Honorary Chair Pam Shriver and 30 Years of Women's Tennis

When Pam Shriver was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame last summer, the room was full. As Martina Navratilova stood at the front presenting Shriver into the Hall of Fame, fellow players stood on the side, remembering the power in her game and all the matches through the years. Her past coaches looked on from one of the corners, recalling Shriver's development as a player and the long hours spent smashing balls.

And near the front was George, her proud husband whom she married the month before her induction, her dear friends and members of her family, including her 95-year-old grandmom—a.k.a. Moppie—who made the 2500-mile trek from southern California to Newport, Rhode Island. During her induction, Shriver's friends and family watched with watery eyes as they scrolled through their own memories—her growth from a young girl with big curls and big dreams to a much taller, seasoned tennis hall-of-famer.

Shriver's induction into the Tennis Hall of Fame—an honor that's voted on by the international media—meant the world to her for many reasons. Not only was everyone that mattered in her career at the event, but she'd been going on pilgrimages to the Hall of Fame for years. "I had a real appreciation for what the museum represented, bringing together and documenting the history of our sport and obviously, also, recognizing the great champions," says Shriver.

Many tennis fans remember Pam Shriver as half of the most powerful doubles duos in sports history, capturing the grand slam in doubles in 1984. Others remember Shriver as one of only five other women who've won more than 100 career titles. And then, after her induction, going from a retired player with a remarkable record to the Hall of Fame roster, she's remembered as a tennis legend.

The Torch and the Tournament

The most recent addition to Shriver's impressive post-career resume is the position as the honorary chair for the 30th Anniversary Bank of America WTA Tour Championships, presented by Porsche. With footprints all over the WTA Tour Championships court, Shriver was given the badge of honor as this year's chair, one that carries the weight of an ambassador.

"The most important thing [about being the honorary chair] is that it means I'm part of the team that's trying to make the Championships as good as it can be," says Shriver. "It will mean a lot during the week if it's a successful Championship with great matches." Shriver forecasts, "It may also mean that we find out who the number one player in the world is for the year end."

Beyond a successful event, Shriver hopes the people of LA enjoy the matches, while showing an appreciation for foreign seeds, notably the two Belgian players, Justine Henin-Hardenne and Kim Clijsters, the defending champion. "They are such great athletes," says Shriver. "It's almost like a coming out party in the states for these two…and they're sitting on top of women's tennis right now." Instead of fans wondering where all the American players are, Shriver encourages fans to simply embrace the best in women's tennis.

With a whopping $3 million inside the purse this year, the clasp barely snaps shut. The largest prize pool in women's sports history, a third of it will go to the last woman standing at this year's round robin, the new tournament format. The rest of the money will go to the runner-up and be dispersed among the other contenders. With the new format, "you'll get to see the top players play each other more often," says Shriver, excited about the changes.

The extra large kitty is not all that's new this year; the draw has also been split in half, drawing an elite pick of tennis stars. "You can't really have a mediocre year and get in," says Shriver. In recent years, the draw penciled in 16 singles players and 8 doubles teams; this year there will only be 8 singles spots and 4 doubles spots.

Players are equally energized about the fresh format this year. Jennifer Capriati, while playing at the Kremlin Cup in Moscow, recently told a reporter, "I think the new format is going to be exciting. It's something different and I'm looking forward to it. I think the fans will like it too."

Memorializing 30 years of Women's Tennis

1973 was a huge year for women's tennis. The WTA was conceived and Billie Jean King spanked Bobby Riggs in the "Battle of the Sexes." Because of that, this year's WTA Tour Championships is extra special. [It's important to note that the woman involved in both milestones, Billie Jean King, is also celebrating her 60th birthday within days of the tournament.] "The Championships have been around long enough that we can really start to build on its history," says Shriver, delighted about being a part of it not only as the honorary chair, but also as a commentator. "I think the Championships were born at a time when women's tennis was really getting its feet and taking off, and becoming a prominent sport for women in the world," remembers Shriver, who says that women's tennis has only grown since then.

