.jpeg) Casals in 1981 | |
| Full name | Rosemary Casals |
|---|---|
| ITF name | Rosie Casals |
| Country (sports) |  United States |
| Born | (1948-09-16)September 16, 1948 (age 77) San Francisco, California |
| Height | 5 ft2+1⁄2 in (1.59 m) |
| Turned pro | 1968 |
| Plays | Right-handed |
| Prize money | US$ 1,362,222 |
| Int. Tennis HoF | 1996(member page) |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 595–325 |
| Career titles | 0 |
| Highest ranking | No. 3 (1970) |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Australian Open | SF (1967) |
| French Open | QF (1969, 1970) |
| Wimbledon | SF (1967, 1969, 1970, 1972) |
| US Open | F (1970, 1971) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 508–214 |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| Australian Open | F (1969) |
| French Open | F (1968, 1970, 1980) |
| Wimbledon | W (1967, 1968, 1970, 1971, 1973) |
| US Open | W (1967, 1971, 1974, 1982) |
| Other doubles tournaments | |
| Tour Finals | W (1971,1973,1974) |
| Career titles | 3 |
| Grand Slam mixed doubles results | |
| Australian Open | SF (1969) |
| French Open | SF (1969, 1970, 1972) |
| Wimbledon | W (1970, 1972) |
| US Open | W (1975) |
| Team competitions | |
| Fed Cup | W (1970,1976,1977,1978,1979,1980,1981) |
| Wightman Cup | W (1967,1976,1977,1979,1980,1981,1982) |
Rosemary Casals (born September 16, 1948) is an American former professionaltennis player. During a tennis career that spanned more than two decades, she won more than 90 titles and was crucial to many of the changes in women's tennis during the 1960s and 1970s. Casals was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1996.[1]
Casals was born in 1948 in San Francisco to parents who had immigrated to the United States from El Salvador.[2] One of her paternal great-uncles was the world renowned Spanish cellistPau Casals, whom she would never meet.[3] Less than a year after Casals was born, her parents decided they could not care for her and her older sister Victoria. Casals's great-uncle and great-aunt, Manuel and Maria Casals, raised them as their own.[2] When the children grew older, Manuel Casals took them to the public tennis courts of San Francisco and taught them how to play the game. He became the only coach Casals had.[2] However,Nick Carter, gave some lessons. Casals attended San Francisco'sGeorge Washington High School.[4]
At five-feet-two-inches tall, she was one of the shorter players on the court.[5] Traditionally, tennis was a sport practiced in expensive country clubs. Casals's ethnic heritage and poor background immediately set her apart from most of the other players. "The other kids had nice tennis clothes, nice rackets, nice white shoes, and came in Cadillacs," Casals told a reporter forPeople. "I felt stigmatized because we were poor."[2][6]
Later in her career, she became known for her brightly colored outfits, designed for her byTed Tinling.[7]
Casals was known as a determined player who used any shot available to her to score a point. "I wanted to be someone," Casals was quoted as saying in Alida M. Thacher'sRaising a Racket: Rosie Casals. "I knew I was good, and winning tournaments — it's a kind of way of being accepted." By age 16, Casals was the top junior and women's level player in Northern California. At 17, she was ranked eleventh in the U.S. In 1966, she andBillie Jean King, her doubles partner, won the U.S. hard-court and indoor tournaments. In 1967, Casals and King took the doubles crown at Wimbledon[8] and at the United States and South African championships. The two became one of the more successful duos in tennis history. Casals was also a successful individual player, ranking third among U.S. women during this period.[citation needed]
Casals also became involved inWorld Team Tennis, and she played with theDetroit Loves in 1974, theLos Angeles Strings from 1975 through 1977, theAnaheim Oranges in 1978, and theOakland Breakers in 1982, before serving as the player-coach of theSan Diego Friars in 1983. She later played for theSt. Louis Eagles in 1984, theChicago Fyre in 1985, theMiami Beach Breakers in 1986, and theFresno Sun-Nets in 1988.[9]
Casals won 112 professional doubles tournaments, the second most in history behindMartina Navratilova.[10] Her last doubles championship was at the 1988 tournament in Oakland, California, where her partner was Navratilova.[10]
Casals played in a total of 685 singles and doubles tournaments during her career.[7]
WithBillie Jean King, Casals challenged the large difference in prize monies awarded to male and female players. Women earned much smaller prizes. In 1970, Casals and other women threatened to boycott thePacific Southwest Championships if they were not paid higher prize money and not given more media attention. The ruling body of U.S. tennis, theUnited States Lawn Tennis Association (USLTA), refused to listen to their demands. In response, the women established the1970 Virginia Slims Invitational. The attention generated by this successful tournament, which was won by Casals, quickly brought about the formation of other women's tournaments and greater prize monies for women.[citation needed]
In 1979, theSupersisters trading card set was produced and distributed; one of the cards featured Casals's name and picture.[11]
Casals underwent knee surgery in 1978 and was forced to change career directions. Since 1981 she has been president of Sportswomen, Inc., a California company she formed to promote a Women's Classic tour for older female players. She also began the Midnight Productions television company. In 1990, she again teamed with Billie Jean King, this time to win the U.S. Open Seniors' women's doubles championship.
