| Zina Garrison | |
| Residence: | Houston, Texas |
| Birth Date: | 16 November 1963 |
| Birth Place: | Houston, Texas |
| Height: | 1.64 m |
| Turnedpro: | 1982 |
| Retired: | 1997 |
| Plays: | Right-handed (one handed-backhand) |
| Careerprizemoney: | $4,590,816 |
| Singlestitles: | 14 |
| Highestsinglesranking: | No. 4 (November 20, 1989) |
| Australianopenresult: | SF (1983) |
| Frenchopenresult: | QF (1982) |
| Wimbledonresult: | F (1990) |
| Usopenresult: | SF (1988, 1989) |
| Othertournaments: | Yes |
| Olympicsresult: | SF (1988) |
| Doublestitles: | 20 |
| Highestdoublesranking: | No. 5 (May 23, 1988) |
| Australianopendoublesresult: | F (1987, 1992) |
| Frenchopendoublesresult: | QF (1988, 1989, 1991, 1995) |
| Wimbledondoublesresult: | SF (1988, 1990, 1991, 1993) |
| Usopendoublesresult: | SF (1985, 1991) |
| Othertournamentsdoubles: | Yes |
| Olympicsdoublesresult: | W (1988) |
| Mixed: | yes |
| Mixedtitles: | 3 |
| Australianopenmixedresult: | W (1987) |
| Frenchopenmixedresult: | SF (1989) |
| Wimbledonmixedresult: | W (1988, 1990) |
| Usopenmixedresult: | SF (1987) |
| Team: | yes |
| Fedcupresult: | W (1989, 1990) |
| Hopmancupresult: | F (1991) |
| Medaltemplates-Expand: | yes |
Zina Lynna Garrison (born November 16, 1963) is an American former professional tennis player. Garrison was the runner-up in singles at the 1990 Wimbledon Championships, a three-time major mixed doubles champion, and an Olympic gold and bronze medalist from the women's doubles and singles events, respectively, at the 1988 Seoul Olympics. She reached a career-high singles ranking of world No. 4, on 20 November 1989.
The youngest of seven children, Garrison started playing tennis at the age of 10 and entered her first tournament at the age of 12. At 14, she won the national girls' 18s title. In 1981, she won both the Wimbledon and US Open junior titles and was ranked the world No. 1 junior player. Garrison graduated from Sterling High School in Houston, Texas in 1982.[1]
Garrison began suffering from the eating disorder bulimia when she was 19, following the death of her mother.[1] "I had never been comfortable with my looks and felt I had lost the only person who loved me unconditionally", Garrison told the Observer Sport Monthly in 2006. "The pressure of being labeled 'the next Althea Gibson' only made things worse. I felt I was never going to be allowed to grow into just becoming me."[2]
Garrison turned professional in 1982, and skipped her graduation at Ross Sterling High School to compete in the French Open, her first tournament as a professional, where she reached the quarterfinals. She was awarded the WTA Newcomer of the Year in 1982.
Despite battling bulimia during her first few years on the tour, Garrison enjoyed notable success on-court. She reached the Australian Open semifinals in 1983, her first full year on the tour, and finished the year ranked world No. 10. She won her first top-level singles titles in 1984 at the European Indoor Championships in Zürich. In 1985, Garrison beat world no. 3 Hana Mandlíková and world no. 2 Chris Evert on her way to winning the Amelia Island Championships. She was also a Wimbledon semifinalist in 1985, and in 1986, she won her first tour doubles at the Canadian Open (partnering Gabriela Sabatini).
At the Australian Open in 1987, Garrison won the mixed doubles (partnering Sherwood Stewart) and finished runner-up in the women's doubles (partnering Lori McNeil). A year later, Garrison and Stewart captured the mixed doubles title at Wimbledon.
At the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, Garrison teamed with Pam Shriver to win the women's doubles gold medal for the United States, defeating Jana Novotná and Helena Suková of Czechoslovakia in the final. Garrison defeated Shriver in the quarterfinals of the singles event, where she won a bronze medal.[3] At the US Open, she defeated defending champion Navratilova for the first time in her career, advancing to the semifinals, where she lost to Sabatini.
In 1989, Garrison defeated Chris Evert 7–6, 6–2 in the quarterfinals of the US Open in Evert's final tournament. Garrison lost to Navratilova in the semifinals. She finished 1989 ranked at career-high No. 4 in singles.
