Meredith McGrath


Meredith McGrath 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 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. 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)

OutcomeNo.DateTournamentSurfaceOpponentScore
Winner1.February 20, 1994Oklahoma City, United StatesHard Brenda Schultz7–6, 7–6
Winner2.June 18, 1994Eastbourne, EnglandGrass Linda Harvey-Wild6–2, 6–4
Winner3.June 16, 1996Birmingham, EnglandGrass Nathalie Tauziat2–6, 6–4, 6–4

Doubles: 38 (25–13)

OutcomeNo.DateTournamentSurfacePartnerOpponentsScore
Runner-up1.June 18, 1989Birmingham, EnglandGrass Pam Shriver Larisa Savchenko
Natalia Zvereva
5–7, 7–5, 0–6
Winner2.November 12, 1989Nashville, United StatesHard Manon Bollegraf Natalia Medvedeva
Leila Meskhi
1–6, 7–6, 7–6
Winner3.February 11, 1990Wichita, United StatesHard Manon Bollegraf Mary-Lou Daniels
Wendy Prausa
6–0, 6–2
Winner4.August 12, 1990Albuquerque, United StatesHard Anne Smith Mareen Louie-Harper
Wendy Prausa
7–6, 6–4
Runner-up5.September 16, 1990Orlando, United StatesCarpet Manon Bollegraf Larisa Savchenko
Natalia Zvereva
4–6, 1–6
Winner6.November 4, 1990Oakland, United StatesCarpet Anne Smith Rosalyn Fairbank-Nideffer
Robin White
2–6, 6–0, 6–4
Winner7.November 11, 1990Oakland, United StatesHard Patty Fendick Katrina Adams
Jill Hetherington
6–1, 6–1
Winner8.February 24, 1991Oklahoma City, United StatesHard Anne Smith Katrina Adams
Jill Hetherington
6–1, 6–1
Runner-up9.March 10, 1991Boca Raton, United StatesHard Samantha Smith Larisa Savchenko-Neiland
Natalia Zvereva
4–6, 6–7
Runner-up10.April 18, 1993Pattaya, ThailandHard Patty Fendick Cammy Macgregor
Catherine Suire
3–6, 6–7
Winner11.April 25, 1993Kuala Lumpur, MaylasiaHard Patty Fendick Nicole Arendt
Kristine Radford
6–4, 7–6
Winner12.October 17, 1993Montpellier, FranceCarpet Claudia Porwik Janette Husárová
Dominique Monami
3–6, 6–2, 7–6
Winner13.November 7, 1993Oakland, United StatesCarpet Patty Fendick Amanda Coetzer
Inés Gorrochategui
6–2, 6–0
Winner14.January 16, 1994Sydney, AustraliaHard Patty Fendick Jana Novotná
Arantxa Sánchez Vicario
6–2, 6–3
Runner-up15.January 30, 1994Australian Open, MelbourneHard Patty Fendick Gigi Fernández
Natalia Zvereva
3–6, 6–4, 4–6
Winner16.February 20, 1994Oklahoma City, United StatesHard Patty Fendick Katrina Adams
Manon Bollegraf
7–6, 6–2
Runner-up17.March 20, 1994Key Biscayne, United StatesHard Patty Fendick Gigi Fernández
Natalia Zvereva
3–6, 1–6
Winner18.April 17, 1994Pattaya, ThailandHard Patty Fendick Yayuk Basuki
Nana Miyagi
7–6, 3–6, 6–3
Winner19.April 24, 1994SingaporeHard Patty Fendick Nicole Arendt
Kristine Radford
6–4, 6–1
Winner20.August 21, 1994Rogers Cup, CanadaHard Arantxa Sánchez Vicario Pam Shriver
Liz Smylie
2–6, 6–2, 6–4
Winner21.August 28, 1994Schenectady, United StatesHard Larisa Savchenko Pam Shriver
Liz Smylie
6–2, 6–2
Winner22.October 2, 1994Leipzig, GermanyCarpet Patty Fendick Manon Bollegraf
Larisa Savchenko
6–4, 6–4
Runner-up23.October 9, 1994Zurich, SwitzerlandCarpet Patty Fendick Manon Bollegraf
Martina Navratilova
6–7, 1–6
Winner24.February 9, 1995Paris, FranceHard Larisa Savchenko Manon Bollegraf
Rennae Stubbs
6–4, 6–1
Winner25.February 26, 1995Generali Ladies Linz, AustriaCarpet Nathalie Tauziat Iva Majoli
Petra Schwarz
6–1, 6–2
Winner26.May 27, 1995Edinburgh, ScotlandClay Larisa Savchenko Manon Bollegraf
Rennae Stubbs
6–2, 7–6
Winner27.September 23, 1995Moscow, RussiaCarpet Larisa Savchenko Anna Kournikova
Aleksandra Olsza
6–1, 6–1
Winner28.October 1, 1995Leipzig, GermanyCarpet Larisa Savchenko Brenda Schultz-McCarthy
Caroline Vis
6–4, 6–4
Runner-up29.October 15, 1995Filderstadt, GermanyHard Larisa Savchenko Gigi Fernández
Natalia Zvereva
7–5, 1–6, 4–6
Winner30.October 22, 1995Brighton, EnglandCarpet Larisa Savchenko Lori McNeil
Helena Suková
7–5, 6–1
Runner-up31.November 12, 1995Philadelphia, United StatesCarpet Larisa Savchenko Lori McNeil
Helena Suková
6–4, 3–6, 4–6
Winner32.February 25, 1996Essen, GermanyCarpet Larisa Savchenko Lori McNeil
Helena Suková
6–4, 3–6, 4–6
Winner33.March 3, 1996Generali Ladies Linz, AustriaCarpet Manon Bollegraf Rennae Stubbs
Helena Suková
6–4, 6–4
Runner-up34.March 30, 1996Key Biscayne, United StatesHard Larisa Savchenko Jana Novotná
Arantxa Sánchez Vicario
4–6, 4–6
Runner-up35.April 14, 1996Amelia Island, United StatesClay Larisa Savchenko Chanda Rubin
Arantxa Sánchez Vicario
4–6, 4–6
Winner36.May 19, 1996Berlin, GermanyClay Larisa Savchenko Martina Hingis
Helena Suková
6–1, 5–7, 7–6
Runner-up37.July 7, 1996Wimbledon, EnglandGrass Larisa Savchenko Martina Hingis
Helena Suková
7–5, 5–7, 1–6
Runner-up38.January 17, 1998Sydney, AustraliaHard Katrina Adams Martina Hingis
Helena Suková
1–6, 2–6

Mixed doubles: 2 (1–1)

ITF Finals

Singles Finals (1-3)

Doubles Finals (2-3)

Grand Slam doubles performance timeline

Tournament19881989199019911992199319941995199619971998SRW–L
Australian OpenAAAAAAF3RSFA1R0 / 411–4
French OpenAAAQFA1R3R3RSFAA0 / 511–5
WimbledonA1R2RAA2R3RSFFAA0 / 613–6
US Open1R2R1RAA3RQF3RAAA0 / 68–6
Win–Loss0–11–21–23–10–03–312–410–413–30–00–10 / 2143–21