Quick Facts
TaurusBiography
Meredith McGrath (born April 28, 1971) is a former professional tennis player.
She was born in Midland, Michigan, and made her debut on the WTA Tour in 1988. In her eight-year professional career, Meredith achieved career-high world rankings of No. 18 in singles and No. 5 in doubles. She notched victories over such players as Martina Navratilova, Martina Hingis, Anna Kournikova, Jana Novotna, Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, and Gigi Fernandez, and Mary Jo Fernandez. The pinnacle of her career came in reaching the singles semifinals and doubles finals at the 1996 Wimbledon Championships. In the singles, she defeated Mana Endo, Amanda Coetzer, Nancy Feber, Katarína Studeníková and Mary Joe Fernandez before losing to Arantxa Sánchez Vicario. An injury two weeks prior to the 1996 Wimbledon Championships eventually ended her career.Meredith won the 1995 US Open Mixed Doubles Championship (she was runner-up in 1989) and was the runner-up in the 1994 Australian Open Doubles Championship. Meredith won three WTA singles titles, Oklahoma City and Eastbourne in 1994 and Birmingham in 1996, and 25 doubles titles. Meredith was recognized by Tennis Magazine as the WTA Comeback Player of the Year as she overcame near career-ending injuries to having her most successful competitive season in 1996. In 1994, she was awarded the WTA Tour Comeback Player of the Year.
Meredith played her collegiate tennis at Stanford University where she, during her only collegiate season, earned All-American honors in both singles and doubles after having achieved year-end rankings of No. 2 in singles and No. 1 in doubles (undefeated). Meredith had maintained No. 1 rankings in both singles and doubles during her freshman year until a loss at the NCAA Championships. Meredith turned professional after her freshman year, but returned to Stanford to earn her degree in 2000 after injuries forced her early retirement. In 1990, Meredith was awarded the Block S Award for the Most Outstanding Freshman Athlete at Stanford and with her doubles partner, Teri Whitlinger, was named the Volvo Tennis/Tennis Magazine Doubles Team of the Year.
Meredith is also a 2012 inductee into the prestigious Stanford Hall of Fame. She is also a member of the USTA Midwest Hall of Fame and the USTA NorCal Hall of Fame.
As the No. 1 ranked junior player in the world, McGrath won a total of 19 national and international junior titles. She captured the US Open Junior Doubles title and Wimbledon Junior Doubles title with Jennifer Capriati in 1989, and won the US Open Junior Doubles title with Kimberly Po in 1987 and 1988. Meredith was the runner-up in the 1988 Wimbledon Junior singles championship. A three-time national All-American in high school, Meredith won three Michigan High School Division A State Championships. She also received six USTA National Championship Sportsmanship Awards.
WTA career finals
Singles: 3 (3–0)
| Legend | |
| Grand Slam | 0 |
| Tier I | 0 |
| Tier II | 1 |
| Tier III | 2 |
| Tier IV & V | 0 |
| Outcome | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | 1. | February 20, 1994 | Oklahoma City, United States | Hard | Brenda Schultz | 7–6, 7–6 |
| Winner | 2. | June 18, 1994 | Eastbourne, England | Grass | Linda Harvey-Wild | 6–2, 6–4 |
| Winner | 3. | June 16, 1996 | Birmingham, England | Grass | Nathalie Tauziat | 2–6, 6–4, 6–4 |
Doubles: 38 (25–13)
| Titles by surface | |
| Legend | |
| Grand Slam | 0 |
| Tier I | 2 |
| Tier II | 11 |
| Tier III | 6 |
| Tier IV & V | 6 |
| Titles by surface | |
| Hard | 13 |
| Clay | 2 |
| Grass | 0 |
| Carpet | 10 |
| Grand Slam | 0 |
| Tier I | 2 |
| Tier II | 11 |
| Tier III | 6 |
| Tier IV & V | 6 |
