Winifred Mason Shaw (later Mrs. Wooldridge) (18 January 1947 – 30 March 1992) was a professional tennis player from Scotland whose career ran from the mid-1960s until the early 70s. In 2002, she was posthumously inducted into the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame. She was active from 1963 to 1978 and contested 56 career singles finals winning 28 titles.
| Full name | Winifred Mason Shaw |
|---|---|
| Country (sports) |  United Kingdom |
| Born | 18 January 1947 Glasgow, Scotland |
| Died | 30 March 1992 (aged 45) Woking, England |
| Turned pro | 1963 (ILTF tour) |
| Retired | 1978 |
| Plays | Right-handed |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 445–219 (67.0%) |
| Career titles | 28 |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Australian Open | SF (1970, 1971) |
| French Open | 3R (1971) |
| Wimbledon | QF (1970, 1971) |
| US Open | 3R (1969) |
| Doubles | |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| Australian Open | SF (1970, 1971) |
| French Open | F (1972) |
| Wimbledon | SF (1972) |
| US Open | SF (1966, 1967) |
| Grand Slam mixed doubles results | |
| French Open | F (1971) |
| Wimbledon | 4R (1969, 1971, 1973, 1974) |
| US Open | QF (1967) |
| Team competitions | |
| Wightman Cup | W (1968) |
Personal life edit
Winnie Shaw was born in Glasgow on 18 January 1947, the second and youngest child of Winifred Mason, also a tennis player who was Scottish national champion in 1930 and 1933, and journalist Angus Shaw.[1][2]
Career edit
Shaw was a three-time winner of the Scottish Grass Court Championships in 1965, 1966 and 1970, three-time runner-up in the Scottish Hard Court Championships and twice runner-up in the British Hard Court Championships. In Grand Slam events, her best progress was reaching the Australian Open semifinals in 1970 and 1971, and the Wimbledon quarterfinals in the same seasons.
In doubles events, Shaw reached the finals of both the mixed doubles (1971) and the ladies doubles (1972) at the French Open. She also made it to the ladies doubles semifinals at the US Open and Australian Open on two occasions each, and to the semifinal at Wimbledon in 1972, playing with another player from Scotland, Joyce Williams.[3][4]
She represented Great Britain in the Wightman Cup and the Federation Cup teams between 1966 and 1972.
Golf edit
After her marriage in 1972 she became a keen golfer. She played for Scotland in the 1982 Women's Home Internationals.[5] Shaw reached the semi-finals of the Scottish Women's Amateur Championship in 1980 and 1982.[6][7][8][9] In 1981, partnered by Belle Robertson, she won the Avia Foursomes with a score of 309, a stroke ahead of the runners-up.[10]
Retirement edit
She married English tennis player Keith Wooldridge in October 1972 and retired as a tennis player after the 1978 edition of Wimbledon.[11] She died on 30 March 1992 from a brain tumour.[9]
Grand Slam finals edit
Doubles (1 runner-up) edit
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 1972 | French Open | Clay | Nell Truman |
 Billie Jean King  Betty Stöve |
1–6, 2–6 |
Mixed doubles (1 runner-up) edit
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 1971 | French Open | Clay |  Toomas Leius |
 Françoise Dürr Jean-Claude Barclay |
2–6, 4–6 |
References edit
- ^ Bill Edwards (16 February 1994). "Obituary: Winnie Shaw". The Independent.
- ^ John Barrett, ed. (1973). World of Tennis '73 : a BP and Commercial Union yearbook. London: Queen Anne Press. p. 269. ISBN 9780671216238.
- ^ "Players archive – Winnie Wooldridge (Shaw)". Wimbledon. AELTC.
- ^ "Winnie Shaw reaches Wimbledon semis 1972". BBC.
- ^ "Miss Wright is foiled at last hole". The Glasgow Herald. 25 September 1982. p. 16.
- ^ "Belle and Fiona are Scottish finalists". The Glasgow Herald. 24 May 1980. p. 14.
- ^ Jacobs, Raymond (22 May 1982). "Mrs Robertson done wrong by another Wright". The Glasgow Herald. p. 17.
- ^ Russell Leadbetter (30 June 2018). "Winnie Shaw, Scottish tennis great". The Herald.
- ^ a b John Barrett, ed. (1993). The International Tennis Federation : World of Tennis 1993. London: Collins Willow. p. 359. ISBN 9780002185080.
- ^ "Scots pair win nerve war". The Glasgow Herald. 20 March 1981. p. 23.
- ^ Rob Robertson (25 June 2001). "Coach links three Wimbledon Scots Keith Wooldridge, who married Winnie Shaw, has played a part in the development of two of her successors". The Herald. Glasgow.
