.jpg) Austin in 2009 | |
| Country (sports) | United States |
|---|---|
| Residence | Rolling Hills, California, U.S. |
| Born | (1962-12-12)December 12, 1962 (age 62) Palos Verdes Peninsula, California, U.S.[1] |
| Height | 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m) |
| Turned pro | October 23, 1978 (age 15) |
| Retired | July 1994 (age 31) |
| Plays | Right-handed[1] (two-handed backhand) |
| Coach | Pancho Segura,Robert Lansdorp,Vic Braden |
| Prize money | $2,092,380[2] |
| Int. Tennis HoF | 1992(member page) |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 335–90 |
| Career titles | 30[2] |
| Highest ranking | No.1 (April 7, 1980)[3] |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Australian Open | QF (1981) |
| French Open | QF (1982,1983) |
| Wimbledon | SF (1979,1980) |
| US Open | W (1979,1981) |
| Other tournaments | |
| Tour Finals | W (1980) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 13–16[2] |
| Career titles | 5[2] |
| Highest ranking | No. 41 (August 14, 1989)[3] |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| Wimbledon | 3R (1977) |
| US Open | QF (1978,1979) |
| Mixed doubles | |
| Career record | 15–6 |
| Career titles | 1 |
| Grand Slam mixed doubles results | |
| Wimbledon | W (1980) |
| US Open | SF (1988) |
| Team competitions | |
| Fed Cup | W (1978,1979,1980) |
| Wightman Cup | W (1979,1981) |
Tracy Ann Austin Holt (born December 12, 1962) is an American former professionaltennis player. She was ranked as theworld No. 1 in women's singles by theWomen's Tennis Association (WTA) for 21 weeks. Austin won 30WTA Tour-level singles titles, including twomajor titles at the1979 and1981 US Opens, as well as five doubles titles, including the mixed doubles title at the1980 Wimbledon Championships, partnering her brotherJohn. Additionally, she won the1980 WTA Tour Championships and the year-ending1981 Toyota Championships, both in singles.
Austin remains the youngest US Open women's singles champion (aged 16) and the youngest inductee into theInternational Tennis Hall of Fame (aged 29). A series of injuries and a serious automobile accident in 1989 cut short her professional career.[4][5]
Austin was born on December 12, 1962, inPalos Verdes Peninsula, California.[6] Her parents were George and Jeanne Austin.[7]
In January 1977, a month after turning fourteen, Austin won her first professional singles title, defeatingStacy Margolin at the Avon Futures event in Portland.[8][9] As an amateur she could not accept the prize money.[10][8] At herWimbledon debut in 1977 she reached the third round, in which she lost to top-seededChris Evert. In September, she made her US Open debut and reached the quarterfinal, falling to fifth-seededBetty Stöve.[11]
Less than two months before her sixteenth birthday, Austin turned professional in October 1978.[12] In the same month she won her first professional singles title, defeating Betty Stöve in the final of thePorsche Tennis Grand Prix in Filderstadt, West Germany.[13][14]
Austin followed up with tournament wins in Tokyo andWashington, defeatingMartina Navratilova in both finals.[15] She defeated 35-year-oldBillie Jean King in the quarterfinals of the1979 Wimbledon Championships, then lost to eventual champion Navratilova in straight sets in the semifinals. In September, Austin became the youngest-everUS Open champion, aged 16 years and 9 months, by defeating second-seeded Navratilova in the semifinals and top seed Chris Evert in the final.[16][11] Evert had been attempting to win the title for the fifth consecutive year.[11] Earlier that year, Austin ended Evert's 125-match winning streak on clay by beating her in three sets in a semifinal of theItalian Open.[17][16]