The highlight of Garrison's career came in 1990 at Wimbledon, as she defeated Samantha Smith, Cecilia Dahlman, Andrea Leand, Helena Suková, then French Open champion Monica Seles in the quarterfinals 3–6, 6–3, 9–7, and defending Wimbledon champion and world No. 1, Steffi Graf, in the semifinals 6–3, 3–6, 6–4 to reach her only Grand Slam singles final, becoming the first African-American woman to do so since Gibson. Moreover, it ended Graf's record 13-time streak of Grand Slam finals. Then, she lost to Navratilova 4–6, 1–6, who thus won her record ninth women's singles title at Wimbledon. Garrison claimed her third mixed-doubles title at Wimbledon that year (partnering Rick Leach).
In 1992, Garrison finished runner-up in the Australian Open women's doubles (partnering Mary Joe Fernández).
At Wimbledon in 1994, Garrison beat world No. 2 Arantxa Sánchez Vicario on the way to her 15th and final Grand Slam quarterfinal appearance.
Garrison retired from professional tennis in 1996. From 1982 to 1995, she remained uninterrupted in the world's top 25. During her career, she won 14 top-level singles titles and 20 doubles titles.
Garrison married Willard Jackson in September 1989; however, the marriage ended in divorce in 1997.
Since retiring from the tour, Garrison has worked as a television commentator and maintained active roles in the community and in tennis. She founded the Zina Garrison Foundation for the Homeless in 1988, and the Zina Garrison All-Court Tennis Program, which supports inner-city tennis in Houston, in 1992. She has also served as a member of the United States President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority.
Garrison has maintained a presence on the professional tennis scene, and was the captain for the U.S. Federation Cup (later Fed Cup) team. Garrison also led the U.S. women's team at the 2008 Beijing Games tennis event where team members Venus and Serena Williams won a gold medal in doubles.[4]
After "piling on weight" in her 40s, Garrison participated in season 16 of the reality TV competition The Biggest Loser, titled , which premiered September 11, 2014 on NBC. Despite losing 8 lbs., she was the first person eliminated from the program.[5]
Garrison played an attacking style. It was common for her to slice her backhand and attack the net (a chip-and-charge tactic). Garrison had excellent volleys and overheads. She was able to rally when she wanted to but her main game plan was to get to the net so she could finish with the volley.
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 1987 | Grass | 6–1, 6–0 | ||||
| Loss | 1992 | Australian Open | Hard | 6–4, 7–6(7–3) |
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1987 | Grass | 3–6, 7–6(7–5), 6–3 | ||||
| Win | 1988 | Grass |  Sherwood Stewart | 6–1, 7–6(7–3) | |||
| Loss | 1989 | Australian Open | Hard | Sherwood Stewart | 6–3, 6–4 | ||
| Loss | 1990 | Australian Open | Hard | Jim Pugh | Natasha Zvereva Andrew Castle | 4–6, 6–2, 6–3 | |
| Win | 1990 | Wimbledon (2) | Grass | 7–5, 6–2 | |||
| Loss | 1993 | Australian Open | Hard | Rick Leach | 7–5, 6–4 |
|
|
| Result | W/L | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 1. | Aug 1983 | Indianapolis | Clay |  Andrea Temesvári | 2–6, 2–6 | |
| Loss | 2. | Jan 1984 | Washington | Carpet (i) | Hana Mandlíková | 1–6, 1–6 | |
| Loss | 3. | Sep 1984 | New Orleans | Carpet (i) | Martina Navratilova | 4–6, 3–6 | |
| Win | 1. | Oct 1984 | Zürich | Carpet (i) | Claudia Kohde-Kilsch | 6–1, 0–6, 6–2 | |
