Pam Shriver Bio: Tennis, Hall of Fame & Net Worth

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Pam Shriver is an American former professional tennis player who works as a tennis broadcaster and pundit. She has a record of winning 133 titles, broken down into 21 women’s singles titles, 111 women’s doubles titles, and one mixed doubles title.

Shriver revealed that she had been in a multi-year inappropriate relationship with her coach, Australian Don Candy, from her teenage years in 2022.

She shared the story because of her concern that there are ongoing issues with young tennis players being placed in vulnerable situations.

She has been actively participating in many non-profit organizations. Likewise, since January 2023, she has been associated with First Break Academy, a non-profit organization that supports educational community programs for children, where one can learn about multi-sports and life skills. 

Pam Shriver
Pam Shriver (Source: Instagram)

Pam Shriver, a tennis veteran and a mother of three, had her glory days on the tennis court. However, she is enjoying her life as a busy mother these days.

The former professional tennis player is widely recognized as a double specialist. She had successful games as a single-player as well.

Pamela Shriver still has direct ties with tennis but as a media person this time. She works as a tennis broadcaster for ESPN.

Similarly, she is hired for the BBC tennis coverage as an expert.

Shriver was a big name in the tennis universe during the 1980s and 1990s.

Today, we’ll discuss the personal and professional life of the incredible Pam Shriver, including everything from her marriages and early life to her career and net worth.

Let’s begin with her quick facts.

Quick Facts

Full Name Pamela Howard Shriver
Known As Pam Shriver
Nickname Pam
Birth Date July 4, 1962
Birth Place Baltimore, Maryland, United States
Residence Los Angeles
Religion Christian
Nationality American
Ethnicity White
Education McDonogh School, Owings, Maryland
Horoscope Cancer
Father’s Name Sam Shriver
Mother’s Name Margot Shriver
Siblings 2 (Eleanor Shriver And Marion Shriver)
Age 61 Years Old
Height 6 ft  0.44 in / 184 cm / 1.84 m
Weight 72 kg / 158 lb
Eye Color Brown
Hair Color Dark Brown
Body Type Athletic
Profession Former Tennis Player
Marital Status Married
Spouse Joseph Shapiro (Deceased)
George Lazenby (m. 2002-div. 2008)
Children 3
Name Of Children George Lazenby Jr.
Twins (Kate Lazenby And Sam Lazenby)
Beginning Of Professional Career 1979
Retirement 1997
Playing Style Right-Handed (One-Handed Backhand)
Sports Team The United States Fed Cup team
United States Wightman Cup team
Coach Don Candy
Honors Sarah Palfrey Danzig Award In 1986
International Tennis Hall Of Fame In 2002
Victory 133 Titles (21 Women’s Singles, 11 Women’s Doubles, And One Mixed Doubles Title)
Net Worth $10 Million
Social Media Facebook, Instagram, Twitter
Merch Autographed photo
Last Update March 2024

Early Life And Family

Pamela Howard Shriver was born in Baltimore, Maryland, on July 4, 1962, to proud parents Sam Shriver and Margot Shriver.

Pamela is the middle child; she has two sisters, Eleanor Shriver, and Marion Shriver. She grew up with her elder sister Marion, who died of cancer in 1997.

She is a fourth cousin of Maria Shriver, the former First Lady of California and niece of President John F. Kennedy.

pam-shriver-with-family
Pam Shriver With Mother, Margot, And Sister, Eleanor (Source: Instagram)

Shriver studied at McDonogh School, Owings, Maryland, and graduated in 1979.

She watched her parents and grandparents play and enjoy tennis as a little girl. Shriver first held a tennis racquet at the age of 3.

Along with tennis, Pam was also associated with the girls’ varsity basketball team at McDonogh School.

Career As A Tennis Player

Beginning And Singles

Pam Shriver earned a place in the women’s singles finals of the 1978 U.S. Open at 16.

She secured that position by defeating the reigning Wimbledon champion Martina Navratilova in the semifinals. However, Pam lost to Chris Evert in the finals.

Shriver was billed “the legend of Lutherville” in the tournament.

The first triumph in the singles paved Pam Shriver’s path to achieving more success in the singles. She won her first career singles title in 1978 in Columbus, Ohio.

