Facts about Margaret Court

Margaret Smith Court is 81 years old
Born: July 16, 1942
Birthplace: Albury, Australia
Best known as: Australian winner of the 1970 women's Grand Slam

     

Margaret Smith Court Biography

Margaret Smith Court was the dominant women’s tennis player of the 1960s. Her 24 major singles titles are the most in the history of women’s tennis.

As Margaret Smith, she went to Wimbledon in 1962 as a heavy favorite, but in a famous upset lost to American Billie Jean Moffit (later Billie Jean King). Smith returned the next year and became the first Australian to win it all.

She retired in 1966, married and started a family, but returned to tennis in 1970. That year Margaret Smith Court won the rare Grand Slam: singles titles at Wimbledon plus the U.S., French and Australian Open tournaments. All in all, Court won 24 major singles titles and 62 Grand Slam events (singles and doubles), both being the most in history.

In 1991 she was ordained as a Christian minister and founded the Victory Life Church in Perth, Australia. She was enshrined in the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1979.

Extra credit

Court won the Australian Open every year from 1960-1966 and 11 times in all, the last in 1973… Her record of 62 major titles has lasted into the 21st century… The only other women to complete the Grand Slam in one year are Maureen Connolly (1953) and Steffi Graf (1988).


     

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