# Betsy Nagelsen

Helen Elizabeth "Betsy" Nagelsen McCormack (born October 23, 1956) is an American former professional tennis player.

## Career

Nagelsen was the world's top junior in 1973. She won the 1973 U.S. Champion Girls' 16 and under singles. She also won the USTA Girls' Sportsmanship Award in 1974. As a professional, she won the doubles championship at the 1978 and 1980 Australian Opens (with Renáta Tomanová and Martina Navratilova, respectively), and reached the singles final of the 1978 Australian Open, losing to Christine O'Neil. Over her 21-year career on the WTA Tour, Nagelsen won 25 doubles titles and four singles titles.
Nagelsen reached her career-high singles ranking by the end of 1981, when she became the world No. 23. She also reached a career-high ranking in doubles of No. 11 on March 4, 1988. She had career wins over Navratilova, Arantxa Sánchez Vicario, Sue Barker, Pam Shriver, Claudia Kohde-Kilsch, Rosie Casals, Betty Stöve, and Sylvia Hanika. She was a four-time member of the U.S. Wightman Cup Team in 1974, 1985, 1988 and 1989.
After her retirement in 1996, Nagelsen became a commentator for ABC and ESPN in the United States and Australia's Nine Network. She married Mark McCormack, founder of the sports management group IMG, on March 1, 1986. The couple donated money for the McCormack-Nagelsen Tennis Center at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. The Intercollegiate Tennis Association's Women's Tennis Hall of Fame is located on the site.

## Grand Slam finals
### Singles: 1 (runner-up)

| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Opponent | Score |
| Loss | 1978 | Australian Open | Grass | Chris O'Neil | 3–6, 6–7$^{(3–7)}$ |

### Doubles: 4 (2 titles, 2 runner-ups)

| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
| Loss | 1977$^{(J)}$ | Australian Open | Grass | Kerry Reid | Dianne Fromholtz Helen Gourlay | 7–5, 1–6, 5–7 |
| Win | 1978 | Australian Open | Grass | Renáta Tomanová | Naoko Sato Pam Whytcross | 7–5, 6–2 |
| Win | 1980 | Australian Open | Grass | Martina Navratilova | Ann Kiyomura Candy Reynolds | 6–4, 6–4 |
| Loss | 1987 | Wimbledon | Grass | Elizabeth Smylie | Claudia Kohde-Kilsch Helena Suková | 5–7, 5–7 |

### Mixed doubles: 1 (runner-up)

| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
| Loss | 1987 | US Open | Hard | Paul Annacone | Martina Navratilova Emilio Sánchez | 4–6, 7–6$^{(8–6)}$, 6–7$^{(12–14)}$ |

## Grand Slam tournament performance timeline

Key :
| W | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | DNQ | A | NH |

### Singles

| Tournament | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | SR |
| Australian Open | A | A | A | 1R | A | F | A | 3R | 2R | A | 2R | 1R | 2R | NH | 2R | 1R | A | A | A | A | A | 0 / 9 |
| French Open | 1R | 2R | 1R | A | A | 2R | A | 1R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 1R | A | A | A | 1R | A | A | A | 0 / 12 |
| Wimbledon | 3R | 2R | 1R | 2R | 2R | 2R | 2R | 3R | 4R | 2R | 3R | 2R | 1R | 4R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 3R | 1R | Q1 | Q2 | 0 / 18 |
| US Open | 3R | A | 3R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 3R | 2R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 2R | 2R | 3R | 2R | A | A | A | A | 0 / 15 |
| Strike rate | 0 / 3 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 1 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 54 |
Note: The Australian Open was held twice in 1977, in January and December.

