Kathryn "Kathy" Jordan (born December 3, 1959) is a former American
tennis
Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...
player. During her career, she won seven Grand Slam titles, five of them in women's doubles and two in mixed doubles. She also was the 1983 Australian Open women's singles runner-up and won three singles titles and 42 doubles titles.
College
She received an athletic scholarship to
Stanford University
Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...
in 1978. While at Stanford, she won the 1979
AIAW Championships in singles and in doubles with her sister
Barbara Jordan
Barbara Charline Jordan (February 21, 1936 – January 17, 1996) was an American lawyer, educator, and politician. A Democrat, she was the first African American elected to the Texas Senate after Reconstruction and the first Southern African-A ...
. in 1979, she won the Broderick Award (now the
Honda Sports Award) as the best female collegiate player.
Career
Jordan turned professional in 1979. Her best performance in a Grand Slam singles tournament was runner-up at the 1983
Australian Open
The Australian Open is a tennis tournament held annually at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia. The tournament is the first of the four Grand Slam tennis events held each year, preceding the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open. Th ...
, where she lost to
Martina Navratilova
Martina Navratilova ( cs, Martina Navrátilová ; ; born October 18, 1956) is a Czech–American, former professional tennis player. Widely considered among the greatest tennis players of all time, Navratilova won 18 major singles titles, 31 maj ...
in straight sets..
She was the first player to defeat
Chris Evert
Christine Marie Evert (born December 21, 1954), known as Chris Evert Lloyd from 1979 to 1987, is an American former world No. 1 tennis player. Evert won 18 major singles titles, including a record seven French Open titles and a joint-record ...
before the semifinals of a Grand Slam singles tournament. Jordan defeated Evert 6–1, 7–6 in the third round of Wimbledon in 1983 after Evert had reached at least the semifinals of her first 34 Grand Slam singles tournaments.
In women's doubles, Jordan won five Grand Slam titles, four of which were in partnership with
Anne Smith. She also won a career Grand Slam in women's doubles, winning the 1980
French Open
The French Open (french: Internationaux de France de tennis), also known as Roland-Garros (), is a major tennis tournament held over two weeks at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France, beginning in late May each year. The tournament and ven ...
, 1980 and 1985
Wimbledon
Wimbledon most often refers to:
* Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London
* Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships
Wimbledon may also refer to:
Places London
* ...
, 1981
US Open, and 1981
Australian Open
The Australian Open is a tennis tournament held annually at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia. The tournament is the first of the four Grand Slam tennis events held each year, preceding the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open. Th ...
.
In the Wimbledon final on July 6, 1985, Jordan and
Elizabeth Smylie
Elizabeth Smylie (née Sayers, born 11 April 1963), sometimes known as Liz Smylie, is a retired Australian tennis player. During her career, she won four Grand Slam titles, one of them in women's doubles and three in mixed doubles. She also wo ...
teamed to snap the 109-match winning streak of Navratilova and
Pam Shriver
Pamela Howard Shriver (born July 4, 1962) is an American former professional tennis player and current tennis broadcaster and pundit. During the 1980s and 1990s, Shriver won 133 titles, including 21 singles titles, 111 women's doubles titles, an ...
by defeating them in three sets.
In mixed doubles, Jordan won two Grand Slam titles, 1986 French Open and 1986 Wimbledon, both of which were in partnership with
Ken Flach
Kenneth Eliot Flach (May 24, 1963 – March 12, 2018) was an American doubles world No. 1 tennis player. He won four Grand Slam men's doubles titles (two Wimbledon and two US Open), and two mixed doubles titles (Wimbledon and the French Ope ...
.
Jordan retired in 1991. Her highest singles rank was world number five in 1984 and her highest doubles rank was world number 6 in 1991. She won several awards during her career, including 1979 WTA Most Impressive Newcomer Award, 1980 WTA Doubles Team of the Year Award with Smith, 1984 WTA Most Improved Player of the Year Award, and 1991 WTA Player Service Award
After retiring, Jordan returned to Stanford University and received a B.A. in political science in 1991. She was elected vice-president of the
WTA in 1992. She also served as chairperson of the WTA Drug Testing Committee and served on WTA executive, deferred compensation, finance/marketing, and insurance committees through 1992.
In 2002, Jordan was presented with a Mentor Award by
Martina Navratilova
Martina Navratilova ( cs, Martina Navrátilová ; ; born October 18, 1956) is a Czech–American, former professional tennis player. Widely considered among the greatest tennis players of all time, Navratilova won 18 major singles titles, 31 maj ...
, on behalf of the WTA Tour, in recognition of her contribution to the Partners for Success program and to the sport of tennis at large.
Personal life
Jordan was one of the top juniors during the 1970s. She also was a top high school basketball player, being named to the All-Conference basketball team while at
Upper Merion Area High School in
King of Prussia, Pennsylvania
King of Prussia (also referred to as KOP) is a census-designated place in Upper Merion Township in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 22,028. The community took its unusual name in the 18th ...
. Her sister won the 1979
Australian Open
The Australian Open is a tennis tournament held annually at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia. The tournament is the first of the four Grand Slam tennis events held each year, preceding the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open. Th ...
women's singles title. Her father, Bob Jordan, was instrumental in the development of the WTA
deferred compensation plan. Now, Jordan lives in Palo Alto, California.
Major finals
Grand Slam finals
Singles: 1 (1 runner–up)
Women's doubles: 11 (5 titles, 6 runners-up)
Mixed doubles: 3 (2 titles, 1 runner–up)
Year-end championships finals
Doubles: 2 (1 title, 1 runner–up)
WTA career finals
Singles 13 (3–10)
Doubles 78 (42–36)
Grand Slam performance timelines
Singles
Doubles
Mixed doubles
Note: The Australian Open was held twice in 1977, in January and December.
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Jordan, Kathy
1959 births
Living people
American female tennis players
People from Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania
People from Montgomery County, Pennsylvania
Stanford Cardinal women's tennis players
Tennis people from Pennsylvania
Grand Slam (tennis) champions in women's doubles
Grand Slam (tennis) champions in mixed doubles
Wimbledon champions
US Open (tennis) champions
Australian Open (tennis) champions
French Open champions