Legend Bio: Julie Heldman

The daughter of whirlwind tennis impresario Gladys Heldman, Julie Heldman was 25 years old when she signed up as a $1 contract pro in support of her mother’s trailblazing Virginia Slims Invitational tournament. As fate would have it, Heldman was injured when the groundbreaking event took place at Houston in September, 1970, so she missed the iconic dollar bill photocall but played a ceremonial point against Billie Jean King to affirm her commitment. 

By that point, the Stanford graduate with a Bachelor of Arts had won the Italian Open, in 1969, the biggest of more than 20 career titles she would collect. She would ultimately reach the semifinals at three of the four majors – Roland Garros in 1970, and Wimbledon and the US Open in 1974 – and post career defining wins over legendary competition, including Margaret Court, Virginia Wade, Chris Evert and King.

In doubles, Heldman was a semifinalist at the Australian Open in 1974 and was twice a quarterfinalist at both Wimbledon and the US Open. Representing her country, she was a member of two victorious US Federation Cup sides (1966, 1969), later captaining the team in 1975. She also won gold, silver and bronze medals at the Olympic demonstration event in Mexico City in 1968. 

As her playing career wound down, the articulate Heldman’s talents were showcased by tennis commentary and articles for a range of newspapers and magazines. Building on her education, she earned her JD from UCLA’s Law School in 1981; after practicing law for several years she welcomed a daughter, Amy Rebecca, and went to work with her husband Bernard Weiss at the couple’s Los Angeles-based eyeglass manufacturing company. Her memoir, Driven: A Daughter’s Odyssey, was published in 2018, documenting her battle with mental illness and her relationship with her brilliant, complicated mother.

In 2021, Heldman's legacy was formally enshrined when she was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame as a member of the Original 9, honoring her dual impact as a Top 10 competitor and an architect of the modern game. Her other, Gladys, had been accorded the same honor in 1979.