Gladys Heldman

Gladys Medalie Heldman (May 13, 1922 – June 22, 2003) was an American tennis player, manager and magazine publisher. She was the founder of World Tennis magazine. As a manager, she supported and represented

Peaches Bartkowicz, Kristy Pigeon, Nancy Richey, and Valerie Ziegenfuss. They were called the Houston Nine and formed the Virginia Slims Tour in the early 1970s (the precursor of today's WTA Tour). She is a member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame and the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame

.

Background

Heldman, the daughter of

Wimbledon in 1954 and also competed in the U.S. Championships at Forest Hills

.

She was a graduate of Stanford University and a Phi Beta Kappa. Her two daughters went to Stanford as well. Gladys Heldman died at her home in Santa Fe, New Mexico on June 22, 2003 from a self-inflicted gunshot wound after she had been suffering from a terminal heart condition at age 81.^[1]^[2]

World Tennis magazine

Gladys Heldman is best known for founding World Tennis magazine in 1953, and for promoting the women's game during the 1950s and 1960s. She worked with female tennis players to create a separate women's circuit in 1970. Female players received less prize money than their male counterparts, e.g. in 1968, the women's champion received £750, while the men's received £2000.

USLTA

, the Virginia Slims Circuit became so popular that it eventually merged with the USLTA.

Heldman sold her magazine to

CBS Publications

in 1972 and was out of tennis politics by the middle 1970s.

Heldman was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1979,^[5] Texas Tennis Hall of Fame in 1988, ITA Women's Hall of Fame in 1998,^[6] and International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 2000.^[7]

Portrayal in film

Sarah Silverman plays Heldman in the 2017 movie Battle of the Sexes.^[8]

References

^ "Gladys Heldman, 81; Recognized for Her Pivotal Role in Boosting Women's Tennis". Los Angeles Times. June 26, 2003.
^ "DRIVEN: A DAUGHTER'S ODYSSEY by Julie Heldman". DRIVEN: A DAUGHTER'S ODYSSEY by Julie Heldman.
^ Cochrane, Kira (23 June 2013). "Billie Jean King: 'It's not about the money. It's about the equality message'". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 November 2017.
^ Lincoln, Adam. "Gladys Heldman's trailblazing contribution to women's tennis is remembered in the film 'Battle of the Sexes', in which Sarah Silverman portrays her". WTA Tennis. Retrieved 22 November 2017.
^ "Gladys Heldman". International Tennis Hall of Fame.
^ "Gladys M. Heldman". ITA Women's Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2015-12-12.
^ "Gladys Heldman". www.jewishsports.net.
^ Hipes, Patrick (March 23, 2016). "Sarah Silverman A Match For 'Battle Of The Sexes'". Deadline. Retrieved March 25, 2016.

External links

Gladys Heldman at the International Tennis Hall of Fame

[1] "Gladys Heldman, 81; Recognized for Her Pivotal Role in Boosting Women's Tennis". Los Angeles Times. June 26, 2003.

[2] "DRIVEN: A DAUGHTER'S ODYSSEY by Julie Heldman". DRIVEN: A DAUGHTER'S ODYSSEY by Julie Heldman.

[3] Cochrane, Kira (23 June 2013). "Billie Jean King: 'It's not about the money. It's about the equality message'". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 November 2017.

[4] Lincoln, Adam. "Gladys Heldman's trailblazing contribution to women's tennis is remembered in the film 'Battle of the Sexes', in which Sarah Silverman portrays her". WTA Tennis. Retrieved 22 November 2017.

[5] "Gladys Heldman". International Tennis Hall of Fame.

[6] "Gladys M. Heldman". ITA Women's Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2015-12-12.

[7] "Gladys Heldman". www.jewishsports.net.

[SilvermanCast-8] Hipes, Patrick (March 23, 2016). "Sarah Silverman A Match For 'Battle Of The Sexes'". Deadline. Retrieved March 25, 2016.

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