Virginia Wade
Updated: 12/20/2025, 11:22:25 AM Wikipedia source
Sarah Virginia Wade (born 10 July 1945) is a British former professional tennis player. She won three major tennis singles championships and four major doubles championships, and is the only British woman in history to have won titles at all four majors. She was ranked as high as No. 2 in the world in singles, and No. 1 in the world in doubles. Wade was the most recent British tennis player to win a major singles tournament until Andy Murray won the 2012 US Open, and was the most recent British woman to have won a major singles title until Emma Raducanu won the 2021 US Open. After retiring from competitive tennis, she coached for four years, and has also worked as a tennis commentator and game analyst for the BBC and Eurosport, and (in the US) for CBS.
Infobox
Full name
Sarah Virginia Wade
Country (sports)
United Kingdom
Born
(1945-07-10) 10 July 1945 (age 80)Bournemouth, England
Height
5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
Turned pro
1968 (amateur from 1962)
Retired
1986
Plays
Right-handed (one-handed backhand)
Prize money
$1,542,278
Int. Tennis HoF
1989 (member page)
Career record
42–48
Career titles
55
Highest ranking
No. 1 (1973)
Australian Open
W (1973)
French Open
SF (1969, 1972)
Wimbledon
QF (1981)
US Open
QF (1969, 1985)
Tour Finals
W (1975)
Tables
· Significant finals › Grand Slam finals › Singles: 3 (3 titles)
Win
Win
Result
Win
Year
1968
Championship
US Open
Opponent
Billie Jean King
Score
6–4, 6–2
Win
Win
Result
Win
Year
1972
Championship
Australian Open
Opponent
Evonne Goolagong
Score
6–4, 6–4
Win
Win
Result
Win
Year
1977
Championship
Wimbledon
Opponent
Betty Stöve
Score
4–6, 6–3, 6–1
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Opponent | Score |
| Win | 1968 | US Open | Grass | Billie Jean King | 6–4, 6–2 |
| Win | 1972 | Australian Open | Grass | Evonne Goolagong | 6–4, 6–4 |
| Win | 1977 | Wimbledon | Grass | Betty Stöve | 4–6, 6–3, 6–1 |
· Significant finals › Grand Slam finals › Doubles: 10 (4 titles, 6 runner-ups)
Loss
Loss
Result
Loss
Year
1969
Championship
US Open
Partner
Margaret Court
Opponents
Françoise Dürr Darlene Hard
Score
6–0, 3–6, 4–6
Loss
Loss
Result
Loss
Year
1970
Championship
Wimbledon
Partner
Françoise Dürr
Opponents
Rosie Casals Billie Jean King
Score
2–6, 3–6
Loss
Loss
Result
Loss
Year
1970
Championship
US Open
Partner
Rosie Casals
Opponents
Margaret Court Judy Tegart Dalton
Score
3–6, 4–6
Loss
Loss
Result
Loss
Year
1972
Championship
US Open
Partner
Margaret Court
Opponents
Françoise Dürr Betty Stöve
Score
3–6, 6–1, 3–6
Win
Win
Result
Win
Year
1973
Championship
Australian Open
Partner
Margaret Court
Opponents
Kerry Harris Kerry Melville
Score
6–4, 6–4
Win
Win
Result
Win
Year
1973
Championship
French Open
Partner
Margaret Court
Opponents
Françoise Dürr Betty Stöve
Score
6–2, 6–3
Win
Win
Result
Win
Year
1973
Championship
US Open
Partner
Margaret Court
Opponents
Rosie Casals Billie Jean King
Score
2–6, 6–3, 7–5
Win
Win
Result
Win
Year
1975
Championship
US Open
Partner
Margaret Court
Opponents
Rosie Casals Billie Jean King
Score
7–5, 2–6, 7–6(7–5)
Loss
Loss
Result
Loss
Year
1976
Championship
US Open
Partner
Olga Morozova
Opponents
Linky Boshoff Ilana Kloss
Score
1–6, 4–6
Loss
Loss
Result
Loss
Year
1979
Championship
French Open
Partner
Françoise Dürr
Opponents
Betty Stöve Wendy Turnbull
Score
6–3, 5–7, 4–6
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
| Loss | 1969 | US Open | Grass | Margaret Court | Françoise Dürr Darlene Hard | 6–0, 3–6, 4–6 |
| Loss | 1970 | Wimbledon | Grass | Françoise Dürr | Rosie Casals Billie Jean King | 2–6, 3–6 |
| Loss | 1970 | US Open | Grass | Rosie Casals | Margaret Court Judy Tegart Dalton | 3–6, 4–6 |
