Pam Shriver was aged just 16 when she stunned Martina Navratilova to reach the US Open final.
Shriver, an amateur player at the time, stunned the reigning Wimbledon champion at the semi-final stage of the 1978 US Open.
The American star would go on to lose in the final against Chris Evert, 7-5, 6-4. However, she had put the world on notice during her two weeks in New York.
Shriver looked set for an extremely successful career on the singles tour following her standout performance.
However, she never made it back to another Grand Slam singles final.
Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert thought Pam Shriver would reach another Grand Slam final
Speaking on The Tennis Podcast, Shriver discussed her run to the 1978 US Open final and the expectations her peers had after the tournament.
Throughout the rest of her career, Shriver reached the Grand Slam semi-final stage eight times, but was unable to win any of those contests.
Tennis commentator Catherine Whitaker began the discussion, relaying a quote from Shriver after her 1978 US Open quarter-final victory over Leslie Hunt.
Whitaker said: “Pam told us… and I think this is a quote from after that victory to reach the semi-finals, Pam told us, ‘I don’t feel that young. I just think of myself as someone going for number one eventually. I think I have the drive. I don’t think anyone needs to push me.’
Shriver continued the discussion, saying: “That’s probably pretty apropos of what I felt at the time.
“Obviously, we didn’t know that this US Open run to the finals, where you know, I wouldn’t win it, that it would be my only major singles final. That’s why it’s kind of exceptional that it happened at all.
“Everybody, including myself, thought that I would be back in a major final and win them. I can remember Martina [Navratilova] telling me that, Chrissy [Evert] telling me that.
“But that’s always why I have this great reflection of, you do never know.
“I mean, Emma Raducanu may never get back to a semi-final of a major. People who’ve won one major, been to one final.
“There’s no guarantee, even if they do it when they’re young, because that’s what I lived.”
Pam Shriver’s doubles success
Pam Shriver is undoubtedly one of the best doubles players in tennis history.
Alongside Martina Navratilova, Shriver won 20 Grand Slam doubles titles, while also completing the ‘Calendar Slam’ in 1984.
The partnership was named the ‘Doubles Team of the Year’ eight times and went on a record-breaking 109-match win-streak between 1983 and 1985.
Shriver also won one mixed doubles title, at the 1987 French Open.
The American won her final, and 21st, doubles title at the 1991 US Open, alongside Natasha Zverev.
At the conclusion of her career, Shriver had amassed 112 doubles titles.