Pam Shriver With Her Children
Pam Shriver With Her Children (Source: Instagram)

Also, she won 21 singles titles in her career span of 19 years between 1978 and 1997.

Pam Shriver faced the Grand Slam Singles final only once in her career, i.e., in the 1978 U.S. Open final.

She got defeated in the next eight Grand Slam singles semifinals. She faced Martina Navratilova in four of those semifinals, Steffi Graf in two, and Chris Evert and Hana Mandlikova in one each.

Pam Shriver made history by becoming the youngest U.S. Open finalist – Nine months younger than Maureen Conwho previously reached the final in 1951.

Doubles

Pam Shriver And Martina Navratilova

Pam Shriver gained a lot of success in doubles tournaments. She partnered with her opponent Martina Navratilova.

The duo succeeded in winning 79 women’s doubles titles. Further, Pam Shriver won 112 career doubles titles in her life.

Moreover, she is one of the six female players in the open era to have achieved more than 100 career titles.

Martina Navratilova and Pam Shriver together were astounding on the tennis court. They are still termed as one of the most successful women’s doubles teams in tennis history. 

The duo secured seven Australian Open, five Wimbledon, five U.S. Open, and four French Open titles.

Moreover, Martina and Pam captured all four major women’s doubles titles, i.e., the “Calendar Grand Slam” in 1984.

The girls’ victory became the 109-match winning streak between 1983 and 1985.

The duo was named the WTA Tour’s “Doubles Team of the Year” eight consecutive times from 1981 through 1988.

They won the WTA Tour Championships title ten times between 1981 and 1992.

Pam Shriver and Martina Navratilova also stood up as the first female doubles partners to win the Grand Slam.

The duo’s 109-match winning streak became the longest doubles winning streak in the Open Era. The record is still maintained.

Other Partnerships Of Pam Shriver

Then, Pam Shriver won another women’s doubles Grand Slam title at the U.S. Open in 1991, where she was partnered with Natasha Zvereva.

Pam won the 1987 French Open mixed doubles partnering with Emilio Sanchez.

Further, she achieved gold medals in all three tournaments (singles, women’s doubles, and mixed doubles) at the 1991 Pan American Games in Havana, Cuba.

Pam Shriver then got listed in the world’s No. 1 doubles ranking in 1985. Later, she had to lose this title to her long-time playing partner, Martina Navratilova.

Federation Career

Shriver won 5 out of 5 singles matches, and 14 of 15 doubles matches in the Federation Cup, representing the United States. Further, she played in 17 Federation Cup ties from 1986 to 1992.

Pam Shriver reached the finals thrice with her compatriots.

Pam Shriver Tennis
Pam Shriver Tennis (Source: New York Post)

She won twice in the finals: first in the tournament where the United States defeated Czechoslovakia (3-0) in 1986, and then in the match where the U.S. defeated Spain (3-0) in 1989.

The final that she lost was when the United States lost to Germany (1-2) in 1987.

2010 James Blake And Pam Shriver 

James Blake has always been a cool player and a graceful winner. However, he lost everything back when he was in Wimbledon, England.

Back then, Pam commented, “You might not be match-tough. You might miss a lot of shots but mentally, you’re not burned out.”

Well, with just it, Blake yelled at Pam and lost his cool. While yelling, he stated, “Amazing you used to play tennis. I can still hear you.” 

In the end, Pam stated that she regretted commenting on him.

Pam Shriver’s Letter To USTA Regarding Naomi Osaka

It’s been the talk of the town as Osaka withdrew from the French Open. The USTA officials fined her $15,000 and threatened for “code of conduct” as she denied a post-game interview. 

“Part of the statement was appropriate but I thought bringing in fines and code of conduct and the possibility of default was wrong. Until you know all the facts about someone’s health, I didn’t like it.

I was thinking Osaka played well with everything going on. I thought maybe she realized she could find a way to go back holding press conferences and return to the more normal major routine to de-escalate the situation.” -Pam Shriver

Playing Style And Equipment

Pamela Shriver’s variety distinguished her from the rest. She often demonstrated her sharp volleys and all-around solid technique at the net.

She had a strong slice forehand and underspin approach. It made her unique from the rest of the women in tennis.