Shriver also believes it's important for the players to take ownership in the Championships and to embrace this as the one tournament they have a stake in, not just on the court, but off the court, too. "I think every player that plays the Championship should care about tennis to the point that they want to see women's tennis in a better place at the end of their career then they did at the beginning," says Shriver with strong conviction. "Women tennis players have always taken a great pride in their sport and that should continue."

For Shriver, her deepest WTA Tour Championships memories were born at Madison Square Garden years ago. She recalls with nostalgia the first year she qualified for the draw in doubles in 1978, "When I was 17…my partner (it wasn't yet Martina) and I qualified fourth and last." Another year, Shriver beat Chris Evert and says that it was always a lofty prize to make it into the Championships at the end of the year.

Fast forward to 1988—Shriver describes one of her biggest wins. "I also had one of the best singles wins of my life and my last big win in singles over Steffi Graf in the semis at the Championships," remembers Shriver like it was yesterday. "It was Steffi's last match of her golden grand slam year—she'd won all four majors and the Olympic Gold medal." Only the third or fourth player to beat her that year, Shriver reminisces, "I beat her in a sold out Madison Square Garden crowd," which, Shriver says, was especially powerful because in an indoor arena the sound is different when everybody is under one roof. She's excited that STAPLES Center presents the same opportunity this year.

And none of the above memories begin to even scratch the surface of Shriver's legendary partnership with Martina Navratilova, one that will be hard for any hungry doubles team to beat in years to come. The partnership spanned almost ten years with nearly 80 titles. Of her old partner, Shriver thinks Navratilova's longevity as a player is remarkable. "To think that an athlete can be that special to play in the 70's, 80's, 90's and then again in 2003, is just amazing," notes Shriver.

In addition to her friendship with Navratilova, Shriver also keeps in good contact with other players like Billie Jean King, Elise Burgin and Elizabeth Smiley. Elise Burgin, a childhood friend of Shriver's, went to Stanford and played on the tour for many years. Liz Smiley, an Australian player, has had an especially big hand in Shriver's life, both on and off the court. Not only past doubles partners, but "Liz and her husband Keith, ironically, introduced me in 1996 to my late husband," remembers Shriver. "Then again in 2000, a year after I lost my husband, they introduced me to George. Seven months later we started dating." Liz and her doubles partner Kathy Jordan also broke Shriver and Navratilova's 109-match winning streak at Wimbledon in 1985.

Also interesting to note: many important people in Shriver's life are Australian; most notably her husband, George Lazenby, who not only is an Aussie, but a former James Bond, as well. Lazenby played 007 between the Sean Connery and Roger Moore eras.

Giving Back

After nineteen years on the professional tennis circuit and winning 112 doubles titles and 21 singles, Shriver decided to hang up her racquet and begin her off-court game in 1997. In giving back to the world, Shriver's philanthropic brainchild and annual tennis event, the Tennis Challenge, is in its 18th successful year. The annual event, drawing players like Andre Agassi and Andy Roddick, raises money for a non-profit umbrella, the Baltimore Community Foundation, which, in turn, sprinkles money throughout the entire community of Baltimore. Born and raised in the Baltimore area, it remains her home base and one in which she's still very active.

The tennis community, her home away from home, has also felt the grace of Pam Shriver. She not only served on the USTA Board of Directors for six years, but also served for both the International Tennis Hall of Fame and the USA Tennis Foundation. Her contribution has, without question, been invaluable. Shriver is especially thankful for her experience with the USTA, as it gave her a higher respect for the organization even though it's a target for criticism at times. "I have an appreciation for the effort that's there to try and grow the sport of tennis to make sure it can be enjoyed by anybody who might benefit from it," says Shriver.

Shriver's second home, Los Angeles, is her self-professed "adopted, adult hometown," where she lives with Lazenby. LA is also blessed with her charitable contributions, which have not gone unrecognized. In 2002, Shriver received the LA Sports & Entertainment Commission's (LASEC) Sports & Entertainment Ambassador Award of Excellence. The award, given to an individual who, through their work, sets a high standard of excellence that others can hope to achieve in the future, is prestigious. "Pam has been a tremendous help to our organization, a great asset for sports in the U.S. and is a great representative and ambassador for tennis," says Kathryn Schloessman, President of LASEC. "And," Schloessman says, "she's a really nice person."

