Information AboutTracy Austin |
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As a junior player, Austin won 21 age-group titles including the US national 12s title at age 10 in 1972 . In 1977 , she became the youngest player to win a professional tournament, capturing the title in Portland, Oregon aged 14 years and 28 days. Later that year, she made her Grand Slam debut at Wimbledon and at the US Open 2 months later she reached the quarter-finals. Austin became the youngest-ever US Open champion in 1979, aged 16 years and 9 months. In the final she faced Chris Evert (who was bidding to win the title for the fifth consecutive year) and beat her in straight sets 6-4, 6-3. Earlier that year, she had also ended Evert's 125-match Clay Court winning streak by beating her in three sets in the semi-finals of the Italian Open . Austin won the US Open again in 1981 in a thrilling final against Martina Navratilova in which she prevailed 1-6, 7-6(7-4), 7-6(7-1). In 1980, Austin won the Wimbledon mixed doubles title partnering her brother John Austin. She was a singles semi-finalist at Wimbledon in both 1979 and 1980. Austin was briefly ranked the World No. 1 singles player in 1980, breaking a six-year strangle-hold that Evert and Navratilova had held on the top spot. After a fleeting period of great success, back injuries began to impair Austin's effectiveness and sidelined her for long stretches. She won her 29th and final top-level singles title at San Diego in 1982 . It was also in 1982 that she made somewhat misguided comments about a young Steffi Graf , saying there were literally hundreds of children like her playing in the United States . By 1983 , before her 21st birthday, she was virtually finished. Austin had a near-fatal motor accident in 1989 , but survived. She attempted a brief comeback on the tour in 1993 - 1994 , but was not particularly successful. In 1992 , Austin became the youngest person to be inducted into the International Tennis Hall Of Fame . Since retiring as a player, Austin has frequently worked as a commentator for NBC and the USA Network , and commentated for the Seven Network at the 2006 Australian Open . SINGLES TITLES (30)
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