Pam Shriver Biography, Career, Family, Spouse, and Net Worth

Who is Pam Shriver?

Pam Shriver, known as Pamela Howard Shriver is a recognized American former professional tennis player and current tennis broadcaster and pundit. In the 1980s and 1990s, she won 133 titles, consisting of 21 single titles, 111 women’s doubles titles, and 1 mixed doubles title. This consists of 22 major titles, 21 in women’s doubles and 1 in mixed doubles. Pam also won an Olympic gold medal in women’s doubles at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, pairing with Zina Garrison. She and regular doubles partner Martina Navratilova are the only women’s pair to finish the Grand Slam in a calendar year, earning all 4 majors in 1984.

Pam Shriver Career

Pam first became famous at the 1978 US Open where she reached the women’s singles final as a 16-year-old amateur. She beat the reigning Wimbledon champion Martina Navratilova in a semifinal. In the final, Shriver lost to Chris Evert. The early singles achievement proved to be the pinnacle of the success of her singles. She then won her first career singles title in 1978 in Columbus, Ohio, and won a total of 21 singles titles between 1978 and 1997. The 1978 US Open final was the only Grand Slam singles final of her career.

Shriver then lost the following 8 Grand Slam singles semifinals she played, 4 of them to Navratilova, two to Steffi Graf, and one each to Evert and Hana Mandlikova. She disclosed in 2022, that she had been in a multi-year inappropriate relationship with her coach, Australian Don Candy, that began when she was a teenager. Shriver decided to reveal the story in part due to her concern that there are ongoing issues with young tennis players being placed in vulnerable situations.

Doubles

Shriver achieved many successes in doubles tournaments with Navratilova, winning 79 women’s doubles titles. She won 112 career doubles titles overall and is among six female players in the Open era to have won over 100 career titles. Shriver and Navratilova formed one of the most successful women’s doubles teams, winning 7 Australian Open, 4 Wimbledon, 5 US Open, and 4 French Open titles. The duo won all 4 major women’s doubles titles including the ”Calendar Grand Slam”, in 1984. This was part of a record 109-match winning streak between 1983 and 1985. The duo was named the WTA Tour’s ”Doubles Team of the Year” 8 times in a row from 1981 to 1988. They also won the WTA Tour Championships title 10 times between 1981 and 1992.

Pam then won another women’s doubles Grand Slam title at the US Open in 1991, pairing with Natasha Zvereva. She was the 1987 French Open mixed doubles winner alongside Emilion Sanchez. At the 1991 Pan American Games in Havana, Cuba, Shriver won all 3 gold medals (singles, women’s doubles, and mixed doubles). She then attained the world No. 1 doubles ranking in 1985 and held it for a short time prior to relinquishing it again to Navratilova, her playing partner.

How old is Pam Shriver?

Pamela Howard Shriver was born in Baltimore, Maryland, U.S., on July 4, 1962, and is aged 60 years. She shares her birthday with famous celebrities such as Michael Sweet, Tracy Letts, Eva Marie Saint, Geraldo Rivera, Al Madrigal, John Lloyd Young, Ron Kovic, Ralph Johnson, Domingo Ortiz, and many others.

Pam Shriver Family

Who are Pam Shriver’s parents?

Pamela Howard Shriver was born in Baltimore, Maryland, to Margot Shriver and Sam Shriver. Not much is revealed to the public about her family and parents.

Does Pam Shriver have siblings?

Shriver was born into a family of three children to her parents. She has two sisters namely Marion Shriver, who died from cancer in 1997, and Eleanor who resides in Maryland. Shriver is also a fourth cousin of Maria Shriver, the former First Lady of California and niece of President John F. Kennedy.

Pam Shriver Education

Shriver joined and studied at McDonogh School in Owings Mills, Maryland, where she graduated.

Pam Shriver Interests

Shriver is a minority owner of the Baltimore Orioles and is active in several charitable organizations. She is also an ambassador for Up2Us Sports, a national non-profit organization. It is dedicated to supporting underserved youth by providing them with coaches trained in positive youth development. Shriver became a supporter of the new Women’s Sports Policy Working Group in 2021. It was formed in response to President Joe Biden’s executive order that mandates inclusiveness for transgender female athletes.

Pam Shriver Spouse

Shriver was married to her first husband Joe Shapiro, a former Walt Disney Company lawyer. Joe died of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 1999. She then married actor George Lazenby in 2002. Following six years of marriage, Shriver filed for divorce from Lazenby, and it was finalized in May 2011. The couple lived in Brentwood, California, and has three children together.

Pam Shriver Children

Shriver has three children from her marriage to her ex-husband Lazenby, two sons, and one daughter. They are George Samuel Lazenby, born on July 12, 2004, and twins Samuel Robert Lazenby and Kaitlin Elizabeth Lazenby born on October 1, 2005.

Pam Shriver Height

Shriver has a beautiful, athletic, and physically fit body with a height of 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) and a weight of 72 kg (158 lbs).

Federation Cup

In the Federation Cup representing the U.S., she won five out of five singles matches and 14 of 15 doubles matches. Shriver played in 17 Federation Cup ties from 1986 to 1992. She then reached 3 finals with her compatriots, winning twice: in 1986 the U.S. defeated Czechoslovakia (3-0): in 1987 the U.S. lost to Germany (1-2): and in 1989 the U.S. beat Spain (3-0).

Broadcaster

Pam has provided TV commentary for ABC, CBS, ESPN, and The Tennis Channel in the United States, the BBC in the United Kingdom, and the Seven Network in Australia. Since her 1996 retirement, she has been providing coverage of various events. In Wimbledon 2010, James Blake admonished her for criticizing him while his match was still in progress, as she was in an outside commentary box and he could hear her. Pam said she regretted responding to Blake while still on the air.

Playing style and equipment

She was recognized for her variety, such as sharp volleys and all-around solid technique at the net. Shriver also has a strong slice forehand and underspin approach, which set her apart from the rest of the women’s field but had a comparatively weak chip backhand. She was famous for being a serve-and-volleyer. Shriver was among the first players to use an oversized racquet, manufactured by Prince.

Pam Shriver’s Net Worth

American former professional tennis player Shriver was active from 1979 to 1997, winning 133 titles. She is currently a tennis broadcaster and pundit and has a net worth of around $10 million as of 2023.