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(Sarah) Virginia Wade (born 1945) is a British tennis champion, latterly a television commentator.
Wade was born in Bournemouth, England, but brought up in South Africa. During her early
career, she was generally regarded as the most talented female player the UK had produced for decades. In 1968, she fulfilled her early promise
by winning the US Open. However, her inconsistency, especially
after losing to Ann Jones at Wimbledon championships in 1969, resulted in her remaining
only number two in the British rankings.
Her career was considered virtually at an end by 1977 when, against the odds and urged
on by the partisan crowd, she put it all together in a masterful performance and won through to the Ladies Singles Final at
Wimbledon, where she defeated Betty
Stöve. As this was the
Queen's Silver Jubilee year, it was regarded as a famous victory. Wade rounded off her playing career by captaining the
British Wightman Cup team.
In 1989 Virginia Wade was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in
Newport, Rhode Island.
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