Stats for 1980 Wimbledon final(Goolagong-Evert)

M

Moose Malloy

G.O.A.T.
Goolagoing d Evert 6-1, 7-6(7-4)

Goolagong served at 61%(43 of 70)
Evert served at 74%(52 of 70)

Goolagong won 24 of 43 points on 1st serve(56%)
She won 12 of 27 on 2nd(44%)

Evert won 22 of 52 points on 1st serve(42%)
She won 9 of 18 on 2nd(50%)

Goolagong had 20 winners: 6 fh, 6 fh, 5 bhv, 3 ov
Evert also had 20 winners: 8 fh, 6 bh, 4 fhv, 1 bhv, 1 ov

Goolagong had 1 ace, 1 df. Evert had no aces, 1 df.

Goolagong made 22 unforced errors, Evert 30(didn't break it down by stroke, but her fh seemed off this day, esp early in the match)

Goolagong was 7 of 10 on break points(Evert made 1st serves on 8 of them)
Evert was 4 of 14 on break points(Goolagong made 1st serves on 8 of them)

Goolagong drew 10 return errors(2 on 2nd serve), Evert 7(1 on 2nd serve)

Goolagong was 30/50 at net(60%)
Evert was 16/27(59%)

Evert was twice up a break in the 2nd(she served for it at 6-5)

There was a rain delay at 1-0 in the 2nd

Think Evert may have had a letdown after beating Martina in the semis(after losing the '78 & '79 finals to her)

From SI

Goolagong is almost 29 now, and this year especially has been made depressing by a succession of trying injuries and illnesses. Wimbledon was her first tournament victory of 1980. Before she came back to action in June, she literally had not hit a ball for seven weeks. Obviously, now, this can be diagnosed as a blessing in disguise. "I get stale if I play too much," she says. Sometimes too much has merely been a third set. "She's such a moody player," Evert Lloyd says. But now, for once, she was keen and hungry. Goolagong not only handed Evert Lloyd her first defeat in 26 matches since she returned from her exile, but in the semifinals she came from behind to edge Tracy Austin, who had won 35 of her last 36. In the third round Goolagong was down a set; in the fourth a set and a break. Few champions were ever so tested, and, of course, none was ever so lovely either. "I don't think Tracy can understand," said Austin's coach, Bob Lansdorp, after her defeat. "Evonne flows. It's misleading. She doesn't run like the rest of us. She flows."

The final on Friday began under lowering skies. In the competitors' stand, the two prince consorts, Roger Cawley and John Lloyd, shook hands and then watched the start of a rout. Chris was not to hold serve in the set. Evonne was picture perfect, gliding about, her gorgeous underslice backhand taking the corners, while her forehand, so often her b�te noire, held firm.

But: distant thunder, and then rain, after Goolagong had held in the opening game of the second set. Play stopped. When the two finalists returned, showered and changed, an hour later, Goolagong was still on her game and ran to 3-0, but here Evert Lloyd joined her on the high road, and they played out to a glorious standard the rest of the way, the crowd enthralled.

Evert Lloyd, at the net volleying, then back lobbing, broke for 6-5 and was serving for the set, but at 15-0 Goolagong turned things around, volleying her way into the tie-break, during which two points would tell the tale.

First, at three-all, on serve, the two fell into a baseline rally. Evert Lloyd was born and bred in this briar patch, but on the 30th shot Goolagong sliced a long, classic backhand into the corner, and, unaccountably, Evert Lloyd hit a forehand wide. It was not the dreamer whose mind had wandered.

Then, on Goolagong's second serve at 5-3, Evert Lloyd returned with a drop shot. Oh, what sweet courage that took! All day, too, all tournament, she had kissed these risky shots over the net, but this time the ball hit the tape, held, and teetered back. Goolagong had triple match point and, presently, her second Wimbledon, her first in nine years, her first as a grownup.

It was the first time in history that a singles championship at Wimbledon had been decided by tie-break. It was the first time in 66 years a mother had won. In another 10 minutes it was raining again, but Evonne was safe now, wet only with her tears and the moist black curls that pressed against her forehead and framed her face as laurel.
Click to expand...
 
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kiki

kiki

Banned
I remember that classic and classy final.Evonne was always on control of the match, which was not usual for her.She was a more natural and better grass courter than Evert ( only Martina could be ebtter than her in 1980) and I found it sweet for her to finally defeating Chris at Wimbledon final.
 
X

Xavier G

Hall of Fame
Evonne Goolagong was a great grass court player at her best and she was 'on' that day. She was determined to add to her solitary Wimbledon title and attacked aggressively and confidently against Chrissie from what I recall. In fact, their 76 final was a match Evonne could have won too. At her best, she was more natural than Chris on turf and beat Evert quite a few times on that surface. Chris had indeed pulled off the win against Martina in the semi final which was very satisfying.
Going back to Evonne, I always felt she should have won more Slam events and lost the US Open final a number of times in succession, though a couple of those were to Chris on clay. Evonne never did win the US crown in the end. Great player though and was nice to watch.
 
