PLAYER PROFILE

Evonne Goolagong Cawley

  • Age73
  • Born31 July 1951
  • Birth PlaceGriffith, New South Wales
  • LivesNoosa Heads, Sunshine Coast, Queensland
  • Height168 cm
  • PlaysRight-handed
  • Playing StatusRetired
  • Australian Tennis Hall Of Fame1994
  • International Tennis Hall Of Fame1988
“I can’t quite believe it’s been 50 years since I first won the women’s title there. I have so many great memories playing at the Australian Open, where I could always rely on having the support of the home crowd.”

— Evonne Goolagong Cawley, 16 Nov 2023

» Goolagong Cawley to be honoured on 50th anniversary of first AO title

Singles champion

Australian Open: 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977 (December)
Roland Garros: 1971
Wimbledon: 1971, 1980

Doubles champion

Australian Open: 1971, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977 (December)
Wimbledon: 1974

Mixed doubles champion

Roland Garros: 1972

Fed Cup representation

1970, 1972-76, 1982
Captain 2002-2004

 

Evonne Goolagong Cawley ranked in the top 10 for nine years and climbed to world No.1 for two weeks in 1976.

She won four Australian Open singles between 1974 and 1977, though not in consecutive championships, as she missed the January 1977 Open and won the December 1977 event. The beloved “Gong” finished her career in the mid-1980s with seven Grand Slam singles titles from 18 finals, and 13 major titles in all.

Renowned for her grace, ethereal touch and fluid speed around the court, Goolagong Cawley started playing as a young girl by hitting a ball against a wall with a board from an apple crate.

The US Open was the only major to elude the adored Aussie; she lost four consecutive finals in New York between 1973 and 1976. She did, however, win Wimbledon as a mother in 1980, only the second woman to do so.

Evonne Goolagong Cawley in the news

Evonne Goolagong Cawley crowns 2024 National Indigenous Tennis Carnival champions
Jadah Dunn, Evonne Goolagong Cawley
11 August, 2024

With 184 participants from every state and territory in Australia, there was much to celebrate as the National Indigenous Tennis Carnival concluded in Darwin.
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A five-year rally: National Indigenous Tennis Carnival celebrates community and tennis
Evonne Goolagong Cawley poses with children at the Darwin International Tennis Centre for the National Indigenous Tennis Carnival on Thursday, August 10, 2023. MANDATORY PHOTO CREDIT Tennis Australia/ SCOTT BARBOUR
7 August, 2024

Evonne Goolagong Cawley will join 184 young Indigenous tennis players from across Australia at the fifth annual National Indigenous Tennis Carnival in Darwin.
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Evonne Goolagong Cawley honoured at Australian Open 2024
Evonne Goolagong Cawley at Rod Laver Arena. Picture: Getty Images
25 January, 2024

On the 50th anniversary of Evonne Goolagong Cawley's first Australian Open triumph, the Aussie great was recognised at Rod Laver Arena.
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Fan favourites revealed in Hot Shots Tennis competition
Alex de Minaur and Ajla Tomljanovic are the new Hot Shots Tennis ambassadors.
30 December, 2023

Hot Shots Tennis ambassador Alex de Minaur has been named one of the most popular players among Australian tennis fans.
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