| Loss | 1972 | US Open | Grass | Margaret Court | Françoise Dürr Betty Stöve | 3–6, 6–1, 3–6 |
| Win | 1973 | Australian Open | Grass | Margaret Court | Kerry Harris Kerry Melville | 6–4, 6–4 |
| Win | 1973 | French Open | Clay | Margaret Court | Françoise Dürr Betty Stöve | 6–2, 6–3 |
| Win | 1973 | US Open | Grass | Margaret Court | Rosie Casals Billie Jean King | 2–6, 6–3, 7–5 |
| Win | 1975 | US Open | Clay | Margaret Court | Rosie Casals Billie Jean King | 7–5, 2–6, 7–6(7–5) |
| Loss | 1976 | US Open | Clay | Olga Morozova | Linky Boshoff Ilana Kloss | 1–6, 4–6 |
| Loss | 1979 | French Open | Clay | Françoise Dürr | Betty Stöve Wendy Turnbull | 6–3, 5–7, 4–6 |
· Significant finals › Year-end championships finals › Doubles: 2 (1 title, 1 runner–up)
Win
Win
Result
Win
Year
1975
Location
Los Angeles
Partner
Margaret Court
Opponents
Rosie Casals Billie Jean King
Score
6–7(2–7), 7–6(7–2), 6–2
Loss
Loss
Result
Loss
Year
1977
Location
New York
Partner
Françoise Dürr
Opponents
Martina Navratilova Betty Stöve
Score
5–7, 3–6
| Result | Year | Location | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
| Win | 1975 | Los Angeles | Carpet (i) | Margaret Court | Rosie Casals Billie Jean King | 6–7(2–7), 7–6(7–2), 6–2 |
| Loss | 1977 | New York | Carpet (i) | Françoise Dürr | Martina Navratilova Betty Stöve | 5–7, 3–6 |
Key · Grand Slam singles performance timeline
| W | F | SF | QF | | RR | Q# | DNQ | A | NH |
· Grand Slam singles performance timeline
Australia
Australia
Tournament
Australia
1962
A
1963
A
1964
A
1965
A
1966
A
1967
A
1968
A
1969
A
1970
A
1971
A
1972
W
1973
QF
1974
A
1975
A
1976
A
1977
A
1977
A
1978
A
1979
A
1980
A
1981
A
1982
A
1983
2R
1984
2R
1985
2R
Career SR
1 / 5
France
France
Tournament
France
1962
A
1963
A
1964
A
1965
A
1966
A
1967
4R
1968
A
1969
2R
1970
QF
1971
1R
1972
QF
1973
3R
1974
2R
1975
A
1976
A
1977
A
1977
A
1978
2R
1979
3R
1980
4R
1981
3R
1982
1R
1983
1R
1984
2R
1985
0 / 14
Wimbledon
Wimbledon
Tournament
Wimbledon
1962
2R
1963
2R
1964
2R
1965
4R
1966
2R
1967
QF
1968
1R
1969
3R
1970
4R
1971
4R
1972
QF
1973
QF
1974
SF
1975
QF
1976
SF
1977
W
1977
SF
1978
QF
1979
4R
1980
2R
1981
2R
1982
QF
1983
3R
1984
3R
1985
1 / 24
United States
United States
Tournament
United States
1962
A
1963
A
1964
4R
1965
2R
1966
QF
1967
4R
1968
W
1969
SF
1970
SF
1971
A
1972
QF
1973
QF
1974
2R
1975
SF
1976
2R
1977
QF
1977
3R
1978
QF
1979
3R
1980
3R
1981
1R
1982
2R
1983
2R
1984
A
1985
1 / 20
SR
SR
Tournament
SR
1962
0 / 1
1963
0 / 1
1964
0 / 2
1965
0 / 2
1966
0 / 2
1967
0 / 3
1968
1 / 2
1969
0 / 3
1970
0 / 3
1971
0 / 2
1972
1 / 4
1973
0 / 4
1974
0 / 3
1975
0 / 2
1976
0 / 2
1977
1 / 2
1977
0 / 2
1978
0 / 3
1979
0 / 3
1980
0 / 3
1981
0 / 3
1982
0 / 4
1983
0 / 4
1984
0 / 3
1985
3 / 63
Career statistics
Career statistics
Tournament
Career statistics
Year-end ranking
Year-end ranking
Tournament
Year-end ranking
1975
2
1976
3
1977
4
1977
4
1978
8
1979
15
1980
30
1981
59
1982
42
1983
61
1984
89
| Tournament | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | Career SR | |
| Australia | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | W | QF | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | 2R | 2R | 2R | 1 / 5 |
| France | A | A | A | A | A | 4R | A | 2R | QF | 1R | QF | 3R | 2R | A | A | A | A | 2R | 3R | 4R | 3R | 1R | 1R | 2R | 0 / 14 | |
| Wimbledon | 2R | 2R | 2R | 4R | 2R | QF | 1R | 3R | 4R | 4R | QF | QF | SF | QF | SF | W | SF | QF | 4R | 2R | 2R | QF | 3R | 3R | 1 / 24 | |
| United States | A | A | 4R | 2R | QF | 4R | W | SF | SF | A | QF | QF | 2R | SF | 2R | QF | 3R | QF | 3R | 3R | 1R | 2R | 2R | A | 1 / 20 | |