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NadalAgassi

Guest
Goolagong was clearly past her prime by then, so it was a major feat for her to win her first non Australian slam in many years, after falling short in the finals so many times in her prime years after her 71 triumphs. I think she knew she was well past her best and didnt really have much chance, so played without much pressure at those Championships, not succumbing to the usual nerves she fell prey to, and those she played like a young Mandlikova, Austin in the semis, and Evert in the final felt all the pressure to beat her.

I agree she was a better grass court player than Evert. It is surprising Evert ended up with more Wimbledons but Court and King cut into Evonne's prime years more than they did Evert's. Their career head to head on grass is 4-4, and 2-1 Evonne when both were closest to their primes at once from 74-76.
 
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M

Moose Malloy

G.O.A.T.
Seeds that year

1. Navratilova
2. Austin
3. Evert
4. Goolagong
5. King
6. Turnbull
7. Wade
8. Fromholtz
9. Mandlikova

semis
Evert d. Navratilova 46 64 62
Goolagong d. Austin 63 06 64

interesting 2nd set score vs Austin. I wonder how an Evert-Austin final would have gone? Evert was missing more in the baseline rallies during the final than she usually does.

impressive win for Goolagong, she beat the #9, 6, 2, & 3 seeds to win the tournament

Evert was twice up a break in the 2nd(she served for it at 6-5)
Click to expand...

In the 6-5 game, Evert missed only one 1st serve but was broken at 15(she made a fh unforced error on the last point of the game, the only ue she made in that game)

here is some of the Evert-Navratilova semi(doesn't seem to be any of the final on youtube)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYyt56aj16c
 
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NadalAgassi

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Austin owned Evert at that time, especialy mentally. Combine that with Evert not playing well in the final, and Austin probably wins, even on grass which she wasnt very good on. That was Tracy's only ever chance to win Wimbledon IMO, even had she not had all the health problems and gone on to the great career people imagined. I dont care how much she might have improved, she was never beating the Martina of 82-90 on grass, nor the Steffi Graf of 87-92. She just wasnt a natural grass courter at all. Evert in 1981 would have been too good for her as well.
 
B

BTURNER

Legend
its easy to underestimate Goolagong's ground game. It periodically gave Evert trouble even on clay where Evonne's underspin did not bite as much. Chris said once her usual uncanny anticipation was far less valuable when her opponent didn't even seem to know what shot she wanted to hit, until after she hit it LOL.!

If the australian kept her mind on her business, she could sustain long rallies and run down almost any ball. She was one of the sport's quickest movers.
 
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krosero

Legend
Moose Malloy said:
Evert won 22 of 52 points on 1st serve(42%)
She won 9 of 18 on 2nd(50%)
Click to expand...
This happened to Chris in '87 as well, when she lost to Martina (ie, higher success on second serve). But she played better in '87 and her numbers were healthier: 56% on first serve and 65% on second.
 
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kiki

kiki

Banned
NadalAgassi said:
Goolagong was clearly past her prime by then, so it was a major feat for her to win her first non Australian slam in many years, after falling short in the finals so many times in her prime years after her 71 triumphs. I think she knew she was well past her best and didnt really have much chance, so played without much pressure at those Championships, not succumbing to the usual nerves she fell prey to, and those she played like a young Mandlikova, Austin in the semis, and Evert in the final felt all the pressure to beat her.

I agree she was a better grass court player than Evert. It is surprising Evert ended up with more Wimbledons but Court and King cut into Evonne's prime years more than they did Evert's. Their career head to head on grass is 4-4, and 2-1 Evonne when both were closest to their primes at once from 74-76.
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The fact that she beat Mandlikova,Austin and Evert ( 3 out of the 4 best women players from 1980-1982) is the proof of Evonne´s astoundishing talent that flourished on grass ( I think she and Borg are the best movers I have seen on grass)
 
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suwanee4712

suwanee4712

Professional
In terms of great matchups and the quality of the field, in my opinion, the 1980 Wimbledon was the greatest women's grand slam event ever. The fact that Evonne won it under the circumstances that she did is a testament to her greatness, which is important because sometimes I feel that she was underated as a champion.

I'm not sure if Chris had a letdown or if she was relieved not to face Tracy so early in her "comeback " or if she underestimated Evonne. But this was one of those matches where Evonne took advantage of Chris ' slow start.
 
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kiki

kiki

Banned
suwanee4712 said:
In terms of great matchups and the quality of the field, in my opinion, the 1980 Wimbledon was the greatest women's grand slam event ever. The fact that Evonne won it under the circumstances that she did is a testament to her greatness, which is important because sometimes I feel that she was underated as a champion.

I'm not sure if Chris had a letdown or if she was relieved not to face Tracy so early in her "comeback " or if she underestimated Evonne. But this was one of those matches where Evonne took advantage of Chris ' slow start.
Click to expand...

Yes, it may have been.Late 70´s-early 80´s and middle to end 90´s are, undeniably, the most competitive fields ever.