TheAssociated Press named Austin itsFemale Athlete of the Year for 1979.[18]
Austin lost in the semifinals of both Grand Slam tournaments she played in 1980.Evonne Goolagong Cawley, seeded fourth and the eventual champion, defeated Austin at theWimbledon Championships. As the top seed and defending champion at theUS Open, Austin was expected to extend her five-match winning streak against third-ranked Evert. Austin took a 4–0 lead in the first set before Evert won 16 of the final 20 games to win the match. Evert went on to defeatHana Mandlíková in the final. Austin was ranked the world No. 1 singles player in 1980 for two weeks (April 7–20) and then for 19 weeks (July 7–November 17), partly because she captured the two tour-ending events. Austin defeated Navratilova to win theAvon Championships in March, andAndrea Jaeger to capture the1980 Colgate Series Championships in January 1981. In 1980, Austin won theWimbledon mixed doubles title with her brotherJohn, becoming the first brother-and-sister team to win a Grand Slam title together.[1]
During the first four months of 1981, Austin played only two events because of chronic injuries. Ongrass, she defended her singles title at theEastbourne International in the United Kingdom in June without losing a set. After Wimbledon, Austin won 26 consecutive matches and four consecutive tournaments.[16] She defeated Pam Shriver in the final of theWells Fargo Open in San Diego, and three weeks later, she beat both Navratilova and Evert in straight sets to win theCanadian Open in Toronto. As the third-seeded player at theUS Open, Austin defeated fourth-seeded Navratilova in a three-set final. Navratilova, however, ended Austin's winning streak in the final of theU.S. Indoor Championships. In Europe during the autumn, Austin lost toSue Barker in the quarterfinals of theBrighton International in Brighton, United Kingdom, but recovered the following week to defeat Navratilova in the final of thePorsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, West Germany. At the final Grand Slam tournament of the year, Austin was seeded second but lost to sixth-seeded Shriver in theAustralian Open quarterfinals. The 1981 year-endingToyota Series Championships featured two matches against Evert and one against Navratilova. Evert won her round-robin match with Austin, then Austin defeated Evert in their semifinal. Austin won the tournament with a three-set defeat of Navratilova.[19] The Associated Press named Austin its 1981 Female Athlete of the Year for the second time.[20]
Austin was the first opponent ofSteffi Graf when the German made her professional debut at the1982 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart. Austin defeated the 13-year-old Graf 6–4, 6–0.
Back injuries and recurringsciatica then began to impair Austin's effectiveness and sidelined her for long stretches. Billie Jean King, seeded twelfth, upset third-seeded Austin in the1982 Wimbledon quarterfinals. Several weeks later, however, Austin won her 30th and final top-level singles title in San Diego. She had a good showing at the 1982 season-ending Toyota Series Championships, in which she defeated Jaeger, the world No. 3, in straight sets to reach the semifinals—in which, however, unable to repeat her victory of 1981, she lost to Evert.
In 1983, Austin was the runner-up at theFamily Circle Cup, losing the final to Navratilova in three sets. She also reached the quarterfinals of theFrench Open.