| Hard | 13 |
| Clay | 2 |
| Grass | 0 |
| Carpet | 10 |
| Outcome | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runner-up | 1. | June 18, 1989 | Birmingham, England | Grass | Pam Shriver | Larisa Savchenko Natalia Zvereva | 5–7, 7–5, 0–6 |
| Winner | 2. | November 12, 1989 | Nashville, United States | Hard | Manon Bollegraf | Natalia Medvedeva Leila Meskhi | 1–6, 7–6, 7–6 |
| Winner | 3. | February 11, 1990 | Wichita, United States | Hard (i) | Manon Bollegraf | Mary-Lou Daniels Wendy Prausa | 6–0, 6–2 |
| Winner | 4. | August 12, 1990 | Albuquerque, United States | Hard | Anne Smith | Mareen Louie-Harper Wendy Prausa | 7–6, 6–4 |
| Runner-up | 5. | September 16, 1990 | Orlando, United States | Carpet (i) | Manon Bollegraf | Larisa Savchenko Natalia Zvereva | 4–6, 1–6 |
| Winner | 6. | November 4, 1990 | Oakland, United States | Carpet (i) | Anne Smith | Rosalyn Fairbank-Nideffer Robin White | 2–6, 6–0, 6–4 |
| Winner | 7. | November 11, 1990 | Oakland, United States | Hard | Patty Fendick | Katrina Adams Jill Hetherington | 6–1, 6–1 |
| Winner | 8. | February 24, 1991 | Oklahoma City, United States | Hard (i) | Anne Smith | Katrina Adams Jill Hetherington | 6–1, 6–1 |
| Runner-up | 9. | March 10, 1991 | Boca Raton, United States | Hard | Samantha Smith | Larisa Savchenko-Neiland Natalia Zvereva | 4–6, 6–7 |
| Runner-up | 10. | April 18, 1993 | Pattaya, Thailand | Hard | Patty Fendick | Cammy Macgregor Catherine Suire | 3–6, 6–7 |
| Winner | 11. | April 25, 1993 | Kuala Lumpur, Maylasia | Hard | Patty Fendick | Nicole Arendt Kristine Radford | 6–4, 7–6 |
| Winner | 12. | October 17, 1993 | Montpellier, France | Carpet (i) | Claudia Porwik | Janette Husárová Dominique Monami | 3–6, 6–2, 7–6 |
| Winner | 13. | November 7, 1993 | Oakland, United States | Carpet (i) | Patty Fendick | Amanda Coetzer Inés Gorrochategui | 6–2, 6–0 |
| Winner | 14. | January 16, 1994 | Sydney, Australia | Hard | Patty Fendick | Jana Novotná Arantxa Sánchez Vicario | 6–2, 6–3 |
| Runner-up | 15. | January 30, 1994 | Australian Open, Melbourne | Hard | Patty Fendick | Gigi Fernández Natalia Zvereva | 3–6, 6–4, 4–6 |
| Winner | 16. | February 20, 1994 | Oklahoma City, United States | Hard (i) | Patty Fendick | Katrina Adams Manon Bollegraf | 7–6, 6–2 |
| Runner-up | 17. | March 20, 1994 | Key Biscayne, United States | Hard | Patty Fendick | Gigi Fernández Natalia Zvereva | 3–6, 1–6 |
| Winner | 18. | April 17, 1994 | Pattaya, Thailand | Hard | Patty Fendick | Yayuk Basuki Nana Miyagi | 7–6, 3–6, 6–3 |
| Winner | 19. | April 24, 1994 | Singapore | Hard | Patty Fendick | Nicole Arendt Kristine Radford | 6–4, 6–1 |
| Winner | 20. | August 21, 1994 | Rogers Cup, Canada | Hard | Arantxa Sánchez Vicario | Pam Shriver Liz Smylie | 2–6, 6–2, 6–4 |
| Winner | 21. | August 28, 1994 | Schenectady, United States | Hard | Larisa Savchenko | Pam Shriver Liz Smylie | 6–2, 6–2 |
| Winner | 22. | October 2, 1994 | Leipzig, Germany | Carpet (i) | Patty Fendick | Manon Bollegraf Larisa Savchenko | 6–4, 6–4 |
| Runner-up | 23. | October 9, 1994 | Zurich, Switzerland | Carpet (i) | Patty Fendick | Manon Bollegraf Martina Navratilova | 6–7, 1–6 |
| Winner | 24. | February 9, 1995 | Paris, France | Hard (i) | Larisa Savchenko | Manon Bollegraf Rennae Stubbs | 6–4, 6–1 |
| Winner | 25. | February 26, 1995 | Generali Ladies Linz, Austria | Carpet (i) | Nathalie Tauziat | Iva Majoli Petra Schwarz | 6–1, 6–2 |
| Winner | 26. | May 27, 1995 | Edinburgh, Scotland | Clay | Larisa Savchenko | Manon Bollegraf Rennae Stubbs | 6–2, 7–6 |
| Winner | 27. | September 23, 1995 | Moscow, Russia | Carpet (i) | Larisa Savchenko | Anna Kournikova Aleksandra Olsza | 6–1, 6–1 |
