The daughter of a poor Aboriginal sheep shearer, Evonne Goolagong shot down the notion that tennis stars had to be groomed at the country club. Born in 1951 — 16 years before Australia even recognized Aborigines in its census — she took up the sport after an encouraging neighbor spotted her peering through the fence at a local court. A Sydney tennis instructor got wind of her raw talent and persuaded her parents to let Goolagong move to his academy to train when she turned 16. Three years later, in 1971, she burst onto the world scene to win both the French Open and Wimbledon. In 1980 she won a second Wimbledon title, becoming the first mother to win a major in the Open Era. “When I was 19, I didn’t appreciate it,” she told Sports Illustratedin 1998. “But in ’80, I had a child and nobody expected much. That was amazingly sweet.” A seven-time Grand Slam singles champion, 59-year-old Goolagong now campaigns for Aboriginal rights and runs the Goolagong National Development Camp, which encourages Aboriginal children to play competitive tennis.