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Pam Shriver Still Ahead Of Djokovic, Federer, Nadal
4 Comments · Posted by Scoop Malinowski in Articles
Most tennis observers don’t know that Pam Shriver has won 22 Grand Slam titles, 21 in doubles and one more in mixed doubles.
Shriver is actually ahead of Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in total Grand Slam triumphs.
Though all of her Grand Slam titles came in doubles events, Shriver came very close to winning a US Open singles title in 1978 at the age of sixteen, where she beat the reigning Wimbledon champ Martina Navratilova in the semifinal but lost to Chrissie Evert in the final.
Shriver would reach eight more Grand Slam singles semifinals but she lost each time.
Shriver made her mark in doubles and teamed with Navratilova to win 79 doubles titles together including 20 Grand Slams. But Shriver was not totally reliant on Martina to carry her to doubles glory as she did win the 1991 US Open with Natasha Zvereva. She also won a French Open mixed doubles title with Emiiio Sanchez in 1987.
Overall, Shriver won 112 doubles titles and an Olympic gold medal with Zina Garrison in 1988. She won 21 singles titles too.
In 1984 Shriver and Martina became the only doubles team to win the calendar year Grand Slam by sweeping all four major titles. In total, Pam won seven AOs, five Wimbledons, four French Opens and five US Opens.
Her overall doubles recored was 622-122, in singles she was 625-270.
Pam was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2002.
Djokovic, Federer and Nadal are still in hot competition to try to win major number 21 before each other, and then next to surpass the total number of Grand Slams of Pam Shriver at 22.
catherine · November 24, 2021 at 6:26 am
Scoop – Shriver and Navratilova broke up their doubles partnership at one point – I remember writing about it at the time but now can’t find the reference. According to Pam, Martina split without telling her so there was a bit of bad feeling, at least temporarily. I’ll see if I can track down the details. They were indeed supreme in ’84.
Scoop Malinowski · November 24, 2021 at 6:55 am
Yes Catherine, I believe that, Andrea Temesvari said she was asked by Martina to play together at FO in 1986 and they won the title beating Graf and Sabatini in the final. Temesvari discusses this in my Facing Steffi Graf book. It was the only GS won by Temesvari. Wonder why Martina decided to split with Pam, prize money split maybe?
catherine · November 24, 2021 at 1:39 pm
Scoop – Can’t find the quotes on the Shriver/Martina split, not in my book, maybe just put it in the magazine. Anyway, doesn’t detract from their overall achievements. Martina tended to take advice from all kinds of people and then come to decisions which sometimes seemed to make no sense at all.
Your mention of Steffi had me looking back at some stuff on her. She and Gabriela were the most popular team for a while until Peter Graf made Steffi move away from doubles. Herr Graf thought it was bad for singles competition but Gaby always knew Steffi was the better player.
I hate GOAT arguments but I noticed Patty Fendick, who you quoted in ‘Facing Steffi’, had made the same comment in the 80s: ‘ Some of the girls are literally afraid to play Steffi…they are physically afraid and afraid of being humiliated. She can make you look as if you’ve never played tennis before’.
She is the women’s GOAT for me.
Scoop Malinowski · November 24, 2021 at 1:44 pm
Thank you Catherine for plugging my book Facing Steffi/Facing Serena double book. ) Yes Steffi was a very scary player to play, she had no mercy on anyone and could, as Sam Stosur said, “clean people off the court.” Until you know who invited herself to the party…