Australia, it cannot be doubted, has produced many world class sports stars, per capita possibly more than any other country in the world. That and the little green god aside we have to take our hats off to number 95 on our lists of the 100 greatest sports stars ever – possibly the greatest sportswoman that Australia has ever produced. Yet why, we wonder, have so few people ever heard of the incomparable Heather McKay?
It could be the fact that her sport was squash (she is not retired): for whatever reasons the sport has not joined the likes of golf and tennis in the megabucks or for that matter mega interest stakes. It could be, also (and we say this shamefully) that in an oft overlooked sport the female players are generally ignored even more than the male. Whatever the case, it remains that Heather McKay has one of the most outstanding sports records that you will ever hear about.
Domination isn’t quite the word for what she represented in the squash world. She was the ultimate squash player of the 60s and 70s and won 16 British Open titles in a row between 62 and 77. She also won the World Open title when it began in 1979. During this period she was never defeated. Not once. Never. Hats off to Heather! How many other sports stars have that sort of record? Yes, we couldn’t either.
What was more she also played racquetball and field hockey at top levels. Born in 1941 McKay was defeated only twice in her career (once in 60 and again in 62). When she retired in 1981 she had not been beaten since that day in 1962. Her first British Open came at the age of 21 and then there was almost a generation of comfortable wins. In 1968 she won the final against Bev Johnson (also an Australian) without conceding a single point.
Retiring at the age of 40 from top-level squash she has remained active in the Masters Level events, winning two over-45 and two over-50 World Championships. To cap it all she was a member of the Australian Women’s Hockey Team and won the American (Amateur) Racquetball Championship in 1979. Moreover she won the professional version of that title three times (80, 81 and 84) as well as winning the Canadian Racquetball Championship five times.
Some amazing facts about an amazing sportswoman. Although little known outside of her arena, are you surprised any longer to find here on this top 100 sports stars list?
The lady whose graceful postered form plastered the bedroom walls of many a teenage boy back in the 1970s, Chris Evert is a former World Number 1 tennis player. From the US, she won an incredible eighteen Grand Slam singles championships. She holds a number of records, too - six wins at the US Open and a Magnificent Seven at the French Open. She was the world number one in at least five years (75 -- 77, 80-81) and according to some people she should have that title for 74 and 78 in to the bargain. As such, she makes number 97 on our list of the 100 Greatest Sports Stars - Ever!
Young Christine Marie (later to be called Chris) was born on December 21 1954 and comes from notable tennis lineage. Her father was Jimmy Evert who by the time Chris was born was a professional tennis coach but who had won the Men's Singles at the Canadian Championships in 1947.
It was inevitable that Chris would chose tennis, then - drag racing was hardly going to be an option in the Evert family home!
In 1971 she made her Grand Slam tournament debut at the ripe old age of 16 - after she had won the national sixteen-and-under tournament.
It was a walk in the park at first - straight sets over Edda Buding. However, she then had a much harder task against the more experienced Mary Ann Eisel and Leslie Hunt. However, she lost out to the then indestructible Billie Jean King. This meant an end to a fantastic 46 match winning streak but she was playing with the big girls now.
1974 was a good year when she won her first Grand Slam singles title (beating her previous winning streak with a remarkable 56 matches unbeaten. As much focus was placed at the time on her relationship with fellow tennis professional Jimmy Connor as her victory - although this particular love match would prove to be a short live one.
She played with him in the mixed doubles finals that year but as her career progresssed Evert spent more time concentrating on her singles career.
Chris Evert wins the 1980 US Claycourt Championships.
Evert dominated the women's game for the next five years, defeating the likes of Evonne Goolagong enough times to secure her place in the annals of tennis as the best female player of that era. She was a very cool player - receiving an ice maiden reputation, but then someone came along who would challenge her composure.
Although good friends off the court it was Martina Navratilova who would prove to be Evert's on court nemesis. Their rivalry on the tennis court would become the stuff of sporting legend and while Evert bested Navratilova (seen together left) during their early encounters, Navratilova would ultimately prove the superior player in the 1980s.
Evert was a great player on all surfaces but it was on clay where she was most at home. From August 1973 she won an unbeaten 125 consecutive matches on clay - and only lost seven sets. This remains to this day a record. Incidentally, this streak was broken by Tracey Austin at the Italian Open in 79. She then went on to win a further 72 matches on clay before Hana Mandlikova beat her in the 81 French Open.
In one of their all-time greatest barn-burners, Chris & Martina went to 7-6 in the 3rd set in the '87 Houston final.
Chris Evert retired from professional tennis in 1989. After all, 157 singles titles was not a bad amount on which to leave - neither were her eight doubles titles.
Even her semi-finals history is staggering - out of the 303 tournaments she entered she got through to the semis in no less than 273 of them.
All in all, Evert won at a minimum of one Grand Slam singles title each year for thirteen consecutive years.
What is Chris Evert doing now? She is currently operating a tennis academy (which bears her name) in the town of Boca Raton in Florida. She also contributes to Tennis magazine.
A tennis legend, she will continue to be one of the role models that young players look up to for many decades to come.
Australia, it cannot be doubted, has produced many world class sports stars, per capita possibly more than any other country in the world. That and the little green god aside we have to take our hats off to number 95 on our lists of the 100 greatest sports stars ever – possibly the greatest sportswoman that Australia has ever produced. Yet why, we wonder, have so few people ever heard of the incomparable Heather McKay?
