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1951-
Winner of seven Grand Slam singles titles

Goolagong was queen of the court.  Scott Goldsmith

Of Aboriginal descent, Evonne Goolagong grew up in Barellan, a small farming community in Australia. Tennis came into her life when her father discovered some balls in a used car he had purchased. Four-year-old Goolagong started swatting the balls around with a borrowed racket, and the rest is tennis history. At the age of 14, she moved to Sydney to train more seriously, and five years later played at Wimbledon for the first time, losing in the second round. In 1971, just six months after her Wimbledon appearance, she made it all the way to the finals of the Australian Open, where she lost to fellow Aussie Margaret Court. That spring she beat Helen Gourlay for the French Open title, and a month later crushed Court to win the Wimbledon ladies championship. Between 1974-'77, she won four Australian Open singles titles. In September 1976 -- after making it to the finals of every event she played that year -- Goolagong took a hiatus from tennis during which she gave birth to her first child. After a year away from the game, she returned and in 1980 defeated Chris Evert to win her second Wimbledon title. Goolagong retired three years later after suffering recurring foot problems, and in 1991 moved back to Australia, hoping to reconnect with her roots after living in the U.S. for eight years with her husband, Roger Cawley, and two children. Her 1993 autobiography "Home! The Evonne Goolagong Story" was an Australian best seller. Goolagong -- who during her career earned $1.4 million and reached 18 Grand Slam finals -- is an International Tennis Hall of Fame inductee.

They said it: "When I was 19, I didn't appreciate [winning Wimbledon]. But in 1980, I had a child and nobody expected much. That was amazingly sweet." -- Goolagong

--Nancy Foley

Athletes were selected by Sports Illustrated For Women, Sports Illustrated and CNN/SI editors, writers and correspondents who considered the athletes' on-field performance and achievements, plus their contributions to women's sports. Because athletic achievement was a key criterion, women whose contributions were made solely in administration and coaching are not included.

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