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Margaret Smith Court (nee Margaret Jean Smith)
(born July 16 1942) is a retired Australian
professional tennis player, who was one of the
most successful players in the history of the
sport. She was born in Albury, Australia|Albury,
New South Wales in Australia.

Margaret Smith began playing tennis at the age of
eight and was seventeen when she won her first of
seven straight Australian Open singles titles. In
1963, her strong serve and forehand allowed her to
become the first Australian woman to win the
Wimbledon championships|Wimbledon Championship and
to win the Grand Slam in tennis|Grand Slam in
mixed doubles with partner Ken Fletcher.

Margaret Smith dominated world tennis in the first
half of the 1960s until 1966 when she retired,
married Barry Court, and started a family. She
returned to tennis in 1969, winning three of the
Grand Slam in tennis|Grand Slam singles events
that year. In 1970, she won all four of the Grand
Slam in tennis|Grand Slam tournaments, defeating
Kerry Melville in the Australian Open final, Helga
Niessen in the French Open, Billie Jean King at
the Wimbledon championships and Rosemary
Casals|Rosie Casals at the US Open. Her Grand Slam
achievement was a feat accomplished previously by
only one woman, Maureen Connolly, who did it in
1953 and since only by Steffi Graf in 1988.

On May 13 1973, Margaret Court lost a nationally
televised tennis match to Bobby Riggs in straight
sets, 6–2, 6–1, despite being the
top-ranked women's player at the time. Billie Jean
King beat Riggs to even the score four months
later.

She retired permanently in 1977 when she learned
she was expecting the third of her four children.
During her illustrious career, Ms Court won a
record 62 Grand Slam titles 
(24 sigles, 19 doubles, 19 mixed) and was ranked
No.1 in the world seven times: 1962, 1963, 1964,
1965, 1969, 1970, and in 1973. Included in her
victories she was the singles champion of the four
major tournaments:
#Australian Open: 1960–1966|66,
1969–1971|71, 1973 (11 times)
#French Open: 1962, 1964, 1969, 1970, 1973 (5
times)
#Wimbledon championships: 1963, 1965, 1970 (3
times)
#US Open (tennis)|US Open: 1962, 1965, 1969, 1970,
1973 (5 times)

Court is one of only three players to have a
"boxed set" of Grand Slam titles – ie.,
every possible title (singles, same-sex doubles,
and mixed doubles) from each Grand Slam event. The
others are Doris Hart and Martina Navratilova.

In 1979 Ms Court was inducted into the
International Tennis Hall of Fame and in January
of 2003, Show Court One at Melbourne Park was
renamed Margaret Court Arena. Also in 2003, the
Government of Australia honoured her and fellow
Australian tennis superstar Rod Laver by putting
their images on List of people on stamps of
Australia|postage stamps.

Ms Court now lives in Perth, Western
Australia|Perth, Western Australia, and runs a
Christian ministry. Her husband Barry's father
Charles Court|Sir Charles Court and brother
Richard Court, were both Liberal Party of
Australia|Liberal Premier of Western
Australia|premiers of Western Australia.

==Grand Slam singles titles (24)== 

{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2"
|- bgcolor="#cccccc"
! Year !! Event !! Opponent in Final !! Score in
Final
|-
| 1960 || Australian Open || Jan Lehane ||
7–5, 6–2
|-
| 1961 || Australian Open || Jan Lehane ||
6–1, 6–4 
|-
| 1962 || Australian Open || Jan Lehane ||
6–0, 6–2 
|-
| 1962 || French Open || Lesley Turner
Bowrie|Lesley Turner || 6–3, 3–6,
7–5 
|-
| 1962 || U.S. Open || Darlene Hard || 9–7,
6–4 
|-
| 1963 || Australian Open || Jan Lehane ||
6–2, 6–2       
|-
| 1963 || Wimbledon || Billie Jean King ||
6–3, 6–4 
|-
| 1964 || Australian Open || Lesley Turner ||
6–3, 6–2 
|-
| 1964 || French Open || Maria Bueno || 5–7,
6–1, 6–2
|-
| 1965 || Australian Open || Maria Bueno ||
5–7, 6–4, 5–2 (retired)
|-
| 1965 || Wimbledon || Maria Bueno || 6–4,
7–5 
|-
| 1965 || U.S. Open || Billie Jean King ||
8–6, 7–5 
|-
| 1966 || Australian Open || Nancy Richey ||
walkover 
|-
| 1969 || Australian Open || Billie Jean King ||
6–4, 6–1 
|-
| 1969 || French Open || Ann Haydon-Jones ||
6–1, 4–6, 6–3 
|-
| 1969 || U.S. Open || Nancy Richey || 6–2,
6–2 
|-
| 1970 || Australian Open || Kerry Reid ||
6–1, 6–3 
|-
| 1970 || French Open || Helga Niessen ||
6–2, 6–4 
|-
| 1970 || Wimbledon || Billie Jean King ||
14–12, 11–9
|-
| 1970 || U.S. Open || Rosie Casals || 6–2,
2–6, 6–1
|-
| 1971 || Australian Open || Evonne Goolagong ||
2–6, 7–6, 7–5 
|-
| 1973 || Australian Open || Evonne Goolagong ||
6–4, 7–5 
|-
| 1973 || French Open || Chris Evert || 6–7,
7–6, 6–4 
|-
| 1973 || U.S. Open || Evonne Goolagong ||
7–6, 5–7, 6–2 
|}

==External links==
*wta|id=30160|name=Margaret Court