Evert,Navy,Evonne,King,Mandlikova,Austin,Jaeger,Shriver,Hanika,Turnbull,Fromholtz,Bunge,Ruzici,Jausovec,Wade,Stevens,Marsikova,Barker,Jordan,Reid...
and then:
Hingis,Graf,Seles,Venus,Sanchez,Capriati,Martinez,Pierce,Novotna,Davenport,Sabatini,Fernandez,young Clijsters,Kournikova...
 
B

BTURNER

Legend
kiki said:
Yes, it may have been.Late 70´s-early 80´s and middle to end 90´s are, undeniably, the most competitive fields ever.

Evert,Navy,Evonne,King,Mandlikova,Austin,Jaeger,Shriver,Hanika,Turnbull,Fromholtz,Bunge,Ruzici,Jausovec,Wade,Stevens,Marsikova,Barker,Jordan,Reid...
and then:
Hingis,Graf,Seles,Venus,Sanchez,Capriati,Martinez,Pierce,Novotna,Davenport,Sabatini,Fernandez,young Clijsters,Kournikova...
Click to expand...

You missed four time major finalist Sukova
 
kiki

kiki

Banned
BTURNER said:
You missed four time major finalist Sukova
Click to expand...

and I also missed Casals and Stove,a s well as young Claudia Kohde ,too.If only Margaret Court was born 5 years later and was still playing the 1980 tour...and if only Serena Williams was born 5 years before and could have been a contender in 1997 or 1998...

in early 80´s, you could have also very good Fed Cup competition with great teams in Czechkoslovakia,US,Australia,Britain,Germany and solid teams in South Africa,Romania and maybe, Jugoslavia
 
D

DMan

Professional
NadalAgassi said:
Austin owned Evert at that time, especialy mentally. Combine that with Evert not playing well in the final, and Austin probably wins, even on grass which she wasnt very good on. That was Tracy's only ever chance to win Wimbledon IMO, even had she not had all the health problems and gone on to the great career people imagined. I dont care how much she might have improved, she was never beating the Martina of 82-90 on grass, nor the Steffi Graf of 87-92. She just wasnt a natural grass courter at all. Evert in 1981 would have been too good for her as well.
Click to expand...

Evonne on grass is a much different opponent for Chris than Tracy would have been. Evert was the much better grass player than Austin. So had they met, without a doubt, Evert is beating Tracy. When Evonne was on, she was so very difficult to beat on grass.
 
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kiki

kiki

Banned
Evonne had a natural grass court, she looked like she was born with a racket on her hand and stepping onto a grass court.She was talented enough to win a French Open, though.
 
B

BTURNER

Legend
DMan said:
Evonne on grass is a much different opponent for Chris than Tracy would have been. Evert was the much better grass player than Austin. So had they met, without a doubt, Evert is beating Tracy. When Evonne was on, she was so very difficult to beat on grass.
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You don't get to 15 finals in grass majors if you aren't a superb grass courter. In all the early US Opens (4, '71-'74), Australians (4, '74, 81, 82, 84, '85) and Wimbledons (18, '72-'89), she entered, She reached the semis in all but one. People who play great grass court tennis, some of the time, don't have that kind of record for consistent success. It took the best grasscourter in the world to take her down-or someone who, for one match, played as though they were! Austin's strokes on both wings were ill suited for the grass comparative to evert's, and she did not feel as comfortably moving on it. Austin was not going to beat her!
 
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NadalAgassi

Guest
Of course Chris was a better grass courter than Tracy but you have to remember at that point Chris was scared sh1tless of Tracy. She admitted so herself. Tracy had such a mental edge over Chris around then, and was dominating her so much around that time, she would have had a great chance of winning. Also the semifinal was actually much closer than the final vs the same opponent. remember Austin bagelled Evonne in the semis in a set despite losing.
 
G

Gizo

Hall of Fame
I agree that Austin would have been a major threat to Evert on any surface. Tennis is about match-ups, and Austin was a nasty match-up for Evert, plus she was clearly in her head for a while as well.

Speaking of Goolagong, she is most graceful female tennis player I have ever seen. A joy to watch, and many of her matches against Evert were intriguing.

Just a shame that she couldn't win that elusive US Open title.
 
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kiki

kiki

Banned
Gizo said:
I agree that Austin would have been a major threat to Evert on any surface. Tennis is about match-ups, and Austin was a nasty match-up for Evert, plus she was clearly in her head for a while as well.

Speaking of Goolagong, she is most graceful female tennis player I have ever seen. A joy to watch, and many of her matches against Evert were intriguing.

Just a shame that she couldn't win that elusive US Open title.
Click to expand...

Who beat Tracy Austin at the US open, just a couple of months later?.

Austin dominance lasted no more than 18 months, then it was all Ebert.
 
M

Moose Malloy

G.O.A.T.
a reminder about my stats on this match:

Evert: 20 winners, 30 unforced
Goolagong: 20 winners, 22 unforced

It was not a terribly high quality match & Evert came out very flat in the 1st set, the 6-1 was more about her poor play than Goolagong's good play imo. many routine fh's missed in neutral rallies(she made 14 ue's in that set)

If Evert came out that flat vs Austin, not sure any 'grass court' deficiencies that Austin had would have come into play(& let's be real, Evert didn't come to net much, except occasionally vs attacking players, so a hypothetical Austin final would have looked pretty much like one at the USO, one with very long rallies, & it would be determined by who would miss first)

and Austin's W record wasn't that bad(I plan on seeing that Goolagong semi eventually) she made a SF in '79 as well(beating King in QF) and made QF's in '82, when it was apparent that injuries were becoming a major factor in her career. Her beating Evert on grass doesn't sound so farfetched to me, Evert wasn't Martina or something.
 