Austin played sporadically from 1984 to 1987 and tried yet another comeback on the tour in 1988 when she played in seven doubles tournaments, and in 1989, when she played in one doubles and two singles tournaments. A highlight of this comeback included a semifinal showing in the 1988US Openmixed doubles with partnerKen Flach.[21] This comeback was ended by a near-fatal motor vehicle accident inMillburn, New Jersey, on August 3, 1989. A van coming from the opposite direction at 60mph crashed into her vehicle's driver side, and she suffered a bruised heart, a bruised spleen, a sprained back and a shattered knee.[5][22] Following surgery and leaving the hospital, Austin was in a wheelchair for a few months, and she wasn't able to walk without crutches until December 1989.[23][24]
In 1992, Austin became the youngest person to be inducted into theInternational Tennis Hall of Fame, at the age of 29.[1] She attempted a second comeback in 1993 and 1994 but was not particularly successful. In 1993, Austin upset Rennae Stubbs andKaterina Maleeva at theEvert Cup in Indian Wells, California, then lost toStephanie Rottier. At the WTA Manhattan Beach event, she upsetGigi Fernández andElena Likhovtseva, then lost to Gabriela Sabatini in the round of 16. Her wins over Maleeva, Fernandez, and Likhovtseva began a buzz that Austin might become at least a top 20 player again. However, in 1994, her results were not as promising and at theEvert Cup in Indian Wells, California, Austin lost in the second round with 0-6 0-6 toSteffi Graf, and soon after that retired in June 1994.[25]
Austin possessed a solid baseline game, with a strong flat-hit forehand and reliable two-handed backhand.[26][16] Her favorite shot was the backhand down the line and she considered her backhand to be more powerful and accurate than her forehand.[26]
She had excellent court coverage and struck the ball deep, with substantial pace, and with pinpoint accuracy.[27][16]
Austin's first serve was a mid-paced high percentage shot that functioned well on all playing surfaces, and although her second serve has been described as lacking penetration, she rarely double faulted.[citation needed]
Austin first worked as a pundit and commentator in March 1991, forCBS, at theU.S. Women's Hardcourt Championships inSan Antonio, a tournament which concluded withSteffi Graf recovering from a 1–4 deficit in the first set of the final to defeatMonica Seles 6–4, 6–3. Austin interviewed Graf on court after Graf's victory.
Since retiring as a player in 1994, Austin has worked as a pundit and commentator forNBC, CBS and theUSA Network for the French Open and the US Open. During the 2000s, she worked for theSeven Network, which broadcast the Australian Open. She has worked for the BBC for many years. She began working for theTennis Channel in 2010 and joined its US Open team and later itsAustralian Open team in 2012. Austin has worked for Canadian television for its coverage of theRogers Cup since 2004.
Austin is married to mortgage broker Scott Holt and is the mother of three sons: Sean,Brandon, and Dylan. Brandon Holt is also a professional tennis player and was previously a member of the USC tennis team.
Austin's older sisterPam and her brothersJeff, Doug andJohn were professional tennis players. She is the sister-in-law of fitness authorDenise Austin, who is married to Jeff.
