Top 10 Incredible Facts about Ilana Kloss

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Top 10 Incredible Facts about Ilana Kloss

Ilana Sheryl Kloss was a former professional tennis player, tennis teacher, and World TeamTennis commissioner from 2001 to 2011.

Tennis is a physical and mental endurance race that calls for a lot of stamina and concentration.

The ability to outlast her opponent and keep the audience interested in every play Kloss makes is just one of many positive traits she possesses.

She was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, on March 22, 1956. Her race is Jewish. In 1976, she was the world’s top-ranked doubles player; in 1979, she was ranked No. 19 in the world in singles.

She won the junior singles title at Wimbledon in 1972, the junior singles title at the US Open in 1974, and the doubles and mixed doubles titles at the French Open in 1976.

She took home three gold medals at the Maccabiah Games in Israel in 1973. Below are 10 incredible facts about Ilana Kloss.

1. The youngest No. 1 player in South African history was Kloss

Ilana Kloss (Wimbledon, 2008)-by Uknown-Wikimedia Commons

She won the Wimbledon junior singles championship in 1972 before going pro. She won the junior singles gold in the U.S. Open in 1974 and held the record for being South Africa’s youngest player to ever be rated first.

In 1976, she held the top doubles ranking in the entire globe. In addition to the mixed doubles title at the French Open, she won doubles championships at the U.S. Open.

As well, as the Italian Open, the U.S. Clay Courts, the German Open, the British Hard Courts Championship, and Hilton Head.

2. Kloss has earned a lot of recognition on the court

She won the Wimbledon junior singles championship when she was 15 years old. In doubles, she won the championship in each of the three years 1973, 1975, and 1977 partnering with Linky Boshoff.

In the women’s and mixed doubles competitions at the Maccabiah Games in Israel in 1973, she took home gold.

She earned a silver medal in mixed doubles at the Maccabiah Games in 1977. She and Pat Walkden won the Cincinnati title in the Cincinnati Masters tennis competition by defeating Evonne Goolagong and Janet Young in the championship match.

In 1974, she won the Hilton Head junior singles title in addition to the US Open, Italian Open, US Clay Courts, German Open, and British Hard Courts Championship.

Kloss won the mixed doubles at the French Open and the doubles title at the US Open in 1976 while holding the No. 1 doubles and No. 19 singles rankings in the world. She captured the Canadian, German, and British clay court titles in 1977.

On the 35-and-over tour in 1999, Kloss won the US Mixed Doubles and Open Doubles championships.

3. She is wed to former No. 1 international tennis player Billie Jean King

Billie Jean King Cover Photo-by KingEnterprises-Wikimedia Commons

After being together for more than 40 years, the couple wed in a private ceremony in 2018. In 1981, Billie Jean King, who had already filed for divorce from her husband Larry King, realized she was drawn to women.

 In September 2018, the two of them acquired a minority stake in the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team.

In October 2020, they acquired a stake in Angel City FC, a Los Angeles-based team that will debut in the National Women’s Soccer League in 2022.

The couple, who has been married for more than 40 years, has dedicated their lives to fighting for equality and social reform.

Through a number of joint initiatives, they have fought for equality for women and the LGBTQ community, having a positive influence on society at large in both athletics and the workplace.

4. Most of the time, she played doubles with Linky Boshoff

Ilana Kloss 2009 US Open 01-by Robbie Mendelson-Wikimedia Commons

She and Ilana Kloss won the 1973 South African Open doubles championship after defeating Chris Evert and Virginia Wade in the championship match.

They also won numerous doubles tournaments in 1976, including the German, Italian, and U.S. Clay Court Championships, and she attained the No. 1 doubles rating in the world.

5. She has served as the CEO and Commissioner of World Team Tennis

Kloss received Coach of the Year honors in 1983 after leading the Chicago Fyre to a WTT Championship. She played and coached for the Miami Beach Breakers in 1985.

She joined WTT in 1987 as vice president and rose to executive director in 1991. She has served as the president and commissioner of World Team Tennis since 2001.

6. Kloss is the president of Billie Jean King Enterprises

Kloss serves as the president of Billie Jean King Enterprises, where she oversees business development and administration for both for-profit and nonprofit organizations.

She is one of the co-founders of the Billie Jean King Leadership Initiative (BJKLI), a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing inclusive leadership and workplace diversity.

BJKLI, which was founded in 2014, seeks to address challenges affecting diversity and inclusion by inspiring young people to become leaders and encouraging those in authority to champion multiple identities and question the current quo.

7. One of the most successful women in sports administration today is Kloss

IKWimbledon2008-by Helence81-Wikimedia Commons

She is an active member of the executive board and a former WSF board chair for the Women’s Sports Foundation (WSF).

She is a member of both the National and International Jewish Sports Halls of Fame and In 2007 the Warsaw Sports Marketing Center recognized her as Sports Businesswoman of the Year.

She is also a member of the executive boards of the Tennis Industry Association, the Billie Jean King WTT Charities, and the Elton John AIDS Foundation.

8. She has participated in the Maccabiah Games

Ilana, who was raised by Jewish parents, has taken part in the Maccabiah Games, an international Jewish competition conducted in Israel. At the 1973 Maccabiah Games, she won the doubles and mixed doubles events.

She and her partner Helen Weiner defeated the American team of Jodi Applebaum and Dona Robin in the women’s doubles after a tense two-and-a-half-hour match.

She was inducted into the Jewish half of the US National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 2006 and also, into the Jewish half of the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 2010.

9. She is ranked as one of the finest Jewish tennis players of all time

Team King (3907239529)-by robbiesaurus-Wikimedia Commons

Kloss is listed in Sandra Hewitt’s book, The Greatest Jewish Tennis Players Of All Time among other people including Brad Gilbert, Dick Savitt, and Julie Heldman.

Also, Justin Gimelstob, Brian Gottfried, Angela Buxton, Amos Mansdorf, Brad Gilbert, Brian Teacher, and Anna Smashnova.

10. Kloss is one of the richest tennis players born in South Africa

One of the wealthiest tennis players is Ilana Kloss. She is also included in the lists of notable individuals born on March 22 and the richest celebrities from South Africa.

Ilana Kloss’s net worth is estimated to be $1.5 million based on an analysis of Forbes, IMDb, Wikipedia, and online sources.

The Johannesburg-born Ilana Kloss had a distinguished career playing at the top level. She was the top-ranked women’s doubles player in the world in 1976.

She won the mixed doubles title that same year at the French Open in addition to the women’s doubles win at the US Open.