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NadalAgassi

Guest
Beating Martina at Wimbledon 1980 also wasnt that big a win, especialy in hindsight. Martina was in gross shape at the time, and late 1980-early 1981 was some of her worst tennis ever, apart from perhaps 1976, definitely the worst since she first became a champion player. When one looks at Martina's results after that Wimbledon until the 81 U.S Open, it shouldnt be a surprising result at all. Even at that Wimbledon Martina had barely escaped a nearly 40 year old King the round before. Perhaps that was one of Chris's problems too, she exagerrated in her own mind how big beating Martina that year really was, not even recognizing what poor physical and mental shape Martina was in, and felt she was playing more spectacularly than she really was.
 
B

BTURNER

Legend
Moose Malloy said:
a reminder about my stats on this match:

Evert: 20 winners, 30 unforced
Goolagong: 20 winners, 22 unforced

It was not a terribly high quality match & Evert came out very flat in the 1st set, the 6-1 was more about her poor play than Goolagong's good play imo. many routine fh's missed in neutral rallies(she made 14 ue's in that set)

If Evert came out that flat vs Austin, not sure any 'grass court' deficiencies that Austin had would have come into play(& let's be real, Evert didn't come to net much, except occasionally vs attacking players, so a hypothetical Austin final would have looked pretty much like one at the USO, one with very long rallies, & it would be determined by who would miss first)

and Austin's W record wasn't that bad(I plan on seeing that Goolagong semi eventually) she made a SF in '79 as well(beating King in QF) and made QF's in '82, when it was apparent that injuries were becoming a major factor in her career. Her beating Evert on grass doesn't sound so farfetched to me, Evert wasn't Martina or something.
Click to expand...

yeah, Moose, take a look at that Goolagong/ Austin match. Chris did! She said she learned a thing or two on how to play Tracy differently, from watching how Evonne played her, which Chris said she took into that semi at the Open later that year for her big win.

Obviously, Evert could never play like Evonne, with that one handed slice and self-assurance at net. But she did try to break up the hypnotic exchanges with more risk-taking, spin, droppers and visits to the net than just trying to out steady Tracy. I suspect it was hard to give up on a tactic that had never really failed her before, and that she based her game on, to become the player that tried to break up the rhythm of backcourt rallies. She did not succeed often enough, or Tracy would not have won several of their matches afterword!
 
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Moose Malloy

G.O.A.T.
my stats on the semifinal, Goolagong d Austin 6-3, 0-6, 6-4

Austin won 89 pts, Goolagong 83

Austin served at 77%(55 of 71)
Goolagong served at 64%(65 of 101)

Austin won 32 of 55 points on 1st serve(58%)
She won 8 of 16 on 2nd(50%)

Goolagong won 36 of 65 points on 1st serve(55%)
She won 16 of 36 on 2nd(44%)

Austin had 29 winners: 11 fh, 9 bh, 4 fhv, 4 bhv, 1 ov
Goolagong had 20: 1 fh, 2 bh, 7 fhv, 7 bhv, 3 ov

Austin had no aces, 1 df. Goolagong the same.

Austin had 23 unforced errors: 16 fh, 6 bh, 1 fhv
Goolagong had 24: 9 fh, 4bh, 5fhv, 4 bhv, 2 ov

Austin was 6 of 17 on break points(Goolagong made 1st serves on 12 of them)
Goolagong was 5 of 8(Austin made 1st serves on 4 of them)

Austin was 25/36 at net(69%), none of them were S&V
Goolagong was 44/77 at net(57%), 21/41(51%) on S&V pts

Austin drew 6 return errors
Goolagong drew 18(2 were 2nd serves)

Based on these stats, its hard to see how Goolagong won. Austin made more winners, less unforced errors, won a higher % of 1st and 2nd serve pts. But Goolagong did get more return errors and came to the net a lot more, so she likely forced more errors.

Overall I'd say it was a better match than the final, but the quality only really picked up in the 3rd set imo. It seemed like Goolagong was uncertain how to play her service games until that set. She S&Ved sporadically in the first two sets, but was a lot more aggressive in the 3rd(39 net approaches, 24 of them S&V)

Goolagong lost 7 straight games and had faced a break point in the 2nd game of the final set to lose 8 straight.

There were 4 straight breaks in the first set.

Austin was on the end of a really bad call to put her down 4-2 in the first. Sort of surprised Goolagong didn't ask for the point to be replayed, considering her reputation(the call wasn't on her side of the court though)
 
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suwanee4712

suwanee4712

Professional
Thanks Moose! You come up with some of the most interesting stuff.

