TennisWorthy

Margaret Court captured an all-time record of 64 major titles during her esteemed tennis career, including 24 in singles, 19 in doubles and 21 in mixed doubles. As one of the greatest players of her era, there were several aspects of her life and training that she credits to pushing her game to the next level, which she details with Chris Bowers.

Court began tennis as a matter of proximity, growing up near grass courts and fostered by coaches who recognized her talent at a young age. Aside from her on-court skills, she credits her passion for training - running and lifting weights - as the keys to her consistent success and relatively injury-free career. Her arrival at the top of the game was sudden, winning the Australian Championships at age 18, and began a sustained career she covers in depth. Court speaks to the tumult of the early years of professional tennis, her mentors in the men's game and what she enjoys about today's tennis.

Margaret Court owns the fourth-best singles winning percentage of all time (91.69). She is one of only three players in history to have won the Boxed Set, consisting of every major title (the singles, doubles and mixed doubles) and is the only player to ever complete a double Boxed Set. Court was year-end No. 1 a total of seven times during her career.

February is Black History Month in the United States, and the TennisWorthy podcast explores the theme of boldness in tennis. Patrick McEnroe and Chris Bowers highlight the courageous journeys of three African-American tennis legends—Althea Gibson, Arthur Ashe, and their mentor Dr. Robert Johnson.

Chris narrates their struggles and triumphs, starting with Gibson, who broke racial barriers in the 1950s with the help of Alice Marble’s advocacy. Gibson’s journey from segregation-era challenges to winning major titles and transitioning to professional sports is a testament to her resilience. He also sheds light on Dr. Robert Johnson, who mentored both Gibson and Ashe, providing a foundation for Black tennis players through his strict training regimen and commitment to integrating the sport.

Ashe’s story, particularly his historic trip to apartheid South Africa in 1973, highlights his unique approach to activism—using his talent rather than vocal protest to make a statement. His presence in South Africa was seen as both inspiring and controversial, as he insisted on integrating the tournament stadium and meeting Black communities despite government restrictions. The memories of several close to him - Donald Dell, Mark Mathabane and Owen Williams - highlight Ashe’s influence extended beyond the court, with his visit leaving a lasting impact on the fight against apartheid.

The International Tennis Hall of Fame thanks the Arthur Ashe Legacy at UCLA and Oral History Project Director Yolanda Hester for contributions to this episode:
Mark Mathabane, interviewed by Yolanda Hester, Sept 4, 2020, for the Arthur Ashe Oral History Project an initiative of Arthur Ashe Legacy at UCLA. The oral history is from the Center for Oral History Research, University of California.

Donald Dell, interviewed by Yolanda Hester, Feb 10, 2020, for the Arthur Ashe Oral History Project an initiative of Arthur Ashe Legacy at UCLA. The oral history is from the Center for Oral History Research, University of California.

Owen Williams, interviewed by Yolanda Hester, March 5, 2021, for the Arthur Ashe Oral History Project an initiative of Arthur Ashe Legacy at UCLA. The oral history is from the Center for Oral History Research, University of California.

The TennisWorthy Podcast is presented by the International Tennis Hall of Fame. For more information and full episode transcriptions, visit tennisfame.com/podcast.

Many tennis players start by hitting a ball against a wall - but Conchita Martinez took that early pastime to a new level. Watching her brothers and father play on the courts outside of her apartment as a child gave her spark to try, and she "loved it from the very beginning".

Her imaginary matches against her heroes caught the eye of local coaches, and soon Martinez moved full-time to Barcelona at age 12 to train. Despite dealing with homesickness, the payoff was quick as she captured her first WTA title at age 16 and reached the fourth round of Roland-Garros. She details her mindset in big moments on court, and how her naturally relaxed personality paid dividends. She shares her love for playing for her country in Fed Cup and the Olympics, why clay gave her more time to "express herself" and how it came to be that a grass tournament - Wimbledon - gave her a career triumph.

Conchita Martinez won Wimbledon in singles in 1994 and reached the finals of the Australian Open and Roland-Garros. She captured 33 WTA singles titles, and is one of Spain's most successful players on the team stage with three Olympic medals and five Fed Cup titles. Martinez has captained Spain's Fed Cup and Davis Cup teams, and currently serves as the Tournament Director for the Billie Jean King Cup Finals. She was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2020.

Argentina's Gabriela Sabatini was a rising star as a junior, and she lived up to her early expectations. After becoming the youngest player to ever win the Orange Bowl (at age 13), she reached the semifinals of the French Open and the top 10 of the WTA rankings two years later. It wasn't all smooth sailing, though - her well-documented struggles with shyness made duties off the court difficult.

Gaby credits working with a sport psychologist and the global exposure tennis gave her as helping her become more outgoing, and take her game to the next level. After reaching five major semifinals and the final of the US Open, she broke through with the 1990 US Open title over No. 1 Steffi Graf. She credits her depth of experience on the major stage, and adjustments she made with her coaches, for her victory. Gaby details her passions outside of tennis, including charity work, and shares her advice to aspiring players to pursue balance beyond the court.

Gabriela Sabatini is a two-time major champion, former world No. 3 in singles and doubles, and Olympic sliver medalist. In 2019, she was awarded the International Tennis Federation's highest accolade, the Philippe Chatrier Award, for her achievements on court and in giving back through charitable causes. She became the second Argentinian inducted in the Hall of Fame in 2006.

It was Andre Agassi who in the early days of his relationship with Steffi Graf said, "You can always learn from a champion," but what can you learn? We've tended to end our podcast interviews with a question about what advice the legend would give both to tennis playing youngsters and to tennis parents. And there were a few themes that ran through the answers. Hear from the Hall of Famers and legends from Season 1 on what you can take from them onto the court, into your career, and beyond.

1:42 - Lleyton Hewitt

2:24 - David Hall

4:15 - Pam Shriver

5:41 - Stan Smith

6:54 - Ivan Lendl

8:17 - Mary Pierce

11:57 - John Newcombe

15:24 - Vijay Amritraj

Season 2 of the TennisWorthy Podcast begins on January 11, 2024. Listen to all of Season 1 and access episode transcripts at tennisfame.com/podcast.