Heather Crowe (tennis)

Heather Crowe
Full nameHeather Crowe Conner
Country (sports) United States
Born (1961-07-12) July 12, 1961 (age 63)
CollegeIndiana
Prize money$66,322
Singles
Grand Slam singles results
Wimbledon1R (1983)
US Open3R (1982)
Doubles
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian Open1R (1984, 1985)
French Open2R (1986)
Wimbledon2R (1987)
US Open2R (1985)

Heather Crowe Conner (born July 12, 1961) is an American former professional tennis player.

Biography

Crowe grew up in Massachusetts, attending Masconomet Regional High School, then played college tennis at Indiana University in the early 1980s. A two-time All-American for both singles and doubles, Crowe was the 1982 AIAW singles champion and also helped guide Indiana to the team title that year.[1] While at Indiana, she won the Broderick Award (now the Honda Sports Award) as the nation's top collegiate tennis player in 1982.[2][3]

At the 1982 US Open, Crowe reached the third round of the singles main draw, with wins over Stacy Margolin and Barbara Hallquist.

As a doubles player she featured in the main draw of all four grand slam tournaments during her professional career and was runner-up at the Virginia Slims of Utah in 1984, partnering Robin White. Her most regular doubles partner on tour was Kim Steinmetz.

She retired from professional tennis in 1988 and has since become Heather Conner through marriage.

In 2011 she spoke publicly of having been sexually abused from the age of 14 by tennis player Bob Hewitt, who was coaching her at the time. The allegations led to an investigation into Hewitt, with more victims coming forward, ultimately leading to his imprisonment in South Africa.[4][5]

WTA Tour finals

Doubles (0–1)

Result Date Tournament Surface Partner Opponents Score
Loss Sep 1984 Salt Lake City, Utah, USA Hard United States Robin White Australia Anne Minter
Australia Elizabeth Minter
1–6, 2–6

References

  1. ^ Cerullo, Mac (June 18, 2018). "Finding her way back: Decades after leaving sport following coach abuse, Crowe Conner inducted into N.E. Tennis Hall of Fame". The Daily News of Newburyport.
  2. ^ "Heather Crowe (1994) - Indiana University Athletics Hall of Fame". Indiana University Athletics. Retrieved March 25, 2020.
  3. ^ "Tennis". CWSA. Retrieved March 25, 2020.
  4. ^ "Accuser says tennis legend 'got off easy'". The Edmond Sun. March 27, 2015.
  5. ^ Hohler, Bob (June 9, 2016). "Former tennis star Bob Hewitt ordered imprisoned". Boston Globe.