Gostas de Fly - Australia - 1

Evonne Goolagong

Evonne Fay Goolagong was born on July 31, 1951, in the town of Barellan, in New South Wales, Australia. She was the third of Kenneth and Linda Goolagong's eight children. Though they were not fully Aboriginal, each parent had native Aborigine ancesters. Evonne grew up in a poor but happy family. Her father was a farm laborer, performing tasks such as sheep shearing and fixing farm machinery, while her mother stayed home and took care of Evonne and her seven brothers and sisters (Evonne was the third of the eight children).
Goolagong left Australia at the age of nineteen to begin her first international tour in 1970. Having turned professional in 1971, wasting no time after gaining her pro status, she won that year's French Open and her first Wimbledon. She was the first Australian Aboriginal woman to achieve international fame in sport and the first Aboriginal person to do so in any sport other than Australian football or boxing.
During the 1970s, Goolagong won the women's singles title at the Australian Open four times. She was also the runner-up at Wimbledon three times. At the US Open, she lost in the final four consecutive years (1973-1976), never winning the title.
From 1971 through 1976, Goolagong reached the final in 16 of the 24 Grand Slam singles tournaments that were held, winning five of them. A little like SL Benfica reaching the UEFA Champion's league finals 5 times and only winning 2.
After the birth of her 1st child in 1977, Goolagong decided to retire. This decision was short lived, as she returned to the courts, aged 29, in 1980, to win Wimbledon again. The is the only mother to win Wimbledon since 1914.
In conclusion, Goolagong could be characterized a warrior that never threw in the towel. She was graceful and fast, which helped her cover the whole court with some ease. Her only real fault or enemy was her lack of concentration in decisive moments.