Austin Powers

I met Tracy Austin in 1981 at the Wells Fargo event in Rancho Bernardo -- on my family's first jaunt to Southern California -- when I was 14 and didn't own a camera yet.

I was hoping to run into her yesterday -- she was in town receiving the Tennis Mom of the Year award -- but no such luck. I did, however, get to see her fabulous mosaic at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden and threw my back out in her honor while taking these pictures! 

Read HERE.

My Favorite Year

To give you a (better) sense of how deluded I am, I swear I feel a greater kinship with the people in these photos Tracy Austin posted from Indian Wells than I do with anyone from my upcoming 40th high-school reunion(!). 

Growing up in tennis facilities, Inside Women's Tennis was the "school paper" my friend Greg and I read religiously -- not the Dobson Mustang -- and it felt like Tracy and Pam were our older classmates while Martina, Chris, Rosie and Billie Jean were celebrated alumni. (Andrea Jaeger was my troubled big sister and Kathy Rinaldi was basically my twin.) 

To me, 1981 was the greatest year in women's tennis history -- a rare occasion when all four majors were won by different (non-fluky) players and the No. 1 ranking was on the line at the year-end championships. 

It also marked the beginning of all the players competing Down Under every season, something that hadn't been done in the past. (After a disappointing season, Martina was determined to take home a Grand Slam title that year, so everyone followed her to Kooyong Stadium, forever putting the Australian Open on equal footing with the other majors.) That Tracy came out on top -- only to essentially have her career end after an injury-plagued 1982 -- made it all the more monumental. 

Oh, to be a fly on the wall at this WTA Class of ‘81 reunion. I have much fonder memories of these guys and a million more questions than I do for anyone from back "home" -- starting with this:

Do you think Tracy ever hooked up with post-divorce John Lloyd? (Her autobiography makes it clear she was boy crazy after basically retiring at 21.) I remember they teamed up for a mixed-doubles event in 1988 against Peanut Louie (in for an ailing Stephanie Rehe) and a 17-year-old Pete Sampras and I've always wondered if there was more to that story! 

They also paired for the World Doubles Cup held in Edinburgh in 1995, although Tracy was married by then.

Tracy From Ork

Related: Read my original post about Tracy Austin's appearance on "Mork & Mindy" HERE.

Try to guess if I'm tickled pink that Tracy Austin enjoyed my post about her appearance on "Mork & Mindy" -- and that Steve Weissman and Andy Roddick discussed it with her on "Tennis Channel Live"?!! 

This was a blast! Robin Williams was brilliant and hilarious. Thx for sharing-fun reminder. https://t.co/uU158O9Aqh

— Tracy Austin (@thetracyaustin) May 13, 2024

@thetracyaustin That was such a sweet, great moment on TC Live, and @andyroddick with the superb compliment. ✅✅ pic.twitter.com/176jR8UK7i

— Andrew Jerell Jones, Luke 1:37 (IG:twdbk3) (@sluggahjells) May 14, 2024

UPDATE: This is the full audio (only).

Page 1 Roundup (03/22)

 

The Daily News: Man in critical condition after unprovoked punch on Manhattan subway, latest victim of anti-Asian hate: witness

Times of Israel: Kamala Harris’s husband to speak at LGBT Seder

NewNowNext: New documentary uncovers the World Trade Center’s secret cruising culture

BBC: North Korea’s ‘only openly gay defector’ finds love

Radar: Gay escort tells all about his wild night with Andrew Gillum, the married-with-children politick who was this close to being Florida governor

YouTube: Watch when David Hartman interviewed Tracy Austin, Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova on 'Good Morning America' ahead of the 1979 Avon Championships HERE. (Notice how David tries to cream the ball when they hit! Tracy would go on to crush Chris in the round robin, 6-3, 6-1, before losing in the final to Martina, 6-3, 3-6, 6-2.)

Dear Prudence: I’m a straight woman who married a gay man

The Repository: Walsh University denies claim that Daniel Franzese was fired from job because he is gay

Savannah Now: Teaching LGBTQ history: As 'systemic silence' lifts, new challenges for educators, students

Reuters: A transgender Islamic school in Pakistan breaks barriers

New York Post: Teen Vogue staffer Christine Davitt -- who opposed the hiring of Alexi McCammond over decade-old tweets -- under fire for racist tweets of her own

The Randy Report: Biden’s approval rating continues to rise as vaccinations increase

Gr8er Days: Iconic child actor Margaret O'Brien recalls the time a maid vanished with her juvenile Oscar, and how she got it back 50 years later

Boy Culture: Gay men from different worlds (not entirely work safe)

Hot Slut of the Day: The gold-hearted squirrel savior!

The New York Times: Think Covid’s messed up your travel plans? Try getting into China.

