 Julie
M. Heldman
Described as both vivacious and pugnacious,
Julie Heldman (b.1945) dueled her way to 22 professional titles
and helped pioneer the women's pro circuit. The daughter of junior
champion Julius Heldman and World Tennis publisher Gladys Heldman, she grew up with tennis and won her first
national title - theh Canadian 18 and under singles - at age
12. While a student at Stanford in 1964 she reached the national
collegiate singles and doubles finals.
Heldman enjoyed particular success
in international team competition. She played on two championship
Fed Cup teams and captured Most Valuable Player honors in Wightman
and Bonne Bell Cup play, the latter secured with a 6-1, 6-3 victory
over Evonne Goolagong in 1974. Equally talented outside of tennis,
Heldman worked as a television commentator and journalist, and
was named Law Graduate of the Year at UCLA in 1981. Julie and
her husband are now running their own successful business.
Career Highlights
Ranked in the USTA Top 10 1963-1965,
1968-1969 (No.2), 1971-1975; ranked in the World Top 10 1969-1970,
1973-1974
Canadian National 18 & Under
Singles Champion 1958 (age 12)
U.S. Champion Girls' 15 Singles
1960; Girls' 18 Singles 1963
U.S. Collegiate Singles, Doubles
Finalist 1964
Italian Singles Champion 1969;
Finalist 1970
Canadian Singles Champion 1965;
Doubles Champion 1974
U.S. Clay Court Doubles Champion
1974
Virginia Slims Professional Tour
1971-1975 (one of original 9 players)
U.S. Wightman Cup Team Member
1969-1971, 1974; Most Valuable Player 1969; Team Captain 1974-1975
U.S. Federation Cup Team Member
1966, 1969 (championship teams), 1970, 1974-1975, Team Captain
1975
U.S. Bonne Bell Cup Team Member
1973-1974; Most Valuable Player, Team Captain 1974
3 Olympic Medals - Gold, Silver
and Bronze in Mexico City 1968 (demonstration sport)
3 Gold Medals, Maccabiah Games,
Israel 1969
Television commentator with CBS,
NBC, HBO at U.S. OPEN, Wimbledon 1973-1978
B.A.'66 Stanford University;
J.D.'81 UCLA Law School; Law Review editor; Law School
Graduate of the Year; UCLA Graduate Woman of the Year
Winner of USTA Service Bowl 1975
Inducted into the Stanford University
Athletic Hall of Fame 1978
Inducted into the Jewish Sports
Hall of Fame 1989
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