I love that Evonne won this Wimbledon title. I think people might not look as favorable upon her prowess as a grand slam champion without it. Instead, she won it and took a tough path to the title in doing so. I think the SF was better than the F as the scores probably indicate to most people. But I think this Wimbledon really underscored what an all time great that Evonne is.

In hindsight, it would have been interesting to see an Austin vs. Evert final at Wimbledon at this period in their careers. I think it might have been Tracy's last chance to beat Evert on grass though we didn't know this at the time. As focused as Chris was in 1981, I doubt anyone would've beaten her. And Tracy was unable to avoid the trap that BJK presented in 1982 while Chris was - even if narrowly.

I think the reason why Evonne won that semi with Tracy was because of her natural grass court ability and her ability to adjust her shots/positioning. Tracy probably had the advantage in every other category. It's likely that Chris would've enjoyed the same advantage vs. Tracy. But, you could never discount the mental side of the matchup between Chris and Tracy. Evert proved up to that task at the US Open, but I'm not sure that she would've been quite ready at this Wimbledon. Think it would've been a tough 3 set match.
 
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pc1

pc1

G.O.A.T.
@Moose Malloy

Moose, what match have you charted that you felt the winner played the strongest match overall? By that I mean with a large amount of winners and few unforced errors.

@krosero

Same question to you Krosero.

Reason I asked is there have been several matches that people have talked about as great overwhelming matches like McEnroe's win over Connors at the 1984 Wimbledon. The Connors win over Tanner in the 1975 Wimbledon semi and the Sampras match over Agassi in I think the 1999 Wimbledon final. Do these matches really deserve the hype if you examine the stats? Just curious and want to know your opinions.
 
K

krosero

Legend
pc1 said:
@Moose Malloy

Moose, what match have you charted that you felt the winner played the strongest match overall? By that I mean with a large amount of winners and few unforced errors.

@krosero

Same question to you Krosero.

Reason I asked is there have been several matches that people have talked about as great overwhelming matches like McEnroe's win over Connors at the 1984 Wimbledon. The Connors win over Tanner in the 1975 Wimbledon semi and the Sampras match over Agassi in I think the 1999 Wimbledon final. Do these matches really deserve the hype if you examine the stats? Just curious and want to know your opinions.
Click to expand...
I'm not sure I could pick a single one. Mac's win over Connors did have a lot of winners and very, very few UE's so it holds up by that measure. Connors over Tanner has always been known to contain a lot of winners but Moose found, as well, that Connors had very few UE's; so Connors was gunning for his shots as always, but he also had extraordinary control. I think both those matches hold up statistically, in terms of their reputation. Sampras/Agassi, I don't think we have an accurate UE count.
 
pc1

pc1

G.O.A.T.
krosero said:
I'm not sure I could pick a single one. Mac's win over Connors did have a lot of winners and very, very few UE's so it holds up by that measure. Connors over Tanner has always been known to contain a lot of winners but Moose found, as well, that Connors had very few UE's; so Connors was gunning for his shots as always, but he also had extraordinary control. I think both those matches hold up statistically, in terms of their reputation. Sampras/Agassi, I don't think we have an accurate UE count.
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McEnroe was known for going into the zone but I always thought Connors was very underrated here. We do have a number of matches in which many thought Connors played an exceptional level of tennis like the Tanner match in 1975 at Wimbledon. Fred Tupper of the New York Times asked if anyone ever hit the ball so hard and thought perhaps Ellsworth Vines is a possibility in 1931 and 1932 but that was it.
 
B

BTURNER

Legend
I am most surprised by Austin coming forward as often as described. She evidently felt either more comfortable on the grass than before or she was unhappy with the number of errors she was making off the ground. I note that she had 16 errors off her forehand ( vs 6 bh) and you described Evert's forehand as 'off; as well. That suggests that Goolagong sent more traffic that direction vs both, and her underspin was effective on the wet grass. Evonne really loved that slice off both sides as I recall.

The difference between Austin aggression margin and Evert's surprised me as well. Evert really not mentally sharp at all in that final. Must be her worst for a Wimbledon final.
 
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Moose Malloy

G.O.A.T.
krosero said:
Aggressive Margins for Goolagong's semi and final

Goolagong 15.0%
Evert 7.9%

Goolagong 19.8%
Austin 23.3%
Click to expand...

Thanks for this. I feel bad that Evert's AM's are so low in almost all the matches where I've tracked her ue's (admittedly not that many) including matches she won. It does seem like it would be hard for a women's baseline player from that era to generate high AM's consistently. impressive AM for Austin though.

BTURNER said:
I am most surprised by Austin coming forward as often as described
Click to expand...

It did seem like in a lot of net pts Austin was basically forced to come forward because Evonne either hit a drop shot or just hit really short. In terms of total % of points, Evert came to net on 19% of all points in the final, Austin 21% in the semifinal. Evonne 36% in the final, 45% in the semifinal.

pc1 said:
ike McEnroe's win over Connors at the 1984 Wimbledon. The Connors win over Tanner in the 1975 Wimbledon semi and the Sampras match over Agassi in I think the 1999 Wimbledon final. Do these matches really deserve the hype if you examine the stats? Just curious and want to know your opinions.
Click to expand...