| Loss | 4. | Jan 1985 | Denver | Carpet (i) | Peanut Louie | 4–6, 6–4, 4–6 | |
| Win | 2. | Apr 1985 | Amelia Island | Clay | Chris Evert-Lloyd | 6–4, 6–3 | |
| Loss | 5. | Jul 1985 | Indianapolis | Clay | Andrea Temesvári | 6–7(0–7), 3–6 | |
| Win | 3. | Oct 1985 | Zürich | Carpet (i) | Hana Mandlíková | 6–1, 6–3 | |
| Loss | 6. | Sep 1986 | Tampa | Hard | Lori McNeil | 6–2, 5–7, 2–6 | |
| Win | 4. | Oct 1986 | Indianapolis | Hard (i) | Melissa Gurney | 6–3, 6–3 | |
| Win | 5. | Jan 1987 | Sydney | Grass | Pam Shriver | 6–2, 6–4 | |
| Win | 6. | Feb 1987 | San Francisco | Carpet (i) | Sylvia Hanika | 7–5, 4–6, 6–3 | |
| Loss | 7. | Aug 1987 | Toronto | Hard | Pam Shriver | 4–6, 1–6 | |
| Loss | 8. | Oct 1988 | Indianapolis | Hard (i) | Katerina Maleeva | 3–6, 6–2, 2–6 | |
| Loss | 9. | Feb 1989 | Washington | Carpet (i) | Steffi Graf | 1–6, 5–7 | |
| Win | 7. | Feb 1989 | Oakland | Carpet (i) | Larisa Savchenko | 6–1, 6–1 | |
| Loss | 10. | Jun 1989 | Birmingham | Grass | Martina Navratilova | 6–7(5–7), 3–6 | |
| Win | 8. | Jul 1989 | Newport | Grass | Pam Shriver | 6–0, 6–1 | |
| Loss | 11. | Jul 1989 | San Diego | Hard | Steffi Graf | 4–6, 5–7 | |
| Loss | 12. | Oct 1989 | Worcester | Carpet (i) | Martina Navratilova | 2–6, 3–6 | |
| Win | 9. | Nov 1989 | Chicago | Carpet (i) | Larisa Savchenko | 6–3, 2–6, 6–4 | |
| Loss | 13. | Feb 1990 | Washington | Carpet (i) | Martina Navratilova | 1–6, 0–6 | |
| Win | 10. | Jun 1990 | Birmingham | Grass | Helena Suková | 6–4, 6–1 | |
| Loss | 14. | Jun 1990 | Wimbledon | Grass | Martina Navratilova | 4–6, 1–6 | |
| Loss | 15. | Oct 1990 | Dorado | Hard | Jennifer Capriati | 7–5, 4–6, 2–6 | |
| Loss | 16. | Feb 1991 | Chicago | Carpet (i) | Martina Navratilova | 1–6, 2–6 | |
| Loss | 17. | Oct 1991 | Brighton | Carpet (i) | Steffi Graf | 7–5, 4–6, 1–6 | |
| Win | 11. | Feb 1992 | Oklahoma City | Hard (i) | Lori McNeil | 7–5, 3–6, 7–6(12–10) | |
| Loss | 18. | Apr, 1992 | Houston | Clay | Monica Seles | 1–6, 1–6 | |
| Win | 12. | Feb 1993 | Oklahoma City | Hard (i) | Patty Fendick | 6–2, 6–2 | |
| Loss | 19. | Jun 1993 | Birmingham | Grass | Lori McNeil | 4–6, 6–2, 3–6 | |
| Loss | 20. | Jul 1993 | Stratton Mountain | Hard |  Conchita Martínez | 3–6, 2–6 | |
| Win | 13. | Oct 1993 | Budapest | Carpet (i) |  Sabine Appelmans | 7–5, 6–2 | |
| Loss | 21. | Nov 1993 | Oakland | Carpet (i) | Martina Navratilova | 2–6, 6–7(1–7) | |
| Loss | 22. | Jun 1994 | Birmingham | Grass | Lori McNeil | 2–6, 2–6 | |
| Win | 14. | Jun 1995 | Birmingham | Grass | Lori McNeil | 6–3, 6–3 |
|
|
| Result | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1. | August 4, 1986 | Montreal | Hard |  Gabriela Sabatini | Pam Shriver Helena Suková | 7–6(7–2), 5–7, 6–4 | |
| Loss | 1. | October 13, 1986 | Filderstadt | Carpet (i) | Gabriela Sabatini | Martina Navratilova Pam Shriver | 6–7(5–7), 4–6 | |
| Win | 2. | October 27, 1986 | Indianapolis | Hard (i) | Lori McNeil | Candy Reynolds Anne Smith | 4–5 ret. | |
| Loss | 2. | January 12, 1987 | Australian Open | Grass | Lori McNeil | Martina Navratilova Pam Shriver | 1–6, 0–6 | |
| Loss | 3. | February 9, 1987 | San Francisco | Carpet (i) | Gabriela Sabatini | Hana Mandlíková  Wendy Turnbull | 4–6, 6–7(4–7) | |
| Loss | 4. | March 23, 1987 | Washington | Carpet (i) | Lori McNeil | Elise Burgin Pam Shriver | 1–6, 6–3, 4–6 | |
| Loss | 5. | April 6, 1987 | Hilton Head Island | Clay | Lori McNeil | Mercedes Paz Eva Pfaff | 6–7(6–8), 5–7 | |