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1979 | US Open | Hard |  Chris Evert | 6–4, 6–3 |
| Win | 1981 | US Open | Hard | Martina Navratilova | 1–6, 7–6(7–4), 7–6(7–1) |
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1980 | Wimbledon | Grass | John Austin |  Dianne FromholtzMark Edmondson | 4–6, 7–6(8–6), 6–3 |
| Loss | 1981 | Wimbledon | Grass | John Austin |  Betty Stöve Frew McMillan | 6–4, 6–7(2–7), 3–6 |
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 1979 | New York City | Carpet (i) | Martina Navratilova | 3–6, 6–3, 2–6 |
| Win | 1980 | New York City | Carpet (i) | Martina Navratilova | 6–2, 2–6, 6–2 |
|
|
| Result | W/L | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1–0 | Jan 1977 | Portland, US | Hard (i) | Stacy Margolin | 6–7, 6–3, 4–1 ret. |
| Loss | 1–1 | Mar 1978 | Dallas, US | Carpet (i) | Evonne Goolagong Cawley | 6–4, 0–6, 2–6 |
| Loss | 1–2 | Oct 1978 | Phoenix, US | Hard | Martina Navratilova | 4–6, 2–6 |
| Win | 2–2 | Oct 1978 | Filderstadt, West Germany | Carpet (i) | Betty Stöve | 6–3, 6–3 |
| Win | 3–2 | Nov 1978 | Tokyo, Japan | Hard (i) | Martina Navratilova | 6–1, 6–1 |
| Win | 4–2 | Jan 1979 | Washington, US | Carpet (i) | Martina Navratilova | 6–3, 6–2 |
| Loss | 4–3 | Jan 1979 | Chicago, US | Carpet (i) | Martina Navratilova | 3–6, 4–6 |
| Loss | 4–4 | Mar 1979 | Avon Championships, US | Carpet (i) | Martina Navratilova | 3–6, 6–3, 2–6 |
| Win | 5–4 | Apr 1979 | Hilton Head Island, US | Clay | Kerry Melville Reid | 7–6(7–3), 7–6(9–7) |
| Win | 6–4 | May 1979 | Rome, Italy | Clay |  Sylvia Hanika | 6–4, 1–6, 6–3 |
| Win | 7–4 | Jul 1979 | San Diego, US | Hard | Martina Navratilova | 6–4, 6–2 |
| Loss | 7–5 | Aug 1979 | Mahwah, US | Hard | Chris Evert-Lloyd | 7–6(7–2), 4–6, 1–6 |
| Win | 8–5 | Aug 1979 | US Open | Hard | Chris Evert-Lloyd | 6–4, 6–3 |
| Win | 9–5 | Nov 1979 | Filderstadt, West Germany | Carpet (i) | Martina Navratilova | 6–2, 6–0 |
| Win | 10–5 | Dec 1979 | Tokyo, Japan | Carpet (i) | Martina Navratilova | 6–2, 6–1 |
| Loss | 10–6 | Jan 1980 | Landover, US | Carpet (i) | Martina Navratilova | 2–6, 1–6 |
| Win | 11–6 | Jan 1980 | Cincinnati, US | Carpet (i) | Chris Evert-Lloyd | 6–2, 6–1 |
| Win | 12–6 | Jan 1980 | Seattle, US | Carpet (i) |  Virginia Wade | 6–2, 7–6 |
| Loss | 12–7 | Feb 1980 | Los Angeles, US | Carpet (i) | Martina Navratilova | 2–6, 0–6 |
| Win | 13–7 | Mar 1980 | Boston, US | Carpet (i) | Virginia Wade | 6–2, 6–1 |
| Win | 14–7 | Mar 1980 | Avon Championships, US | Carpet (i) | Martina Navratilova | 6–2, 2–6, 6–2 |
| Win | 15–7 | Mar 1980 | Carlsbad, US | Hard | Martina Navratilova | 7–5, 6–2 |
| Win | 16–7 | Apr 1980 | Hilton Head Island, US | Clay |  Regina Maršíková | 3–6, 6–1, 6–0 |
| Loss | 16–8 | Apr 1980 | Orlando, US | Clay | Martina Navratilova | 2–6, 4–6 |
| Win | 17–8 | Jun 1980 | Eastbourne, UK | Grass | Wendy Turnbull | 7–6, 6–2 |
| Win | 18–8 | Jul 1980 | San Diego, US | Hard | Wendy Turnbull | 6–1, 6–3 |
| Win | 19–8 | Sep 1980 | Minneapolis, US | Carpet (i) | Dianne Fromholtz | 6–1, 2–6, 6–2 |
| Win | 20–8 | Nov 1980 | Filderstadt, West Germany | Carpet (i) | Sherry Acker | 6–2, 7–5 |
| Loss | 20–9 | Nov 1980 | Tampa, US | Hard | Andrea Jaeger | w/o |
| Loss | 20–10 | Nov 1980 | Tokyo, Japan | Carpet (i) | Martina Navratilova | 4–6, 3–6 |