Those are great matches, but I don't think its a coincidence they are all on grass. High winners/low errors are more common on that surface than any other, even today.
 
pc1

pc1

G.O.A.T.
Moose Malloy said:
Thanks for this. I feel bad that Evert's AM's are so low in almost all the matches where I've tracked her ue's (admittedly not that many) including matches she won. It does seem like it would be hard for a women's baseline player from that era to generate high AM's consistently. impressive AM for Austin though.



It did seem like in a lot of net pts Austin was basically forced to come forward because Evonne either hit a drop shot or just hit really short. In terms of total % of points, Evert came to net on 19% of all points in the final, Austin 21% in the semifinal. Evonne 36% in the final, 45% in the semifinal.



Those are great matches, but I don't think its a coincidence they are all on grass. High winners/low errors are more common on that surface than any other, even today.
Click to expand...

Makes sense Moose. It would be interesting to see the different ratios on different surfaces.
 
D

DMan

Professional
NadalAgassi said:
Austin owned Evert at that time, especialy mentally. Combine that with Evert not playing well in the final, and Austin probably wins, even on grass which she wasnt very good on.
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Umm, no she didn't. Case in point: Evert crushed Austin in the US Open semis that year. Also, Austin DIDN'T make the Wimbledon finals in 1980 (or any year for that matter). Chris did. Tracy Austin was NEVER going to, nor did she ever, beat Chris Evert on grass. EVER!
 
D

DMan

Professional
Moose Malloy said:
Goolagoing d Evert 6-1, 7-6(7-4)

Goolagong served at 61%(43 of 70)
Evert served at 74%(52 of 70)

Goolagong won 24 of 43 points on 1st serve(56%)
She won 12 of 27 on 2nd(44%)

Evert won 22 of 52 points on 1st serve(42%)
She won 9 of 18 on 2nd(50%)

Goolagong had 20 winners: 6 fh, 6 fh, 5 bhv, 3 ov
Evert also had 20 winners: 8 fh, 6 bh, 4 fhv, 1 bhv, 1 ov

Goolagong had 1 ace, 1 df. Evert had no aces, 1 df.

Goolagong made 22 unforced errors, Evert 30(didn't break it down by stroke, but her fh seemed off this day, esp early in the match)

Goolagong was 7 of 10 on break points(Evert made 1st serves on 8 of them)
Evert was 4 of 14 on break points(Goolagong made 1st serves on 8 of them)

Goolagong drew 10 return errors(2 on 2nd serve), Evert 7(1 on 2nd serve)

Goolagong was 30/50 at net(60%)
Evert was 16/27(59%)

Evert was twice up a break in the 2nd(she served for it at 6-5)

There was a rain delay at 1-0 in the 2nd

Think Evert may have had a letdown after beating Martina in the semis(after losing the '78 & '79 finals to her)

From SI
Click to expand...

Yes, Chris Evert most definitely had a letdown in the 1980 Wimbledon final. And very similar to her letdown in the 1977 Wimbledon semifinals vs Wade. In both cases, Chris won a big match in the previous round to her letdown against a very difficult, and feared grass court foe (King in the 1977 version and Navratilova in the 1908 version). And in both cases, I think Chris figured she would win the matches she lost, based on form, and her record against her opponent. While Evonne was a much tougher opponent for Chris, Evert had only lost to Evonne once in 4 years prior to their 1980 Wimbledon final, and had easily beaten Evonne in the SF the year before.

Nevertheless, Evonne completely outplayed Chris in the 1980 final, and Evert was curiously flat. Shockingly, Evert lost 9 of the first 10 games of the match. Yet actually had a chance to force a third set (and who knows what would have happened then!) But Evonne played better in the big points and deserved the win. Another Wimbledon defeat Chris regrets, but she just didn't bring her A game when she needed it.
 
M

Moose Malloy

G.O.A.T.
The draw in '80 was a bit strange. 32 players had bye's, but not all the seeds. Evert was seeded 3 and had a bye, but #1 Navratilova, #2 Austin, and #4 Cawley did not.
 
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G

Gizo

Hall of Fame
Goolagong was the first female tennis player that I really began to root for and enjoy watching, so I was absolutely thrilled that she won this match, and finally won a major outside Australia after 9 long years. It wouldn't have felt right if she had 'only' won 1 Wimbledon title.

The QF between Navratilova and King played over 2 days sounded exciting. King romping through the second set but lost the decider 10-8 after saving 8 match points. She served for match when up 6-5.

BTW a very belated thank you to Moose and Krosero for providing us with all of these stats threads over the years. I've enjoyed reading all of them.
 
PDJ

PDJ

G.O.A.T.
Moose Malloy said:
my stats on the semifinal, Goolagong d Austin 6-3, 0-6, 6-4

Austin won 89 pts, Goolagong 83

Austin served at 77%(55 of 71)
Goolagong served at 64%(65 of 101)

Austin won 32 of 55 points on 1st serve(58%)
She won 8 of 16 on 2nd(50%)

Goolagong won 36 of 65 points on 1st serve(55%)
She won 16 of 36 on 2nd(44%)

Austin had 29 winners: 11 fh, 9 bh, 4 fhv, 4 bhv, 1 ov
Goolagong had 20: 1 fh, 2 bh, 7 fhv, 7 bhv, 3 ov

Austin had no aces, 1 df. Goolagong the same.