Evidence in Capitol attack most likely supports sedition charges, prosecutor says

The Washington Post: Letters found in an attic reveal eerie similarities between Adolf Hitler and his father

D.C. statehood moves from political fringe to the center of the national Democratic agenda

Anchorage Press: The radical anti-LGBT views of mayoral candidate Dave Bronson

The Wall Street Journal: Covid-19 vaccine manufacturing in U.S. races ahead

CBS looks for growth abroad -- with David Hasselhoff’s help

 Movie fans returning to Los Angeles theaters find thrill in just showing up

Billions of cicadas can’t wait to crash your outdoor party

Hot Cat of the Day: "Where my rouge????"

Getting My Pro Tennis Fix

The only thing more fun than watching old tennis matches on DVD during a pandemic is having Martina Navratilova weigh in! 

(BTW: Martina killed Trace the next day in the final, 2 and 2.)

Tracy was in fine form in this semifinal showdown at the 1980 United Airlines Sunbird Cup at the Grenelefe Golf & Tennis Resort in Haines City, Fla., where it was played until moving to clay courts in 1984 at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress. Andrea threw up a lot of her trademark moon balls, which Tracy would patiently return until seeing an opportunity to hammer one on the rise.

This was the third time the teens had played and the worst drubbing for the 14-year-old, who had turned pro earlier that year after winning the Avon Futures of Las Vegas, beating Barbara Potter in the final, 7–6, 4–6, 6–1. After the loss to Austin, though, Andrea told Bud Collins and Dr. Julie Anthony (Gigi Fernandez’s May-December “coach”) that she thought she would get there eventually, once she grew up a bit. And sure enough, she would rally to defeat Tracy 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 in Mahwah, N.J., later that same year, in the run-up to her sensational semifinal showing at the 1980 U.S. Open, where she suffered a devastating loss to Hana Mandlikova. The nail-biting 6-1, 3-6, 7-6 defeat would weigh heavily on my mind when Jennifer Capriati fell to Monica Seles by a similar score 11 years later, which seemed to put the nail in the coffin of Jen 1.0. Jaeger, of course, brushed it off and went on to reach 36 finals, winning 10 of them, including runner-up performances at the 1982 French Open (where in the semis she humiliated Chris Evert in straights sets) and Wimbledon 1983 (where in the semis she handed Billie Jean King her worst loss ever at the All-England Club) . But not unlike Austin, Jaeger's career would sadly effectively be over a year after that Wimbledon final, thanks to a devastating shoulder injury.

Much has been written about Andrea's post-tennis life, including her founding the Silver Lining Foundation in Colorado -- later renamed the Little Star Foundation -- benefiting children with cancer. (Wikipedia notes that the organization had powerful backers, both in the world of sports and elsewhere, including John McEnroe, Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras, and David Robinson. In 1996, Jaeger received the Samuel S. Beard Award for Greatest Public Service by an Individual 35 Years or Under.) And for a time in the aughts she was a nun, "Sister Andrea," as a member of the Anglican Order of Preachers. She was also linked in 2007 to Athletes for Hope, along with Agassi, Lance Armstrong, Tony Hawk, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, and Muhammad Ali, But a quick Google search shows earlier this year she was accused of misleading officials for tax breaks on her sprawling ranch where the sick children visit, which sounds bad but is so convoluted it is hard to know what to make of the charge. By all accounts she has done a lot great work in her life, but she may have tried to pull a fast one when some of her charitable endeavors dried up. (Not good.) One way or another, she sold the property in question in November for $1.5 million to a private owner and reportedly moved to Florida where she continues to raise money. 

What Ever Happened to Tracy Austin's 1989 Singles Comeback?

Tracy Austin during an exhibition against Natasha Zvereva on Feb. 7 1989. 

Came across this fascinating Tracy Austin profile in the Christian Science Monitor from December 1988, outlining her planned singles comeback for 1989. Although I was her biggest fan, this is the first I'm hearing about it -- "the decision has already been made but no target date set" -- which isn't entirely surprising given how hard tennis news was to come by back in those pre-internet days. (I'd let my subscription to Inside Women's Tennis expire when I started college.)

She'd been off the circuit a good six years at this point -- her run to the final of the 1983 Family Circle Cup was really her last hurrah, and that was on yet another comeback trail from injury -- but had played seven doubles tournaments with minimal success in 1988. (I'd only hear about those matches by looking through the scores in the paper.)

With Wolfgang Mack in 1988

At the time of the article, she'd apparently just played an exhibition at the Los Angeles Forum, where she and John Lloyd teamed up to beat Peanut Louie and a 17-year-old Pete Sampras in a mixed doubles match. (They won 6-3, 2-6, 6-4.) Perhaps fittingly, or painfully, this was before the main attraction, a singles shootout between her former rivals Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert. And she was looking forward, with some exhibition matches scheduled in Canada for early '89 against Natalia Zvereva of the Soviet Union (aka Natasha Zvereva of Belarus).