| Win | 21–10 | Dec 1980 | Tucson, US | Carpet (i) | Peanut Louie | 6–2, 6–0 |
| Win | 22–10 | Jan 1981 | Landover, US | Carpet (i) | Andrea Jaeger | 6–2, 6–2 |
| Win | 23–10 | Jun 1981 | Eastbourne, UK | Grass | Andrea Jaeger | 6–3, 6–4 |
| Win | 24–10 | Jul 1981 | San Diego, US | Hard | Pam Shriver | 6–2, 5–7, 6–2 |
| Win | 25–10 | Aug 1981 | Toronto, Canada | Hard | Chris Evert-Lloyd | 6–1, 6–4 |
| Win | 26–10 | Sep 1981 | US Open | Hard | Martina Navratilova | 1–6, 7–6(7–4), 7–6(7–1) |
| Win | 27–10 | Sep 1981 | Atlanta, US | Hard | Mary-Lou Piatek | 4–6, 6–3, 6–3 |
| Loss | 27–11 | Sep 1981 | Minneapolis, US | Carpet (i) | Martina Navratilova | 0–6, 2–6 |
| Win | 28–11 | Oct 1981 | Filderstadt, West Germany | Carpet (i) | Martina Navratilova | 4–6, 6–3, 6–4 |
| Win | 29–11 | Dec 1981 | East Rutherford, US | Carpet (i) | Martina Navratilova | 2–6, 6–4, 6–2 |
| Win | 30–11 | Jul 1982 | San Diego, US | Hard | Kathy Rinaldi | 7–6, 6–3 |
| Loss | 30–12 | Oct 1982 | Filderstadt, West Germany | Carpet (i) | Martina Navratilova | 3–6, 3–6 |
| Loss | 30–13 | Dec 1982 | Richmond, US | Carpet (i) | Wendy Turnbull | 7–6(7–3), 2–6, 4–6 |
| Loss | 30–14 | Apr 1983 | Hilton Head Island, US | Clay | Martina Navratilova | 7–5, 1–6, 0–6 |
|
|
| Result | W/L | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1–0 | Oct 1978 | Phoenix, US | Hard | Betty Stöve | Martina NavratilovaAnne Smith | 6–4, 6–7, 6–2 |
| Win | 2–0 | Oct 1978 | Filderstadt, West Germany | Carpet (i) | Betty Stöve |  Mima Jaušovec Virginia Ruzici | 6–3, 6–2 |
| Loss | 2–1 | Nov 1978 | Tokyo, Japan | Hard (i) | Kathy May | Martina Navratilova Betty Stöve | 6–4, 6–7, 3–6 |
| Loss | 2–2 | Jan 1979 | Oakland, US | Carpet (i) | Betty Stöve | Rosie CasalsChris Evert | 6–3, 4–6, 3–6 |
| Win | 3–2 | Jan 1979 | Hollywood, US | Carpet (i) | Betty Stöve | Rosie CasalsWendy Turnbull | 6–2, 2–6, 6–2 |
| Win | 4–2 | Aug 1979 | Mahwah, US | Hard | Betty Stöve | Mima JaušovecRegina Maršíková | 7–6, 2–6, 6–4 |
| Win | 5–2 | Jul 1980 | San Diego, US | Hard | Ann Kiyomura | Rosie Casals Wendy Turnbull | 3–6, 6–4, 6–3 |
| W | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | DNQ | A | NH |
| Tournament | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984–93 | 1994 | SR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Open | A | A | A | A | A | QF | A | A | A | 2R | 0 / 2 |
| French Open | A | A | A | A | A | QF | QF | A | 1R | 0 / 3 | |
| Wimbledon | 3R | 4R | SF | SF | QF | QF | A | A | A | 0 / 6 | |
| US Open | QF | QF | W | SF | W | QF | A | A | A | 2 / 6 | |
| SR | 0 / 2 | 0 / 2 | 1 / 2 | 0 / 2 | 1 / 3 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 1 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 2 | 2 / 17 | |
| Year End Ranking | 12 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | NR | |||
Note: The Australian Open was held twice in 1977, in January and December.
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Martina Navratilova Martina Navratilova | World No. 1 April 7, 1980 – April 20, 1980 July 1, 1980 – November 17, 1980 | Succeeded by Martina Navratilova Chris Evert |
| Awards | ||
| Preceded by No award | WTA Newcomer of the Year 1977 | Succeeded by |
Articles and topics related to Tracy Austin | |||||||||||
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| International | |
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| National | |