| Loss | 6. | April 20, 1987 | Houston | Clay | Lori McNeil | Kathy Jordan Martina Navratilova | 2–6, 4–6 | |
| Loss | 7. | August 10, 1987 | Los Angeles | Hard | Lori McNeil | Martina Navratilova Pam Shriver | 3–6, 4–6 | |
| Win | 3. | August 17, 1987 | Toronto | Hard | Lori McNeil | Claudia Kohde-Kilsch Helena Suková | 6–1, 6–2 | |
| Win | 4. | September 28, 1987 | New Orleans | Carpet (i) | Lori McNeil | Peanut Louie Harper Heather Ludloff | 6–3, 6–4 | |
| Loss | 8. | October 12, 1987 | Filderstadt | Carpet (i) | Lori McNeil | Martina Navratilova Pam Shriver | 1–6, 2–6 | |
| Loss | 9. | November 9, 1987 | Chicago | Carpet (i) | Lori McNeil | Claudia Kohde-Kilsch Helena Suková | 4–6, 3–6 | |
| Loss | 10. | February 8, 1988 | Dallas | Carpet (i) | Gigi Fernández | Lori McNeil Eva Pfaff | 6–2, 4–6, 5–7 | |
| Win | 5. | March 7, 1988 | Boca Raton | Hard | Katrina Adams | Claudia Kohde-Kilsch Helena Suková | 4–6, 5–7, 6–4 | |
| Loss | 11. | March 14, 1988 | Key Biscayne | Hard | Gigi Fernández | Steffi Graf Gabriela Sabatini | 6–7(3–7), 3–6 | |
| Win | 6. | April 11, 1988 | Amelia Island | Clay | Eva Pfaff | Katrina Adams Penny Barg | 4–6, 6–2, 7–6(7–5) | |
| Win | 7. | April 18, 1988 | Houston | Clay | Katrina Adams | Lori McNeil Martina Navratilova | 6–7(4–7), 6–2, 6–4 | |
| Loss | 12. | August 15, 1988 | Montreal | Hard | Pam Shriver | Jana Novotná Helena Suková | 6–7(2–7), 6–7(6–8) | |
| Loss | 13. | October 24, 1988 | Indianapolis | Hard (i) | Katrina Adams | Larisa Savchenko Natalia Zvereva | 2–6, 1–6 | |
| Win | 8. | November 25, 1988 | Tokyo | Carpet (i) | Katrina Adams | Gigi Fernández Robin White | 7–5, 7–5 | |
| Win | 9. | January 31, 1989 | Tokyo | Carpet (i) | Katrina Adams | Mary Joe Fernández Claudia Kohde-Kilsch | 6–3, 6–3, 7–6(7–5) | |
| Win | 10. | April 24, 1989 | Houston | Clay | Katrina Adams | Gigi Fernández Lori McNeil | 6–3, 6–4 | |
| Win | 11. | June 19, 1989 | Eastbourne | Grass | Katrina Adams | Jana Novotná Helena Suková | 6–3, ret. | |
| Win | 12. | February 19, 1990 | Washington | Carpet (i) | Martina Navratilova | Ann Henricksson Dinky van Rensburg | 6–0, 6–3 | |
| Loss | 14. | June 18, 1990 | Eastbourne | Grass | Patty Fendick | Larisa Savchenko-Neiland Natalia Zvereva | 4–6, 3–6 | |
| Win | 13. | August 6, 1990 | San Diego | Hard | Patty Fendick | Elise Burgin Rosalyn Fairbank | 6–4, 7–6(7–5) | |
| Win | 14. | October 15, 1990 | Filderstadt | Carpet (i) | Mary Joe Fernández | Mercedes Paz Arantxa Sánchez Vicario | 7–5, 6–3 | |
| Win | 15. | March 15, 1991 | Key Biscayne | Hard | Mary Joe Fernández | Gigi Fernández Jana Novotná | 7–5, 6–2 | |
| Loss | 15. | October 7, 1991 | Zürich | Carpet (i) | Lori McNeil | Jana Novotná Andrea Strnadová | 4–6, 3–6 | |
| Loss | 16. | October 22, 1991 | Brighton | Carpet (i) | Lori McNeil | Pam Shriver Natasha Zvereva | 1–6, 2–6 | |
| Loss | 17. | November 11, 1991 | Philadelphia | Carpet (i) | Mary Joe Fernández | Jana Novotná Larisa Savchenko-Neiland | 2–6, 4–6 | |
| Loss | 18. | January 6, 1992 | Sydney | Hard | Mary Joe Fernández | Arantxa Sánchez Vicario Helena Suková | 6–7(4–7), 7–6(7–4), 2–6 | |
| Loss | 19. | January 13, 1992 | Australian Open | Hard | Mary Joe Fernández | Arantxa Sánchez Vicario Helena Suková | 4–6, 6–7(3–7) | |
| Loss | 20. | February 10, 1992 | Chicago | Carpet (i) | Katrina Adams | Martina Navratilova Pam Shriver | 4–6, 6–7(7–9) | |