Austin had 23 unforced errors: 16 fh, 6 bh, 1 fhv
Goolagong had 24: 9 fh, 4bh, 5fhv, 4 bhv, 2 ov

Austin was 6 of 17 on break points(Goolagong made 1st serves on 12 of them)
Goolagong was 5 of 8(Austin made 1st serves on 4 of them)

Austin was 25/36 at net(69%), none of them were S&V
Goolagong was 44/77 at net(57%), 21/41(51%) on S&V pts

Austin drew 6 return errors
Goolagong drew 18(2 were 2nd serves)

Based on these stats, its hard to see how Goolagong won. Austin made more winners, less unforced errors, won a higher % of 1st and 2nd serve pts. But Goolagong did get more return errors and came to the net a lot more, so she likely forced more errors.

Overall I'd say it was a better match than the final, but the quality only really picked up in the 3rd set imo. It seemed like Goolagong was uncertain how to play her service games until that set. She S&Ved sporadically in the first two sets, but was a lot more aggressive in the 3rd(39 net approaches, 24 of them S&V)

Goolagong lost 7 straight games and had faced a break point in the 2nd game of the final set to lose 8 straight.

There were 4 straight breaks in the first set.

Austin was on the end of a really bad call to put her down 4-2 in the first. Sort of surprised Goolagong didn't ask for the point to be replayed, considering her reputation(the call wasn't on her side of the court though)
Click to expand...
I imagine the stats favoured Austin because of that 6-0 middle set.

It's possibly listed - I'll check- but the stats might favour Navratilova when she lost the USO Final against Austin when she romped the first set but lost the second and third sets on tiebreaks.
 
M

Moose Malloy

G.O.A.T.
PDJ said:
I imagine the stats favoured Austin because of that 6-0 middle set.

It's possibly listed - I'll check- but the stats might favour Navratilova when she lost the USO Final against Austin when she romped the first set but lost the second and third sets on tiebreaks.
Click to expand...

Goolagong won 18 points in the 6-0 set, which isn't that bad(and was more points than Austin won in the 6-1 set she lost to Navratilova). But in both matches the loser did win more points, which I assume stats would favor the loser, but not in pretty much all stats(though like I said forced errors are often key stats that aren't usually mentioned)

here are the stats on the '81 USO final

Navratilova won a higher % of points on 1st serve, but Austin won a higher % of points on 2nd serve, so stats weren't entirely skewed to the loser in this one.
 
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Maxi Pazz

New User
NadalAgassi said:
Goolagong was clearly past her prime by then, so it was a major feat for her to win her first non Australian slam in many years, after falling short in the finals so many times in her prime years after her 71 triumphs. I think she knew she was well past her best and didnt really have much chance, so played without much pressure at those Championships, not succumbing to the usual nerves she fell prey to, and those she played like a young Mandlikova, Austin in the semis, and Evert in the final felt all the pressure to beat her.

I agree she was a better grass court player than Evert. It is surprising Evert ended up with more Wimbledons but Court and King cut into Evonne's prime years more than they did Evert's. Their career head to head on grass is 4-4, and 2-1 Evonne when both were closest to their primes at once from 74-76.
Click to expand...
Moose Malloy said:
Goolagong won 18 points in the 6-0 set, which isn't that bad(and was more points than Austin won in the 6-1 set she lost to Navratilova). But in both matches the loser did win more points, which I assume stats would favor the loser, but not in pretty much all stats(though like I said forced errors are often key stats that aren't usually mentioned)

here are the stats on the '81 USO final

Navratilova won a higher % of points on 1st serve, but Austin won a higher % of points on 2nd serve, so stats weren't entirely skewed to the loser in this one.
Click to expand...
I dont think she knew she was well past her best...Yes she lost three final after 71 , with 75 being a match she didnt turn up to, taking nothing away from BJK....and 76 could have gone either way (Evert was coached from the sidelines by both King and Casals who she admits were 'motioning' her to come to the net in those final stages...THee Evert WImbledons isnt such a great record V Goolagongs. Evert beat Morozova in 74 (not great player and not having to face either King or Goolagong) and the inconsistent Mandlikova in 81 (without having to face Austin or Navratilova)...so 76 is definately her greatest Wimbledon win out of ten finals. Evonne on the other hand beat two of the greatest of all time in both her Wimbledon victories in Court and Evert
 
M

Maxi Pazz

New User
BTURNER said:
I am most surprised by Austin coming forward as often as described. She evidently felt either more comfortable on the grass than before or she was unhappy with the number of errors she was making off the ground. I note that she had 16 errors off her forehand ( vs 6 bh) and you described Evert's forehand as 'off; as well. That suggests that Goolagong sent more traffic that direction vs both, and her underspin was effective on the wet grass. Evonne really loved that slice off both sides as I recall.