The Politics of a Tennis Legend

But it takes more than just being a nice person to snag an award of this caliber. It takes generous, altruistic acts like flying to Washington D.C. to testify in front of the U.S. Appropriations Subcommittee because you care about the future health of the youth in this country. "It's really sad to see the state of the physical fitness level of our youth," says Shriver. The bill Shriver testified on behalf of, the Carol M. White Physical Education for Progress, widely known as the PEP bill, will make funds available for schools and community based organizations to enhance the level and education of fitness for youth in the U.S.

"Pam is absolutely awesome!" says Tom Cove, Vice President of the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association (SGMA), the organization at the steering wheel of the PEP bill. No doubt Shriver's testimony, along with other well-known athletes, played a role in this bill's success. Her passion for younger generation's health was heard in every word of her testimony.

"Obviously an offshoot of my tennis background is my interest in physical education for kids," says Shriver. Even though the bill doesn't carry enough money for the entire country, it's a good start. The driving force behind Shriver's interest in this bill: "More and more schools and community based organizations need to realize the importance of not just educating our children's minds, but also their bodies."

"This is where a sport like tennis comes in…because it's a lifetime sport you can play forever with your family, with different generations and genders," says Shriver. She believes that every child should have a foundation for how to keep themselves in good shape. "You need to be active in order to do that," notes Shriver. She has high hopes that the PEP bill will help get kids moving.

No Racquet Involved

The list of charitable organizations Shriver is a part of is long and not all of them involve tennis specifically. The Posse Foundation, in its first couple years of existence, is a national organization that aims to help college entrants succeed on campus. Started by a former fellow USTA board member Michael Ansley, who, Shriver says, realized that vulnerable kids that came from at-risk schools might not normally have a smooth pathway to a top-level college. "If given the opportunity to go to one of those top-tiered colleges, they would tend to stick it out for the entire four years if they did it in a group setting—hence the name posse," explains Shriver.

Shriver also supports and plays a role in an annual event that Billie Jean King puts on to raise scholarship funds for her Alma Matter, California State University Los Angeles. The event, "Billie Jean King and Friends, Honoring Joe Shapiro," has an extra special place in Shriver's heart. Joe Shapiro is Shriver's late husband who taught at Cal State LA during the last year of his life. Each year, the event gives away a "Joe Shapiro Humanitarian Award" for individuals who have displayed great humanitarianism, leadership and vision.

Microphone meets Tennis Marvel

When Shriver's not busy with charitable obligations, her calendar is dotted with broadcasting gigs all over the world. "I do enjoy broadcasting," says Shriver. "But the problem with broadcasting is the travel it entails. I'm fortunate that George likes to travel and he likes going to tournaments," notes Shriver with a laugh, "as long as there's a golf course around." Aside from golf and travel, the couple also (big surprise) enjoys hitting fuzzy yellow balls, something they do many times a week for exercise.

"Power," says Shriver, of the significant difference in how current players' style compares with when she was on tour. "When I started in 1978," remembers Shriver, "there were a lot more serve and volleyers and aggressive players [aggressive meaning net rushing capability]. Now, the aggression tends to be power from the baseline." Shriver also believes that speed of the players and their court coverage is outstanding in this tennis field. "I think it's really hard to be a top player and not cover the court really well," observes Shriver.

Shriver is thrilled about the Championships and its historical significance this year. "It's a celebration of women's tennis," says Shriver. There's little doubt among the organizers of this year's 30th Anniversary event—AEG, Octagon and the WTA Tour—that this will be nothing short of a celebration of the history of women's tennis. With thirty years of rich competitive history and thirty years of positive growth for women in sports under its belt, the 2003 Bank of America WTA Tour Championships presented by Porsche is sure to be a champion in its own right. And with legends like Pam Shriver contributing not only her time, but her spirit, the future of women's tennis is sure to be filled with many more significant milestones and celebrations.

By Gina Daggett

Published in 2003 WTA Tour Championships Program, STAPLES Center, Los Angeles, CA. Nov. 5-10, 2003.

Eight Women. Six days. Three million dollars.