| Loss | 21. | April 6, 1992 | Amelia Island | Clay | Jana Novotná | Arantxa Sánchez Vicario Natasha Zvereva | 1–6, 0–6 | |
| Loss | 22. | June 15, 1992 | Eastbourne | Grass | Mary Joe Fernández | Jana Novotná Larisa Savchenko-Neiland | 0–6, 3–6 | |
| Loss | 23. | August 10, 1992 | Los Angeles | Hard | Pam Shriver | Arantxa Sánchez Vicario Helena Suková | 4–6, 2–6 | |
| Win | 16. | February 8, 1993 | Chicago | Carpet (i) | Katrina Adams | Amy Frazier Kimberly Po | 7–6(7–3), 6–3 | |
| Win | 17. | February 15, 1993 | Oklahoma City | Hard (i) | Patty Fendick | Katrina Adams Manon Bollegraf | 6–3, 6–2 | |
| Loss | 24. | May 3, 1993 | Rome | Clay | Mary Joe Fernández |  Jana Novotná Arantxa Sánchez Vicario | 4–6, 2–6 | |
| Win | 18. | October 4, 1993 | Zürich | Carpet (i) | Martina Navratilova | Gigi Fernández  Natasha Zvereva | 6–3, 5–7, 6–3 | |
| Loss | 25. | March 21, 1994 | Houston | Clay | Katrina Adams | Manon Bollegraf Martina Navratilova | 4–6, 2–6 | |
| Win | 19. | June 6, 1994 | Birmingham | Grass | Larisa Savchenko-Neiland | Catherine Barclay Kerry-Anne Guse | 6–4, 6–4 | |
| Loss | 26. | October 30, 1995 | Oakland | Carpet (i) | Katrina Adams | Lori McNeil Helena Suková | 6–3, 4–6, 3–6 |
| Tournament | Career SR | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Open | A | A | 1R | SF | 1R | QF | NH | QF | 2R | QF | QF | 4R | 4R | 3R | 1R | 3R | A | 0 / 13 |
| French Open | A | A | QF | 1R | 4R | 2R | 3R | A | 4R | 3R | 1R | 1R | A | 1R | 1R | 1R | A | 0 / 12 |
| Wimbledon | A | A | 4R | 1R | 2R | SF | 2R | A | QF | 2R | F | QF | 4R | 4R | QF | 3R | A | 0 / 13 |
| US Open | 2R | 1R | 4R | 4R | 3R | QF | 4R | 4R | SF | SF | QF | 4R | 4R | 3R | 4R | 4R | 1R | 0 / 17 |
| SR | 0 / 1 | 0 / 1 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 1 | 0 / 55 |
| Year-end ranking | NR | NR | 16 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 11 | 9 | 9 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 18 | 14 | 24 | 22 | 255 |
| Tournament | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | Career SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Open | A | 1R | 2R | QF | QF | NH | F | SF | 3R | 1R | 2R | F | QF | QF | 1R | A | A | 0 / 13 |
| French Open | A | 2R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 1R | A | QF | QF | 1R | QF | 1R | 3R | 3R | QF | A | A | 0 / 13 |
| Wimbledon | A | 1R | 2R | 2R | 2R | 3R | A | SF | QF | SF | SF | QF | SF | 1R | 3R | A | A | 0 / 13 |
| US Open | 2R | 1R | 3R | 1R | SF | QF | QF | 2R | 3R | 3R | SF | QF | A | A | 3R | 1R | 1R | 0 / 15 |
| SR | 0 / 1 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 1 | 0 / 1 | 0 / 54 |
| Year-end ranking | 40 | 44 | 18 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 13 | 12 | 10 | 13 | 21 | 27 | 90 | NR |
| Tournament | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | Career SR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Open | NH | NH | NH | NH | NH | W | 1R | F | F | 1R | A | F | 1R | A | A | 1 / 7 | |
| French Open | A | QF | A | 3R | A | A | 2R | SF | 2R | 3R | A | 2R | 2R | 3R | A | 0 / 9 | |
| Wimbledon | A | QF | 1R | 2R | 1R | A | W | 3R | W | 2R | 2R | 3R | 1R | A | A | 2 / 11 | |
| US Open | QF | 2R | A | QF | 2R | SF | QF | QF | QF | 1R | QF | 1R | 2R | A | 1R | 0 / 13 | |
| SR | 0 / 1 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 1 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 2 | 1 / 2 | 1 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 1 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 1 | 0 / 1 | 3 / 40 |