Andrea Jaeger
| Country (sports) |  United States |
|---|---|
| Residence | Durango, Colorado |
| Height | 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) |
| Turned pro | 1979 |
| Retired | 1987 |
| Plays | Right |
| Prize money | US$1,490,487[1] |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 260–85[1] |
| Career titles | 12 |
| Highest ranking | 2 ( 1981)[1] |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Australian Open | SF (1982) |
| French Open | F (1982) |
| Wimbledon | F (1983) |
| US Open | SF (1980, 1982) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 47–38[1] |
| Career titles | 2 (inc.French Open) |
Andrea Jaeger (born June 4, 1965, in Chicago, Illinois) is a former World No. 2 professional tennis player from the United States whose brief but highly successful tennis career ended prematurely due to major shoulder injuries. Jaeger reached the singles final of Wimbledon in 1983 and the French Open in 1982. She reached the singles semifinals of the Australian Open in 1982 and of the U.S. Open in 1980 and 1982. She also won 11 singles titles. In mixed doubles, Jaeger won the French Open with Jimmy Arias in 1982. During her career, Jaeger won U.S. $1.4 million in prize money and millions more in endorsements. After retirement in 1987, she has prominently dedicated her life to public service, charities, and philanthropy. In 2006 she became Sister Andrea, an Anglican Dominican nun. She is a member of the Episcopalian Church and based in Colorado, U.S.[2]
Tennis career
While a student at Stevenson High School in suburban Chicago, Jaeger was the top ranked player in the United States in the 18-and-under age group. She won 13 U.S. national junior titles, including the most prominent junior titles in tennis: the 1979 Orange Bowl and 1979 Boca Raton.
In 1980 (at the age of 15 years, 19 days), she became the youngest player ever to be seeded at Wimbledon,[3] a record that was broken by Jennifer Capriati in 1990. After defeating former champion Virginia Wade, she became the youngest quarterfinalist in the history of the tournament.[4] Later in the year, she became the youngest semifinalist in US Open history and was elected rookie of the year.
In 1981, Jaeger won the U.S. Clay Court Championships, defeating Virginia Ruzici in the final.
At the French Open in 1982, Jaeger defeated Chris Evert in a semifinal 6–3, 6–1 but lost the final to Martina Navratilova. She then reached the semifinals of both the US Open and the Australian Open, losing both matches to Evert in straight sets.
At Wimbledon in 1983, Jaeger defeated six-time Wimbledon singles champion Billie Jean King 6–1, 6–1 in a semifinal on Centre Court, which was King's last career singles match at that tournament and her most lopsided singles defeat ever at Wimbledon.[5] Jaeger then lost the final to Navratilova. In 2003, Jaeger said that the night before the final, she had a heated argument with her father[6] over practicing and was locked out of her apartment by her father. Eventually, Jaeger asked Navratilova to convince her father to let her back in. She stated that emotional fatigue might have contributed to her lackluster performance in the final.[6] On July 4, 2008, Jaeger claimed in the British paper The Daily Mail that she threw the final against Navratilova.[7]
Jaeger competed in the tennis demonstration event at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles (tennis was re-introduced as an Olympic sport in 1988). In 2006, Jaeger exchanged gifts with an Army Ranger serving in the Iraq War. He gave her his dog tags, and she gave him her Olympic ring.[8]
Jaeger's career win-loss record against other top players was 3–17 against Evert, 4–11 against Navratilova, 2–8 against Tracy Austin, 6–8 against Hana Mandlikova, and 2–4 against Pam Shriver.
In an interview in 2003, Jaeger stated that she was never committed to being the top ranked player in the world and tanked matches to avoid the top spot.[9] As she rose toward the top of the game, she started visiting hospitals during tournaments. She stated that she found it, in the words of a USA Today columnist, "difficult to reconcile the narrow-minded focus of a top tennis player with her desire to help others."[10]
Jaeger won eight of the nine singles matches she played for the U.S. in Fed Cup. She also won two of the three Wightman Cup singles matches she played for the U.S.[11]
A major shoulder injury at the age of 19 ended Jaeger's career prematurely in 1985. Seeing this career-ending injury as a door to a spiritual awakening, she went to college and received a degree in theology.
Philanthropy
Jaeger used her winnings from tennis to create the Silver Lining Foundation with her close friend and business partner Heidi Bookout in 1990. Located in Aspen, Colorado, the organization transported groups of young cancer patients to Aspen for a week of support and activities, including horseback riding and whitewater rafting. The foundation also provided money for reunions, family campouts, college scholarships, medical internships, and other programs for children who could not travel. The organization had other powerful backers, both in the world of sports and elsewhere. The first contributor was John McEnroe. Many high-profile celebrities were also involved, including Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras, and David Robinson.
Jaeger's autobiography, "First Service," was published in 2004. In the book she wrote about her teenage years as a tennis player and her later decision to focus on serving God. All proceeds from the book were donated to children's charities.
