50 years on, Evonne Goolagong Cawley celebrates a famed grand slam memory

In a healthier world, Australian great Evonne Goolagong Cawley would have been feted ahead of the French Open final for her maiden major triumph in Paris 50 years ago.

Evonne Goolagong-Cawley celebrating her 1971 French Open success with runner-up Helen Gourlay and French Tennis Federation president Marcel Bernard. Picture: United Press International

Shortly after arriving in Paris for the first time late in the spring of 1971, Evonne Goolagong fell for the City of Love. And it was not long before that love was requited as she distinguished herself at Roland Garros.

Sydney, where the teenager had moved a few years earlier to hone her remarkable talent, has its natural charms but the elegance of the French capital wowed the Australian.

“I was a real tourist and, at the same time, I just loved it. I loved Paris,” she said.

“I loved walking around and looking at all the shops on the Champs-Elysees and I thought it was one of the most beautiful places that I had been.

“That was the one thing that was the most exciting about my travelling around the world, was seeing all these new places.”

In a healthier world, Goolagong Cawley would have been celebrated at Roland Garros this weekend in honour of the 50th anniversary of her stunning French Open triumph.

One of the blessings of the majors is the respect the tournaments grant to former legends and, in recent years, several Australians from the “Golden Era” have been called on to present winning trophies.

It is certain the 69-year-old, who was awarded The Philippe Chatrier Award for her contributions in 2018, would have been warmly received for the final between Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Barbora Krejcikova.

The two combatants are bidding to emulate the feat of the legendary Australian managed 50 years ago in their first grand slam final on Saturday night.

Already a player of immense talent, her performance in Paris confirmed the girl from Barellan as a champion.

It proved the breakthrough major title for a woman who subsequently enjoyed a staggering decade of success.

The red clay in Europe has tripped up many faster court players but it does suit the most creative of performers, the thinkers who revel in tennis’s version of chess.

Ash Barty, who followed the footsteps of her idol a couple of years ago, is one such player.

Rafael Nadal may bludgeon the ball but watch the methodology with which he plays and it is clear the Spaniard sticks to patterns designed to punish and exhaust his opponents.

Although foreign to red clay, Goolagong Cawley grew up on the shifting ant bed (sandy loam) courts that used to dot regional towns across Australia and knew how to slide into shots.

She soon realised this background worked firmly to her advantage as those courts were far quicker compared to the red dirt of Roland Garros. The Australian had a most valuable commodity on a tennis court. Time.

With the brain and brilliance to exploit this, she demolished a quality field with phenomenal dominance.

While Margaret Court was beaten in the third round, the emerging Australian did not drop a set for the tournament and lost just 26 games in total to win her first major title.

“I grew up on ant bed courts, so at least you were able to slide, but they were a little bit faster,” she told The Weekend Australian.

“In England, when I played some of the English tournaments, there were sort of en tout cas courts, so you were able to slide.

“But I just loved the surface in Paris. It was slower. I thought when I was sliding, ‘Oh. I’ve got so much more time’. During those days … the ball used to get heavier and heavier and heavier.

“It could make it even slower, but I really enjoyed that because I enjoyed using different strokes and drop shots and it enabled me to hit a variety of shots which, to me, was very exciting. I felt very much at home from the first day, really.”

The final against compatriot Helen Gourlay was her toughest match of the tournament, with Goolagong Cawley prevailing 6-3 7-5.

“Helen was always a tough player. She was a serve-and-volley player. She moved well. She had drop shots. She had the whole works,” she said.

“But as I said, I just felt so excited about being there and I enjoyed the fact that she was able to push me a little bit more.

“Her coach was Vic Edwards also, so she knew my game, so she gave me a bit of a tough time, but that was my first grand slam. Obviously it was a real thrill for me and I felt fantastic.”

Goolagong Cawley, who this week said she hid under beds to avoid being removed from her family as a young girl during the Stolen Generation, played in 17 grand slam finals through the 1970s and won seven major titles.

Between the Australian Opens between January 1971 and December 1977, she reached the decider in all bar four events, with two of the earlier exits coming in semi-finals.

Perhaps the only sadness from a legacy perspective is that she only played the French Open three more times. It is almost certain she would have added to her major haul given her skill on clay.

Goolagong Cawley and Jimmy Connors were among the players banned from playing Roland Garros in 1974 after signing on to play World Team Tennis in America, which prompted them to take legal action against the French federation.

She boycotted the event after that, only returning for her farewell appearance in a grand slam in 1983.