The Open Era
Australia · born Melbourne, 1937 · Wimbledon finalist 1968 · nine major doubles and mixed titles
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9-7, 7-5
The 1968 Wimbledon final against Billie Jean King
7
Major women's doubles titles on grass
18-4
Federation Cup record for Australia
$1
Her Original 9 contract, September 1970
Born Judy Tegart in Melbourne on 12 December 1937, she trained with Margaret Court as a young player and paid for her first overseas trip by selling shares from her job in accounting. In 1968, the first year of open tennis at Wimbledon, she reached the singles final, and she reached a career-high world ranking of seven that year. Her doubles record was stronger still: eight major women's doubles titles, with all four majors won at least once, and an Australian mixed title. She helped Australia win the Federation Cup in 1965 and 1970. She married David Dalton in November 1969, and in September 1970 signed a $1 contract as one of the Original 9 who started the women's professional tour. She played on until she was 40, and was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 2019.
| Major singles finals lost | 1: Wimbledon 1968 |
|---|---|
| Other grass singles titles | 3: Chichester (1971); NSW Championships (1967); Welsh Championships (1967) |
| Major doubles titles | 7 doubles (Wimbledon 1, Australian 4, US 2), 1 mixed (Australian 1) |
| Other grass doubles titles | 1: Chichester (1975) |
| Wimbledon singles | Finalist 1968 as seventh seed: beat second seed Margaret Court in the quarter-final and third seed Nancy Richey in the semi-final, then lost to Billie Jean King 9-7, 7-5. Semi-finalist 1971, beaten by Court in three sets |
| Major doubles on grass | Australian 1964 and 1967 with Lesley Turner; Australian 1969 and 1970, Wimbledon 1969 and US 1970 with Margaret Court; US 1971 with Rosie Casals |
| Wimbledon doubles | Champion 1969 with Margaret Court, beating Patti Hogan and Peggy Michel 9-7, 6-2. Finalist 1966 with Court and 1972 with Françoise Dürr |
| Mixed doubles | Australian champion 1966 with Tony Roche. Wimbledon finalist 1965 and 1969 with Roche; US finalist 1963, 1964, 1965 and 1970 |
| Other grass singles | Australian Championships semi-finalist 1968, beaten by Billie Jean King in three sets |
| Wimbledon | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1969 | Women's doubles | with Margaret Court |
| Australian Championships | ||
| 1964 | Women's doubles | with Lesley Turner Bowrey |
| 1966 | Mixed doubles | with Tony Roche |
| 1967 | Women's doubles | with Lesley Turner Bowrey |
| 1969 | Women's doubles Australian Open | with Margaret Court |
| 1970 | Women's doubles Australian Open | with Margaret Court |
| Welsh Championships | ||
| 1967 | Women's singles†| |
| 1972 | Women's doubles†| with Betty Stöve |
| Surrey Championships (Surbiton) | ||
| 1968 | Women's singles†| |
| 1971 | Women's singles†| |
| US Championships | ||
| 1970 | Women's doubles US Open | with Margaret Court |
| 1971 | Women's doubles US Open | with Rosie Casals |
| New South Wales Championships | ||
| 1967 | Women's singles†| |
| Scottish Championships | ||
| 1967 | Women's singles†| |
| Chichester | ||
| 1971 | Women's singles†| |
| Newport, Rhode Island | ||
| 1971 | Women's doubles†Virginia Slims of Newport | with Françoise Dürr |
Leading grass titles only: the grass majors, tour-level grass events since 1968 and the leading grass championships before 1968. †single source; ‡ sources disagree. Roll of champions
"We changed history, and tennis would not ever be the same."
The person behind the player.
Melbourne, before the travels
Drawing on her accounting background, she sold shares she held through her job to pay for her first airfare overseas and a round-the-world ticket, which she remembered costing about $3,500. In Melbourne she trained with Margaret Court, which she said was unusual for women at the time.
Source: Tennis.comWimbledon 1968
In the first Wimbledon open to professionals she beat Margaret Court and Nancy Richey to reach the final, which she lost to Billie Jean King 9-7, 7-5. Her national association would not let her accept the prize money. Mary Hardwick Hare wrote in World Tennis that year: "She is a true extrovert."
Source: USTAForest Hills 1970
To show sponsors there was an audience for a women's tour, the players handed out a questionnaire at Forest Hills asking club players whether they would watch women play. Close to half the men said yes. Asked why, they said they could relate their own game to the women's. "They said they could associate their game with us," she recalled.
Source: Tennis.comHouston 1970
At 32 she was the oldest of the Original 9 who signed $1 contracts with Gladys Heldman on 23 September 1970. She said the risk was smaller for her at that age and it felt right to support the younger players. She reached the final of that first event in Houston and lost to Rosie Casals: "I should have won it, and I didn't."
Source: USTAAustralia, after Houston
The Australian association suspended her and Kerry Reid, barring them from the Australian Open and the state tournaments and from using Slazenger racquets or Dunlop shoes. Dalton missed the four majors that year, and the players found courts in New Zealand instead. The breakaway led to the Virginia Slims circuit, which also began in Houston.
Source: The Area NewsScotland, years later
Long after her playing days, which included 20 years on a farm near Ballarat, she was thanked in person by the bar manager of a Scottish golf club, who had won a US soccer scholarship thanks to Title IX. Dalton said the Original 9 had pushed universities towards equality, and he was the first person she had met who understood it.
Source: The Area NewsFree membership: player news, the grass court Atlas, the rankings and the grass season calendar.
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