| Winner | 28. | October 1, 1995 | Leipzig, Germany | Carpet (i) | Larisa Savchenko | Brenda Schultz-McCarthy Caroline Vis | 6–4, 6–4 |
| Runner-up | 29. | October 15, 1995 | Filderstadt, Germany | Hard (i) | Larisa Savchenko | Gigi Fernández Natalia Zvereva | 7–5, 1–6, 4–6 |
| Winner | 30. | October 22, 1995 | Brighton, England | Carpet (i) | Larisa Savchenko | Lori McNeil Helena Suková | 7–5, 6–1 |
| Runner-up | 31. | November 12, 1995 | Philadelphia, United States | Carpet (i) | Larisa Savchenko | Lori McNeil Helena Suková | 6–4, 3–6, 4–6 |
| Winner | 32. | February 25, 1996 | Essen, Germany | Carpet (i) | Larisa Savchenko | Lori McNeil Helena Suková | 6–4, 3–6, 4–6 |
| Winner | 33. | March 3, 1996 | Generali Ladies Linz, Austria | Carpet (i) | Manon Bollegraf | Rennae Stubbs Helena Suková | 6–4, 6–4 |
| Runner-up | 34. | March 30, 1996 | Key Biscayne, United States | Hard | Larisa Savchenko | Jana Novotná Arantxa Sánchez Vicario | 4–6, 4–6 |
| Runner-up | 35. | April 14, 1996 | Amelia Island, United States | Clay | Larisa Savchenko | Chanda Rubin Arantxa Sánchez Vicario | 4–6, 4–6 |
| Winner | 36. | May 19, 1996 | Berlin, Germany | Clay | Larisa Savchenko | Martina Hingis Helena Suková | 6–1, 5–7, 7–6 |
| Runner-up | 37. | July 7, 1996 | Wimbledon, England | Grass | Larisa Savchenko | Martina Hingis Helena Suková | 7–5, 5–7, 1–6 |
| Runner-up | 38. | January 17, 1998 | Sydney, Australia | Hard | Katrina Adams | Martina Hingis Helena Suková | 1–6, 2–6 |
Mixed doubles: 2 (1–1)
| Outcome | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runner-up | 1. | September 10, 1989 | US Open | Hard | Rick Leach | Shelby Cannon Robin White | 6–3, 2–6, 5–7 |
| Winner | 2. | September 10, 1995 | US Open | Hard | Matt Lucena | Cyril Suk Gigi Fernández | 6–4, 6–4 |
ITF Finals
Singles Finals (1-3)
| $75,000 tournaments |
| $25,000 tournaments |
| $10,000 tournaments |
| Outcome | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent in the final | Score in the final |
| Winner | 1. | 18 July 1988 | Fayetteville, United States | Hard | Tammy Whittington | 6–0, 6–3 |
| Runner-up | 2. | 6 February 1989 | Midland, United States | Hard | Shaun Stafford | 3–6, 3–6 |
| Runner-up | 3. | 28 January 1991 | Midland, United States | Hard | Helen Kelesi | 2–6, 2–6 |
| Runner-up | 4. | 6 February 1994 | Midland, United States | Hard | Brenda Schultz-McCarthy | 2–6, 0–1 Ret. |
Doubles Finals (2-3)
| Outcome | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runner-up | 1. | 6 February 1989 | Midland, United States | Hard | Shaun Stafford | Kim Il-soon Lee Jeong-myung | 6–2, 2–6, 4–6 |
| Runner-up | 2. | 28 January 1991 | Midland, United States | Hard | Anne Smith | Katrina Adams Helen Kelesi | 5–7, 5–7 |
| Winner | 3. | 27 January 1992 | Midland, United States | Hard | Manon Bollegraf | Helen Kelesi Caroline Vis | 6–3, 6–1 |
| Winner | 4. | 1 February 1993 | Midland, United States | Hard | Patty Fendick | Jean Ceniza Caroline Delisle | 7–6, 6–2 |
| Runner-up | 5. | 27 October 1997 | Austin, United States | Hard | Debbie Graham | Park Sung-hee Miho Saeki | 4–6, 7–5, 2–6 |
Grand Slam doubles performance timeline
| W | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | A | NH |
| Tournament | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | SR | W–L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Open | F | 3R | SF | 1R | 0 / 4 | 11–4 | |||||||
| French Open | QF | 1R | 3R | 3R | SF | 0 / 5 | 11–5 | ||||||
| Wimbledon | 1R | 2R | 2R | 3R | SF | F | 0 / 6 | 13–6 | |||||
| US Open | 1R | 2R | 1R | 3R | QF | 3R | 0 / 6 | 8–6 | |||||
| Win–Loss | 0–1 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 3–1 | 0–0 | 3–3 | 12–4 | 10–4 | 13–3 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 0 / 21 | 43–21 |