Shriver, Pamela H.
Tennis
b. July 4, 1962, Baltimore, MD
Recurrent tendinitis in her right shoulder kept Shriver from realizing her early potential as a singles player, but she and Martina Navratilova formed one of the greatest women's doubles combinations of all time.
In 1978, Shriver became the youngest woman ever to reach the U. S. Open singles final, where she lost to Chris Evert Lloyd. The tendinitis began to bother her early in 1979, but she recovered in 1980 and was named the comeback player of the year.
The 5-foot-11, 130-pound Shriver was a powerful player with a strong first serve who liked to come to net and volley. Her volleying ability made her an outstanding doubles player.
She and Navratilova first teamed in 1981. They went on to win 18 grand slam championships: Wimbledon from 1981 through 1984 and in 1986; the U. S. Open in 1983, 1984, 1986, and 1987; the French Open in 1984, 1985, and 1987; and the Australian Open from 1982 through 1985 and in 1987 and 1988. They are the only women's team ever to win four consecutive grand slam titles.
Shriver's best year as a singles player was 1987, when she won 23 of 25 matches during the summer and took the Player's Challenge tournament without losing a set. She beat Evert Lloyd for the first time in the semi-finals of that tournament.
In 1991, she won three gold medals at the Pan-American Games, in the women's singles, women's doubles, and mixed doubles events.
However, her shoulder became extremely painful during the next couple of years and she retired from serious competition in 1994.
She kept active in the sport, though, working as a television analyst, serving as president of the USA Tennis Foundation and as a director of the United States Tennis Association.
Shriver was married to a lawyer, Joe Shapiro, who died in 1999. She later married actor George Lazenby, best known for temporarily replacing Sean Connery as film's James Bond.