Here's what she -- 25 at the time -- said at the time about returning to the tour:

“I expect that it’s going to be very difficult,” Austin said. “I’m the first one to say that I know it’s going to be frustrating, but I’m making the decision to go back and play because I really want to play and compete.

“I’m always my own worst enemy, but I’m going to have to be patient. Billie Jean (King) said that I should give myself a year and to expect the worst in the beginning. She’s had comebacks, but I was out 5 years. That’s a very long time.

“While the other players were practicing every day, I was dancing with my friends and traveling and having a good time.” 

Does she expect to return to singles next year? “I hope so,” she said. 

But Austin, who ended her injury-induced absence by entering a tournament in San Diego in August, has not established a timetable for her return. 

“I’m kind of going with the flow as I have throughout this comeback,” she said. “I’m seeing how I feel and not committing myself too far down the line -- just making sure I’m still enjoying it. “

I entered three tournaments (last summer) and when I was finished with those, I said, ‘OK, now what do I want to play?’ And then I entered some more. That’s what I’ve done all along the way. “It wouldn’t be fair to myself to set a timetable.” 

Austin, though, said her comeback is going pretty well. Last month, she and Stephanie Rehe beat U.S. Open doubles champions Robin White and Gigi Fernandez at a tournament in New Orleans. 

“I have a long way to go, but I also feel like I’ve come a long way since San Diego, I go out there and I play and I enjoy it. It’s gradual improvement."

At the 1989 U.S. Open, weeks after breaking her leg in an automobile accident

Although she frequently cites a near-fatal car accident in New Jersey as the end of what we might call Chapter 2 of her career -- in early 1990 she filed a lawsuit against the glass company whose van plowed into her, claiming the injury interfered with her professional tennis comeback -- the wreck didn't happen until August 1989.

At the time she was in the Garden State playing Domino's Pizza TeamTennis(TM) for the New Jersey Stars, and according to the WTA site, she had played just one doubles event and zero singles in the seven months leading up to it, which led me digging. I'm not sure if the database is 100% accurate. But I did learn that she couldn't even get through an entire singles match against Zvereva in that exhibition -- she retired in the second set. And an old Washington Post article says she was slated to play doubles with Elna Reinach in the Virginia Slims of Washington, but "pulled a hip muscle." Then in a New York Times writeup about her playing TeamTennis -- apparently she could have been a Real Housewife: She was dating a chemical engineer from Franklin Lakes and wanted to be near her him! -- I learned that a chronic injury in the arch of her left foot had kept her out of singles for much of '89 and mostly playing doubles for the Stars.

At that point, Austin, still just 26, sounded a lot less certain about her future than she did in the December 1988 article. ''Right now, I'd like to play full time on the circuit again, but then that might change,'' she said. ''A lot depends on how well my foot comes around.''

''I'm a different person,'' she said after leaving the small stadium with her (boy)friend Wolfgang Mack, who attends all of the Stars' home matches. ''There are a lot more things in my life nowadays, and I'm a much happier person. And I'm enjoying tennis more.''

An unfortunate outfit, and a rare moment of looking back in 1989.

As I recall, Pam Shriver opined in her own autobiography, "Passing Shots," that she thought Tracy never really came back all the way out of fear of not being as good as she had been. And perhaps by waiting to come back full time until 1993 (Chapter 3), all of the pressure was off because she was already in her 30s (ancient at the time) so no one was expecting very much. (I think Chris felt Tracy was so gritty she could crack the Top 20 again.) But I think a better explanation was that her body just kept betraying her each time she attempted to restart her career. Tracy has never been one to look back -- she's gone on to raise a beautiful family and has a successful career in broadcasting -- but it's still hard for this fan not to think about what might have been.

At the the Family Tennis Challenge during the 1989 U.S. Open 

During my research I discovered this photo of the handshake from the infamous 1982 meeting with 13-year-old Steffi Graf, who didn't make much of an impression on Tracy at the time! (Tracy was oft-injured by then, but won 6-4, 6-0.) The next time they played, during Tracy's Chapter 3 phase (1993-94), the German would defeat her heckler 6-0, 6-0.

Tracy at the 1986 U.S. Open

UPDATE:

And here's a great NYT article during an attempted comeback in 1984.

Tales From the Underground Tennis DVD Market

The best part about this is post on my Facebook wall is that Dave was my old boss -- and he just happened to be a Chris Evert queen with Tracy rising! Not only did he become a great friend, he's mailing me the DVD!