However, Pam Shriver had a comparatively weak chip backhand. She was profoundly known for being a serve-and-volleyer.

Pam Shriver was the first professional player to play with an oversized racquet manufactured by Prince. Pamela’s scores gave a lot of exposure to Prince’s oversize racquet.

Consequently, the Prince oversize became the player’s favorite. It became a game-changer for recreational players, who enjoyed its larger head size. Henceforth, it was used in public courts across the states.

Honors And Recognitions

Shriver was among the world’s top 10 women’s singles in the 1980s. She gained a seat at the world’s no. 3.

Further, Pam Shriver was recruited as the WTA Tour Players Association president from 1991 to 1994.

She then worked as the president of the USA Tennis Foundation. Further, she was elected to the board of directors of the United States Tennis Association.

Pamela Shriver was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2002.

Furthermore, she was honored with the Ambassador Award of Excellence by the L.A. Sports & Entertainment Commission in 2002.

Career As A Broadcaster

Pam Shriver has worked as a television commentator for ABC, CBS, ESPN, and The Tennis Channel in the U.S.; similarly, she has provided commentary to the BBC in the United Kingdom and the Seven Network in Australia.

She has been giving coverage of various events on television since her retirement in 1996.

Former Husbands And Children

Pam Shriver first got married to Joseph Shapiro, a former attorney at the Walt Disney Company. Joseph Shapiro died on September 23, 1999, at 52, because of a cancer known as non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

Pam and Joe were married for nine months when Joe died; the cancer was in abatement when they started dating.

Pam Shriver married an actor, George Lazenby, in 2002. George Lazenby is 22 years older than Pam Shriver.

Their marriage had a tragic end. Pam blamed Lazenby for assault and drinking habit. Likewise, George Lazenby blamed Pam for several other things.

They got divorced in August 2008 after six years of marriage.

However, the couple has three children together. The elder one, George Junior Lazenby, was born on July 12, 2004. Pam then gave birth to twins Kate and Sam Lazenby on October 1, 2005.

The family used to live together in Brentwood, California. Their divorce was finalized in May 2011.

Net worth

Pam Shriver’s net worth is estimated to be around $10 million.

Further, she received prize money worth $5,460,566 in her tennis career. She lives a decent life with her three kids.

She acts as an ambassador for Up2Us Sports,  a national non-profit organization that supports underserved youth by providing them with coaches trained in positive youth development.

Shriver supports the new Women’s Sports Policy Working Group in 2021. It was formed in response to President Joe Biden’s executive order that obligates inclusiveness for transgender female athletes.

Similarly, her former husband, George Lazenby’s net worth is around $20 million.

Social Media Presence

Pam Shriver is updated on all social media platforms, frequently posting about her vacations, family, and other venture.

 

 
 
 
 
 
View this post on Instagram
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

A post shared by Pam Shriver (@phshriver)

Facebook (@Pam Shriver): 1.4k followers

Instagram (@phshriver): 2377 followers

Twitter (@PHShriver): 52k followers

Popularity Graph

Pam Shriver is an American tennis broadcaster, pundit, and former professional tennis player.

Pam Shriver Popularity Graph
Pam Shriver Popularity Graph (Source: Google)

The above graph shows Shriver’s popularity over the past twelve months.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQS)

Is Pam Shriver related to John F. Kennedy?

Pam Shriver is the niece of President John F. Kennedy of the United States. Further, she is Maria Shriver's fourth cousin, the former first lady of California.

Is Pam Shriver still married?

Pam Shriver is happily single now. She got divorced from George Lazenby in 2008. She lives with her three children these days. Before George, she married Joe Shapiro for a year from 1998 to 1999.  

What is Pam Shriver's tennis record?

Pam Shriver has 22 Grand Slam Tournament titles; among them, he has 21 in doubles and a single in mixed double. 

Sanjib Sah
Sanjib Sah
Sanjib Sah is an engineer and content writer passionate about sports and athletics. With a background in engineering and a love for all things active, Sanjib brings a unique perspective to the world of sports writing. Whether he is covering the latest trends in sports technology or sharing tips on improving your game, Sanjib's words are always rooted in a deep appreciation for players' hard work and dedication everywhere. In his free time, you can find him hitting the courts or hitting the trails, always looking for new ways to challenge himself and improve his skills.

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