was inducted into the:
Heldman retired in 2000. After ending her playing career she worked as a television color commentator and journalist, with CBS, NBC, PBS, and HBO at the U.S. Open and Wimbledon, 1973-78. She at the same time authored articles for various publications, including her mother’s magazine, World Tennis. Covering the Avis Challenge Cup Tournament for NBC in 1976, she became the first woman to provide commentary on a men’s tennis event.
| Legend | |
| Grand Slam | 0 |
| WTA Championships | 0 |
| Tier I | 0 |
| Tier II | 0 |
| Tier III | 0 |
| Tier IV & V | 0 |
| Olympic Games | 0 |
| Outcome | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
| Runner-up | 1. | 26 October 1968 | Olympics-Mexico City Exhibition, Mexico | Clay | Jane Bartkowicz | 3-6, 2-6 |
| Legend | |
| Grand Slam | 0 |
| WTA Championships | 0 |
| Tier I | 0 |
| Tier II | 0 |
| Tier III | 0 |
| Tier IV & V | 1 |
| Olympic Games | 0 |
| Titles by Surface | |
| Hard | 0 |
| Clay | 1 |
| Grass | 0 |
| Carpet | 0 |
| Outcome | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
| Runner-up | 1. | 20 October 1968 | Olympics-Gudalajara Demo, Mexico | Clay | Rosy Darmon | Edda Buding Helga Niessen |
3-6, 4-6 |
| Winner | 2. | 26 October 1968 | Olympics-Mexico City Exhibition, Mexico | Clay | Rosy Darmon | Jane Bartkowicz Valerie Ziegenfuss |
6-0, 10-8 |