I tweeted at Pam and she immediately "liked" it!

I didn't have a camera with me when I met her in 1981. But here's Tracy at the Rancho Bernardo Inn in 2012 at the club's 50th anniversary!

Happy Birthday, Trace!

In 1979, at 16 years of age, @TheTracyAustin captured her first major title. 🏆

40 years later, we continue to celebrate the woman who has brought so much enthusiasm and light to the sport of tennis, and still does.

Happy birthday, Tracy! pic.twitter.com/swTjjilkJz

— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) December 13, 2019

Longtime readers know it was Tracy Austin's Cinderella run to the quarterfinals at Forest Hills that helped seduce me into the self-loathing world of competitive tennis. But it's stuff like this video by Mary Carillo that keeps me following the professional game more than four decades later! 

A Long Time Ago, Baby!

Love this Throwback Thursday photo from the former Mrs. Larry King. I know the answer -- because I went to the stop in RICHMOND!

Page 1 Roundup (07/10)

The Daily News: Billionaire faces violation for ‘private’ parking space in West Village as blueprints reveal original plan for a ‘study,’ not a garage

 English woman dies after impaling herself with a metal straw

KIT212: This is the piece of ass who was saved from drowning on his honeymoon

THR: Rip Torn, the actor known for his booming Southern drawl and impeccable comic timing, has died at the age of 88

Newsweek: Another gay man just announced she's running for president

Towleroad: Billionaire Tom Steyer announced that he's launching a 2020 presidential bid in a video posted to social media on Tuesday morning

Criminal groping case against Kevin Spacey on shaky ground after accuser pleads the fifth(!)

Twitter: When Tracy did Johnny

Instagram: Jockstraps are for jump pages

Yahoo Sports: I'm not sure what prompted this -- Serena Williams isn't exactly known for her self-awareness -- but kudos to her for giving Naomi Osaka the apology she so richly deserved for the GOAT's disgraceful behavior during last year's U.S. Open finals

Martina Navratilova has message for Donald Trump, wears 'Impeach' hat at Wimbledon

HuffPost: Emmanuel Macron: Racism and homophobia will not be tolerated at soccer matches

BBC Scotland: Andy Murray has another brother 

NBC News: A conspiracy theory about a murdered DNC staffer that was repeatedly brought up on Fox News and by allies of Trump was planted and promoted by Russian intelligence, report finds

Prominent trans activist Sarah McBride to run for office in Delaware

New York Post: LIRR overtime ‘cheat’ hung out at home on the clock, retired with full pension anyway

Gr8er Days: Full "Judy" trailer is here

Market Watch: Home Depot shoppers threaten to boycott after learning the co-founder gave millions to help elect Trump

The Washington Post: To minimize critics, Trump employs selective amnesia

Ross Perot, kooky Texas billionaire who ran for president, dies at 89

The New York Times: Labor Secretary R. Alexander Acosta on Tuesday faced fresh calls to resign, and rising pressure from inside the Trump administration, over his role in brokering a lenient plea deal over sex crimes for the New York financier Jeffrey E. Epstein as a federal prosecutor in Miami more than a decade ago

Trump can’t block critics from his Twitter account, appeals court rules

The Wall Street Journal: Census case judge rejects Trump plan to switch legal team

How to throw a ticker-tape parade for women’s soccer when no one uses ticker tape

Tracing Tennis History

Hard to believe it's been 39 years since Tracy Austin became the youngest female tennis player ever ranked No. 1 in the world, an incredible feat that remained a record until Martina Hingis clipped it by a few months in 1997. Ironically, both of their careers would be cut short by injuries -- Tracy's far more so than Martina's -- while most of their peers' would not. (Hingis's conqueror in the 1999 U.S. Open is some chick named Serena Williams and Pam Shriver didn't retire until 1997.) 

See? Priests aren't all bad! 

But how about this discovery?! As I've said a dozen times, people don't realize that many pros didn't religiously play all four majors back in the day the way they do now, yet another reason it's unfair to compare players from different eras. The year Tracy Austin ended Chris Evert's 125-match winning streak on clay at Foro Italico she didn't even play the French Open. (She won the U.S. Open over Chris later that summer, you might recall, so who knows what might have happened.) 

Another thing most people forget is that Tracy defeated Chris in the semifinals -- but still had to come back to play the final against Sylvia Hanika. It couldn't have been easy after that grueling three-set match decided by a tiebreak against the greatest clay courter of all time. But Tracy held her nerve to beat the tricky German lefthander, 6-4, 1-6, 6-3 to become the youngest player to ever take the title.

Love this!

Such a shame Sylvia was blocked by her West German flag here.

When the World Was (Pea)Nuts for Tracy Austin

Even better than appearing on "Mork & Mindy"!