Goolagong Cawley, Evonne (1951-…), an Australian tennis champion, was one of the dominant female players of the 1970’s. Goolagong Cawley’s outgoing personality made her one of the most popular tennis players of her time. She played her early career under her maiden name of Evonne Goolagong. She married Roger Cawley, a broker on the London Metal Exchange and amateur tennis player, in 1975.
Goolagong Cawley won seven grand slam tournament singles titles. She won the women’s singles title at Wimbledon in 1971 and again in 1980. She won the Australian Open in 1974, 1975, 1976, and 1977. She also won the French Open in 1971. Goolagong Cawley never won the US Open, but she reached the finals four consecutive years, from 1973 to 1976.
Evonne Fay Goolagong was born on July 31, 1951, in Griffith, New South Wales, Australia. She is of Wiradjuri descent. The Wiradjuri people are an Australian Aboriginal group of central and western New South Wales. She began playing tennis as a child and started competing in international tournaments in 1970. She was named the Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year in 1971. That year, she was also named Australian of the Year. Goolagong Cawley retired from tennis in 1983. She wrote two autobiographies, Evonne! On the Move (1975), and Home! The Evonne Goolagong Story (1993). In 1988 she was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. In 2018, the Australian government appointed Goolagong Cawley a Companion of the Order of Australia, an award for service to the country or humanity.
