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Pam ShriverFormer US professional tennis player, sports commentator
Date of Birth: 04.07.1962
Country:  USA |
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Biography of Pam Shriver
Pamela Howard Shriver Lazenby, known as Pam Shriver, was born on July 4, 1962, in Baltimore, Maryland. She attended McDonogh School in Owings Mills, Maryland.
Tennis Career
Shriver gained recognition at the 1978 US Open, where as a 16-year-old amateur, she reached the singles final. Although she defeated Wimbledon champion Martina Navratilova in the semifinals, she ultimately lost to Chris Evert in the final. Shriver celebrated her first singles title in Columbus, Ohio in 1978. She reached the singles final of the US Open that year, an achievement she never repeated throughout her career. Shriver won a total of 133 titles, including 21 in women's doubles and one in mixed doubles at Grand Slam tournaments. At the 1988 Seoul Olympics, she won a gold medal in doubles, sharing it with Zina Garrison. Shriver's most significant success came after teaming up with Martina Navratilova, with whom she won 79 doubles titles.
Post-Tennis Career
After retiring from professional tennis in 1996, Shriver continued her involvement in the sport. She worked as a coach for Venus Williams and became a sports commentator for various networks, including ABC, CBS, ESPN in the US, BBC in the UK, and the Seven Network in Australia. Shriver also served as the President of the WTA Tour Players Association from 1991 to 1994.
Personal Life
Shriver married her first husband, Joe Shapiro, a former lawyer for Walt Disney, in 1985. However, he passed away in 1999. In 2002, she married actor George Lazenby. They have one child together, George Jr., born in 2004, and welcomed twins, Kate and Sam, on October 1, 2005. Shriver is also a stepmother to Lazenby's daughter, Melanie, from his previous marriage.
Other Involvements
Shriver is a minority shareholder of the professional basketball team, the Baltimore Orioles. She is also actively involved in various charitable organizations. Additionally, Shriver is the fourth cousin of Maria Shriver, the former First Lady of California. She has two sisters, one of whom unfortunately passed away from cancer in 1997, while the other resides in Maryland.
Controversy
During the 2010 Wimbledon Championships, American tennis professional James Blake confronted Shriver, accusing her of disrupting his matches with her loud comments from the commentary box located behind him. This led to a verbal altercation between Blake and Shriver during the match.