The difference between Austin aggression margin and Evert's surprised me as well. Evert really not mentally sharp at all in that final. Must be her worst for a Wimbledon final.
Click to expand...
but Chris Evert is supposed to be (by your standards) the greatest concentrator in the games history?...YOu dont turn up to a Wimbledon Final not mentally sharp, I think you got that one wrong again
 
M

Maxi Pazz

New User
DMan said:
Yes, Chris Evert most definitely had a letdown in the 1980 Wimbledon final. And very similar to her letdown in the 1977 Wimbledon semifinals vs Wade. In both cases, Chris won a big match in the previous round to her letdown against a very difficult, and feared grass court foe (King in the 1977 version and Navratilova in the 1908 version). And in both cases, I think Chris figured she would win the matches she lost, based on form, and her record against her opponent. While Evonne was a much tougher opponent for Chris, Evert had only lost to Evonne once in 4 years prior to their 1980 Wimbledon final, and had easily beaten Evonne in the SF the year before.

Nevertheless, Evonne completely outplayed Chris in the 1980 final, and Evert was curiously flat. Shockingly, Evert lost 9 of the first 10 games of the match. Yet actually had a chance to force a third set (and who knows what would have happened then!) But Evonne played better in the big points and deserved the win. Another Wimbledon defeat Chris regrets, but she just didn't bring her A game when she needed it.
Click to expand...
On the other hand Evonne Goolagong played magically in the first set and hit many passing shots, so Everts plan to attack (like she did in 76 finals being coached by King and Casals as she admits in her own Book) was a disaster in that 1st set. I notice nobody says Evonne could also make the excuse of having a 'letdown' after beating Austin in her own Semi Final? Its OK to just accept that Evonne outplayed Chris at her own game and thus reversed the result of 76 AND she did numerous times, about 13 wins which is pretty damned good for a rivalry that was basically Mood versus Method...They include Aust Open and Wimbledon finals. Goolagong was a lot tougher than given credit for and I really think the hole of Wimbledon 1980 was her coup de grace, it wasnt based on Chris Everts terms that afternoon, it was all about Goolagong
 
M

Maxi Pazz

New User
BTURNER said:
You don't get to 15 finals in grass majors if you aren't a superb grass courter. In all the early US Opens (4, '71-'74), Australians (4, '74, 81, 82, 84, '85) and Wimbledons (18, '72-'89), she entered, She reached the semis in all but one. People who play great grass court tennis, some of the time, don't have that kind of record for consistent success. It took the best grasscourter in the world to take her down-or someone who, for one match, played as though they were! Austin's strokes on both wings were ill suited for the grass comparative to evert's, and she did not feel as comfortably moving on it. Austin was not going to beat her!
Click to expand...
Doesnt Austin have a 9-8 Head to Head with Chris Evert? Just wandering?
 
M

Maxi Pazz

New User
Moose Malloy said:
Goolagoing d Evert 6-1, 7-6(7-4)

Goolagong served at 61%(43 of 70)
Evert served at 74%(52 of 70)

Goolagong won 24 of 43 points on 1st serve(56%)
She won 12 of 27 on 2nd(44%)

Evert won 22 of 52 points on 1st serve(42%)
She won 9 of 18 on 2nd(50%)

Goolagong had 20 winners: 6 fh, 6 fh, 5 bhv, 3 ov
Evert also had 20 winners: 8 fh, 6 bh, 4 fhv, 1 bhv, 1 ov

Goolagong had 1 ace, 1 df. Evert had no aces, 1 df.

Goolagong made 22 unforced errors, Evert 30(didn't break it down by stroke, but her fh seemed off this day, esp early in the match)

Goolagong was 7 of 10 on break points(Evert made 1st serves on 8 of them)
Evert was 4 of 14 on break points(Goolagong made 1st serves on 8 of them)

Goolagong drew 10 return errors(2 on 2nd serve), Evert 7(1 on 2nd serve)

Goolagong was 30/50 at net(60%)
Evert was 16/27(59%)

Evert was twice up a break in the 2nd(she served for it at 6-5)

There was a rain delay at 1-0 in the 2nd

Think Evert may have had a letdown after beating Martina in the semis(after losing the '78 & '79 finals to her)

From SI
Click to expand...
Beautiful unexpected win to Evonne all the way m8....Rain delays affect both players and it played more into Everts hands than Evonnes who if not for the delay could have won 1 and 2....The old argument that Chris had a letdown can also be attributed to Evonne who could have had just as much of a letdown by beating Tracy
 
M

Maxi Pazz

New User
BTURNER said:
I am most surprised by Austin coming forward as often as described. She evidently felt either more comfortable on the grass than before or she was unhappy with the number of errors she was making off the ground. I note that she had 16 errors off her forehand ( vs 6 bh) and you described Evert's forehand as 'off; as well. That suggests that Goolagong sent more traffic that direction vs both, and her underspin was effective on the wet grass. Evonne really loved that slice off both sides as I recall.

The difference between Austin aggression margin and Evert's surprised me as well. Evert really not mentally sharp at all in that final. Must be her worst for a Wimbledon final.
Click to expand...
well deserved win to Evonne all the way, outplayed Chris from the baseline
 
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