| SR | 0 / 1 | 0 / 1 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 3 | 1 / 2 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 2 | 1 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 2 | 1 / 2 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 3 | 3 / 63 | |
| Career statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Year-end ranking | 2 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 15 | 30 | 59 | 42 | 61 | 89 | |||||||||||||||
· External links
| Preceded byJohn Curry | BBC Sports Personality of the Year 1977 | Succeeded bySteve Ovett |
References
- "sonyericssonwtatour.com"https://web.archive.org/web/20200729093421/http://www.sonyericssonwtatour.com/page/Player/Stats/0,,12781~8881,00.html
- Virginia Wade at the International Tennis Federationhttps://www.itftennis.com/en/players/virginia-wade/800174012/gbr
- ESPN.comhttps://www.espn.co.uk/tennis/usopen12/story/_/id/8364201/2012-us-open-andy-murray-wins-first-slam-novak-djokovic-rally-fizzles
- https://www.tntsports.co.uk/tennis/us-open/2022/andy-murray-recalls-historic-2012-us-open-triumph-over-novak-djokovic-thhttps://www.tntsports.co.uk/tennis/us-open/2022/andy-murray-recalls-historic-2012-us-open-triumph-over-novak-djokovic-that-was-a-huge-moment-for-me_sto9107151/story.shtml
- The Weekhttps://theweek.com/news/sport/tennis/954070/emma-raducanu-tennis-profile
- The Guardianhttps://www.theguardian.com/sport/2004/jun/27/wimbledon2004.wimbledon1
- The Independenthttps://web.archive.org/web/20090703115635/http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/tennis/virginia-wade-we-used-to-think-there-was-a-british-winner-every-eight-years-455119.html
- Historical Dictionary of Tennishttps://books.google.com/books?id=W39oSS7c2xAC&dq=Tunbridge+Wells+Girls%2527+Grammar+School+virginia+wade&pg=PA301
- "Q&A: Virginia Wade"https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/tv_and_radio/sports_personality_of_the_year/7689413.stm
- Daily Mirrorhttps://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000560/19680429/202/0023
- The London Gazettehttps://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/45984/supplement/6489
- "Wade hopes for Jubilee repeat"https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/tennis/wimbledon/2036120.stm
- "Queen returns to Wimbledon after 33 years". BBC News. 24 June 2010. Retrieved 9 April 2017https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10399688
- The Telegraphhttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/tennis/rogerfederer/10926645/Wimbledon-2014-Britains-Jamie-Delgado-smashes-record-with-23rd-consecutive-All-England-Club-appearance.html
- Official Wimbledon websitehttps://web.archive.org/web/20181016085029/http://2017.wimbledon.com/en_GB/draws_archive/player_profile.html?id=238dbbd8-dc38-49fc-96d0-d73d198ec35a
- "Biographies – Virginia Wade"https://web.archive.org/web/20090106044803/http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/biographies/biogs/sport/virginiawade.shtml
- "Official Website of Virginia Wade O.B.E - Last British Women's Wimbledon Tennis Singles Champion, 1977"https://web.archive.org/web/20180808081753/http://virginia-wade.com/
- The London Gazettehttps://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/50551/supplement/11
- The London Gazettehttps://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/64759/supplement/B11
- "International Tennis Hall of Fame"https://web.archive.org/web/20070304104809/http://www.tennisfame.com/famer.aspx?pgID=867&hof_id=113
- "Player profile – Virginia Wade"https://www.wtatennis.com/players/230044/virginia-wade
- The Guardianhttps://www.theguardian.com/sport/2007/jun/18/tennis.stephenmoss
- The Sunday Timeshttps://www.thetimes.com/culture/art/article/the-naked-girl-with-a-dolphin-at-tower-bridge-thats-me-says-virginia-wade-0nsfbb2vs