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 1970 | US Open | Grass |  Margaret Court | 2–6, 6–2, 1–6 |
| Loss | 1971 | US Open | Grass |  Billie Jean King | 4–6, 6–7(2–5) |
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 1966 | U.S. Championships | Grass | Billie Jean King |  Maria BuenoNancy Richey | 3–6, 4–6 |
| Win | 1967 | Wimbledon | Grass | Billie Jean King | Maria Bueno Nancy Richey | 9–11, 6–4, 6–2 |
| Win | 1967 | U.S. Championships | Grass | Billie Jean King | Mary-Ann EiselDonna Floyd Fales | 4–6, 6–3, 6–4 |
| Loss | 1968 | French Open | Clay | Billie Jean King |  Françoise Dürr Ann Haydon-Jones | 5–7, 6–4, 4–6 |
| Win | 1968 | Wimbledon(2) | Grass | Billie Jean King | Françoise DürrAnn Haydon-Jones | 3–6, 6–4, 7–5 |
| Loss | 1968 | US Open(2) | Grass | Billie Jean King | Maria BuenoMargaret Court | 6–4, 7–9, 6–8 |
| Loss | 1969 | Australian Open | Grass | Billie Jean King | Margaret CourtJudy Tegart Dalton | 4–6, 4–6 |
| Loss | 1970 | French Open(2) | Clay | Billie Jean King | Françoise DürrGail Lovera | 1–6, 6–3, 3–6 |
| Win | 1970 | Wimbledon(3) | Grass | Billie Jean King | Françoise DürrVirginia Wade | 6–2, 6–3 |
| Loss | 1970 | US Open(3) | Grass | Virginia Wade | Margaret Court Julie Tegart Dalton | 3–6, 4–6 |
| Win | 1971 | Wimbledon(4) | Grass | Billie Jean King | Margaret CourtEvonne Goolagong | 6–3, 6–2 |
| Win | 1971 | US Open(2) | Grass | Judy Tegart Dalton | Françoise Dürr Gail Lovera | 6–3, 6–3 |
| Win | 1973 | Wimbledon(5) | Grass | Billie Jean King | Françoise Dürr Betty Stöve | 6–1, 4–6, 7–5 |
| Loss | 1973 | US Open(4) | Grass | Billie Jean King | Margaret Court Virginia Wade | 6–3, 3–6, 5–7 |
| Win | 1974 | US Open(3) | Grass | Billie Jean King | Françoise Dürr Betty Stöve | 7–6, 6–7, 6–4 |
| Loss | 1975 | US Open(5) | Clay | Billie Jean King | Margaret Court Virginia Wade | 5–7, 6–2, 6–7 |
| Loss | 1980 | French Open(2) | Clay | Wendy Turnbull | Anne SmithMartina Navratilova | 3–6, 4–6 |
| Loss | 1980 | Wimbledon | Grass | Wendy Turnbull | Kathy Jordan Anne Smith | 6–4, 5–7, 1–6 |
| Loss | 1981 | US Open(6) | Hard | Wendy Turnbull | Kathy Jordan Anne Smith | 3–6, 3–6 |
| Win | 1982 | US Open(4) | Hard | Wendy Turnbull | Barbara PotterSharon Walsh | 6–4, 6–4 |
| Loss | 1983 | Wimbledon(2) | Grass | Wendy Turnbull | Pam ShriverMartina Navratilova | 2–6, 2–6 |
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 1967 | U.S. Championships[13] | Grass | Stan Smith | Billie Jean KingOwen Davidson | 3–6, 2–6 |
| Win | 1970 | Wimbledon | Grass |  Ilie Năstase |  Olga MorozovaAlex Metreveli | 6–3, 4–6, 9–7 |
| Win | 1972 | Wimbledon(2) | Grass | Ilie Năstase | Evonne GoolagongKim Warwick | 6–4, 6–4 |
| Loss | 1972 | US Open(2) | Grass | Ilie Năstase | Margaret CourtMarty Riessen | 3–6, 5–7 |
| Win | 1975 | US Open | Clay | Dick Stockton | Fred Stolle Billie Jean King | 6–3, 6–7, 6–3 |
| Loss | 1976 | Wimbledon | Grass | Dick Stockton | Françoise DürrTony Roche | 3–6, 6–2, 5–7 |
| W | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | DNQ | A | NH |
| Tournament | 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 | SF | QF | QF | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A / A | A | A | 1R | 1R | A | A | A | A | 0 / 5 |
| France | A | A | A | 4R | 4R | QF | QF | A | 1R | A | A | A | A | A | A | 1R | A | 2R | A | A | A | A | 0 / 7 |
| Wimbledon (UK) | A | A | 4R | SF | 4R | SF | SF | 2R | SF | QF | 4R | 4R | QF | QF | A | 3R | 2R | 1R | 2R | 3R | 1R | A | 0 / 18 |
| United States | 3R | 1R | SF | 4R | 3R | SF | F | F | QF | QF | QF | 1R | QF | 4R | A | 1R | 1R | 4R | 2R | 3R | 2R | 2R | 0 / 21 |
| SR | 0 / 1 | 0 / 1 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 1 | 0 / 51 |
Note: The Australian Open was held twice in 1977, in January and December.
Casals was originally seeded 14th for the 1978 Wimbledon Championships, but a knee injury forced her withdrawal before the draw was made[14]