## WTA Tour finals
### Doubles: 36 (24–12)

| Result | W/L | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
| Win | 1–0 | Jul 1976 | Gstaad, Switzerland | Clay | Wendy Turnbull | Brigitte Cuypers Annette Du Plooy | 6–4, 6–4 |
| Win | 2–0 | Dec 1976 | Sydney, Australia | Grass | Helen Gourlay | Dianne Fromholtz Renáta Tomanová | 6–4, 6–1 |
| Loss | 2–1 | Jan 1977 | Australian Open | Grass | Kerry Reid | Dianne Fromholtz Helen Gourlay | 7–5, 1–6, 5–7 |
| Loss | 2–2 | May 1978 | Rome, Italy | Clay | Florența Mihai | Mima Jaušovec Virginia Ruzici | 2–6, 6–2, 6–7 |
| Win | 3–2 | Dec 1978 | Australian Open | Grass | Renáta Tomanová | Naoko Sato Pam Whytcross | 7–5, 6–2 |
| Win | 4–2 | Oct 1979 | Tokyo, Japan | Carpet | Penny Johnson | Chen Chuan Yu Li-Qiao | 3–6, 6–4, 7–6 |
| Loss | 4–3 | Aug 1980 | Toronto, Canada | Hard | Ann Kiyomura | Andrea Jaeger Regina Maršíková | 1–6, 3–6 |
| Win | 5–3 | Dec 1980 | Australian Open | Grass | Martina Navratilova | Ann Kiyomura Candy Reynolds | 6–4, 6–4 |
| Win | 6–3 | Sep 1981 | Atlanta, US | Hard | Laura duPont | Rosie Casals Candy Reynolds | 6–4, 7–5 |
| Loss | 6–4 | Nov 1981 | Perth, Australia | Grass | Candy Reynolds | Barbara Potter Sharon Walsh | 4–6, 2–6 |
| Win | 7–4 | Aug 1982 | Atlanta, US | Hard | Kathy Jordan | Chris Evert Billie Jean King | 4–6, 7–6$^{(13–11)}$, 7–6$^{(7–3)}$ |
| Loss | 7–5 | Aug 1983 | Los Angeles, U.S. | Hard | Virginia Ruzici | Martina Navratilova Pam Shriver | 1–6, 0–6 |
| Win | 8–5 | Mar 1984 | Palm Beach Gardens, US | Clay | Anne White | Rosalyn Fairbank Candy Reynolds | 2–6, 6–2, 6–2 |
| Win | 9–5 | Sep 1984 | San Diego, US | Hard | Paula Smith | Terry Holladay Iwona Kuczyńska | 6–2, 6–4 |
| Win | 10–5 | Oct 1984 | Tokyo, Japan | Hard | Candy Reynolds | Emilse Longo Adriana Villagrán | 6–3, 6–2 |
| Win | 11–5 | Jan 1985 | Port St. Lucie, US | Hard | Paula Smith | Christiane Jolissaint Marcella Mesker | 6–3, 6–4 |
| Loss | 11–6 | Apr 1985 | Tokyo, Japan | Carpet (i) | Anne White | Kathy Jordan Elizabeth Smylie | 6–4, 5–7, 2–6 |
| Loss | 11–7 | Jan 1986 | Key Biscayne, US | Hard | Barbara Potter | Kathy Jordan Elizabeth Smylie | 6–7$^{(6–8)}$, 6–2, 2–6 |
| Win | 12–7 | Mar 1986 | Phoenix, US | Hard | Susan Mascarin | Linda Gates Alycia Moulton | 6–3, 5–7, 6–4 |
| Win | 13–7 | May 1986 | Lugano, Switzerland | Clay | Elise Burgin | Jenny Byrne Janine Tremelling | 6–2, 6–3 |
| Win | 14–7 | Aug 1986 | Mahwah, US | Hard | Elizabeth Smylie | Steffi Graf Helena Suková | 7–6$^{(7–4)}$, 6–3 |
| Loss | 14–8 | Dec 1986 | Brisbane, Australia | Grass | Elizabeth Smylie | Hana Mandlíková Wendy Turnbull | 4–6, 3–6 |
| Win | 15–8 | Jan 1987 | Sydney, Australia | Grass | Elizabeth Smylie | Jenny Byrne Janine Thompson | 6–7$^{(5–7)}$, 7–5, 6–1 |
| Loss | 15–9 | Mar 1987 | Piscataway, US | Carpet (i) | Elizabeth Smylie | Gigi Fernández Lori McNeil | 1–6, 4–6 |
| Win | 16–9 | Apr 1987 | Tokyo, Japan | Hard | Kathy Jordan | Sandy Collins Sharon Walsh | 6–3, 7–5 |
| Win | 17–9 | May 1987 | Geneva, Switzerland | Clay | Elizabeth Smylie | Laura Gildemeister Catherine Tanvier | 4–6, 6–4, 6–3 |
| Loss | 17–10 | Jun 1987 | Wimbledon, UK | Grass | Elizabeth Smylie | Claudia Kohde-Kilsch Helena Suková | 5–7, 5–7 |
| Win | 18–10 | Jan 1988 | Brisbane, Australia | Grass | Pam Shriver | Claudia Kohde-Kilsch Helena Suková | 2–6, 7–5, 6–2 |
| Loss | 18–11 | Oct 1988 | New Orleans, US | Hard | Lori McNeil | Beth Herr Candy Reynolds | 4–6, 4–6 |
| Win | 19–11 | Oct 1988 | Brighton, UK | Carpet (i) | Lori McNeil | Isabelle Demongeot Nathalie Tauziat | 7–6$^{(5)}$, 2–6, 7–6$^{(4)}$ |
| Win | 20–11 | Nov 1988 | Chicago, US | Carpet (i) | Lori McNeil | Larisa Savchenko Natasha Zvereva | 6–4, 3–6, 6–4 |
| Win | 21–11 | Feb 1989 | Fairfax, US | Carpet | Pam Shriver | Larisa Savchenko Natasha Zvereva | 6–2, 6–3 |
| Win | 22–11 | Feb 1989 | Memphis, US | Hard (i) | Lori McNeil | Elise Burgin Elizabeth Smylie | w/o |
| Win | 23–11 | Sep 1989 | Dallas, US | Carpet (i) | Mary Joe Fernández | Elise Burgin Rosalyn Fairbank | 7–6$^{(7–5)}$, 6–3 |
| Loss | 23–12 | May 1990 | Geneva, Switzerland | Clay | Elise Burgin | Louise Field Dianne Van Rensburg | 7–5, 6–7, 5–7 |
| Win | 24–12 | Jul 1990 | Montreal, Canada | Hard | Gabriela Sabatini | Helen Kelesi Raffaella Reggi | 3–6, 6–2, 6–2 |