Jaeger has since established the "Little Star Foundation," reaching on average 4,000 kids annually. She has moved from Aspen to a much larger 220-acre (0.89 km2) property in Hesperus, Colorado, where she will be able to expand her programs.[10]
On September 16, 2006, at the age of 41, Jaeger became Sister Andrea, an Anglican Dominican nun.[12]
In April 2007, Jaeger and several former athletes, including Andre Agassi, Lance Armstrong, Tony Hawk, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, and Muhammad Ali, appeared on the American morning television talk show Good Morning America to announce their formation of a new charity entitled "Athletes for Hope" with the goal of encouraging their fellow athletes to think philanthropically.[13] [14]
Oprah Winfrey describes Jaeger as a superstar turned superhero.[15]
Grand Slam singles finals
Runner-ups (2)
| Year | Championship | Opponent in Final | Score in Final |
| 1982 | French Open |  Martina Navratilova |
7–6(6), 6–1 |
| 1983 | Wimbledon | Martina Navratilova |
6–0, 6–3 |
Grand Slam mixed doubles finals
Win
| Year | Championship | Partner | Opponents in Final | Score in Final |
| 1981 | French Open | Jimmy Arias |
 Betty Stöve Fred McNair |
7–6, 6–4 |
Grand Slam singles performance timeline
| Tournament | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | Career SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Open | A | A | QF | SF | A | A | A | 0 / 2 |
| French Open | A | 1R | SF | F | SF | 1R | 2R | 0 / 6 |
| Wimbledon | A | QF | 4R | 4R | F | A | A | 0 / 4 |
| U.S. Open | 2R | SF | 2R | SF | QF | A | 2R | 0 / 6 |
| SR | 0 / 1 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 1 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 18 |
A = did not participate in the tournament.
SR = the ratio of the number of Grand Slam singles tournaments won to the number of those tournaments played.
Singles wins
| No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent in the final | Score |
| 1. | November 23, 1979 | African Eagles Classic (not listed on the WTA website) | Unknown |  Bettina Bunge
|
6–4, 6–1 |
| 2. | February 14, 1980 | Las Vegas, Nevada, USA (Avon Futures tournament) | Hard | Barbara Potter
|
7–6, 4–6, 6–1 |
| 3. | June 13, 1980 | Beckenham, United Kingdom | Grass |  Jo Durie
|
6–0, 6–1 |
| 4. | September 15, 1980 | Buick Riviera Classic, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA[16] | Hard |  Hana Mandlíková
|
7–5, 4–6, 6–3 |
| 5. | November 10, 1980 | Florida Federal Open, Tampa, Florida, USA[17] | Hard | Tracy Austin
|
walkover |
| 6. | January 12, 1981 | Avon Championships of Kansas City, USA | Carpet | Martina Navrátilová
|
3–6, 6–3, 7–5 |
| 7. | February 9, 1981 | Avon Championships of California, Oakland, USA | Carpet | Virginia Wade
|
6–3, 6–1 |
| 8. | August 3, 1981 | U.S. Women's Clay Court Championship, USA | Clay |  Virginia Ruzici
|
6–1, 6–0 |
| 9. | February 1, 1982 | Avon Championships of Detroit, USA | Carpet |  Mima Jaušovec
|
2–6, 6–4, 6–2 |
| 10. | February 22, 1982 | Avon Championships of California, Oakland, USA | Carpet | Chris Evert
|
7–6(5), 6–4 |
| 11. | January 24, 1983 | Avon Tennis Cup, Marco Island, Florida, USA | Clay | Hana Mandlíková
|
6–1, 6–3 |
References
- ^ a b c d Sony Ericsson WTA Tour
- ^ Jaeger finds joy in serving others
- ^ Tingay, Lance (1983). The Guinness Book of Tennis Facts & Feats. Enfield, Middlesex: Guinness Superlatives. p. 41. ISBN 0-85112-289-2.
- ^ The Daily News - June 1980
- ^ The Championships, Wimbledon 2007 - Grand Slam Tennis - Official Site by IBM
- ^ a b Daily Times (Pakistan)
- ^ EXCLUSIVE: Jaeger's confession - I let Martina win the title
- ^ From tennis to nunhood to Making a Difference - Making a Difference - MSNBC.com
- ^ Sister Andrea Jaeger « tennis served fresh
- ^ a b USATODAY.com
- ^ Tingay, Lance (1983). The Guinness book of tennis facts & feats. Enfield, Middlesex: Guinness Superlatives. p. 203. ISBN 0-85112-289-2.
- ^ http://people.aol.com/people/article/0,26334,1561084,00.html
- ^ 'Athletes for Hope' Unite for Charity
- ^ Athletes for Hope
- ^ Andrea Jaeger
- ^ Tournoi de Las Vegas, French Wikipedia and the International Tennis Federation
- ^ Information about this tournament comes from "World Tennis Magazine," February 1981, p. 82 and the International Tennis Federation
See also
External links
- Andrea Jaeger at the Women's Tennis Association
- {{ITF profile}} template using deprecated numeric ID.
- Andrea Jaeger at the Billie Jean King Cup
- Athletes for Hope