1977 to 1980

In January 1977, a month after turning fourteen, Austin won her first professional singles title, defeating Stacy Margolin at the Avon Futures event in Portland.^[8][9] As an amateur she could not accept the prize money.^[10][8] At her Wimbledon debut in 1977 she reached the third round where she lost to top-seeded Chris Evert. In September, she made her US Open debut and reached the quarterfinal, falling to fifth-seeded Betty Stöve.^[11]

Less than two months before her sixteenth birthday, Austin turned professional in October 1978.^[12] That same month, she won her first professional singles title, defeating Betty Stöve in the final of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Filderstadt, West Germany.^[13][14]

She followed up with tournament wins in Tokyo and Washington, defeating Martina Navratilova in both finals.^[15] Austin defeated 35-year-old Billie Jean King in the quarterfinals of the 1979 Wimbledon Championships, then lost to Navratilova in straight sets in the semifinals. Austin then became the youngest ever US Open champion, aged 16 years and 9 months, by defeating second-seeded Navratilova in the semifinals and first-seeded Chris Evert in the final.^[16][11] Evert had been attempting to win the title for the fifth consecutive year.^[11] Earlier that year, Austin ended Evert's 125-match winning streak on clay by beating her in three sets in a semifinal of the Italian Open.^[17][16]

The Associated Press named Austin its Female Athlete of the Year for 1979.^[18]

Austin lost in the semifinals of both Grand Slam tournaments she played in 1980. Evonne Goolagong Cawley, seeded fourth and the eventual champion, defeated Austin at the Wimbledon Championships. As the top seed and defending champion at the US Open, Austin was expected to extend her five-match winning streak against third-ranked Evert. Austin took a 4–0 lead in the first set before Evert won 16 of the final 20 games to win the match. Evert went on to beat Hana Mandlíková in the final. Austin was ranked the world No. 1 singles player in 1980 for two weeks (April 7–20) and then for 19 weeks (July 7-November 17), partly because she captured the two tour-ending events. Austin defeated Navratilova to win the Avon Championships in March and Andrea Jaeger to capture the 1980 Colgate Series Championships in January 1981. In 1980, Austin won the Wimbledon mixed doubles title with her brother John, becoming the first brother and sister team to win a Grand Slam title together.^[1]

1981 to 1983

During the first four months of 1981, Austin played only two events because of chronic injuries. On grass, she defended her singles title at the Eastbourne International in the United Kingdom in June without losing a set. After Wimbledon, Austin won 26 consecutive matches and four consecutive tournaments.^[16] She defeated Pam Shriver in the final of the Wells Fargo Open in San Diego, and three weeks later, she beat both Navratilova and Evert in straight sets to win the Canadian Open in Toronto. As the third-seeded player at the US Open, Austin defeated fourth-seeded Navratilova in a three-set final. Navratilova, however, ended Austin's winning streak in the final of the U.S. Indoor Championships. In Europe during the autumn, Austin lost to Sue Barker in the quarterfinals of the Brighton International in Brighton, United Kingdom, but recovered the following week to defeat Navratilova in the final of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, West Germany. At the final Grand Slam tournament of the year, Austin was seeded second but lost to sixth-seeded Shriver in the Australian Open quarterfinals. The 1981 year-ending Toyota Series Championships featured two matches against Evert and one against Navratilova. Evert won her round-robin match with Austin, then Austin defeated Evert in their semifinal. Austin won the tournament with a three-set defeat of Navratilova.^[19] The Associated Press named Austin its 1981 Female Athlete of the Year for the second time.^[20]

Austin was the first opponent of Steffi Graf when the German made her professional debut at the 1982 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart. Austin defeated the 13-year-old Graf 6–4, 6–0.

Back injuries and recurring sciatica then began to impair Austin's effectiveness and sidelined her for long stretches. Billie Jean King, seeded twelfth, upset third-seeded Austin in the 1982 Wimbledon quarterfinals. Several weeks later, however, Austin won her 30th and final top-level singles title in San Diego. Austin had a good showing at the 1982 season-ending Toyota Series Championships where she defeated Jaeger, the world No. 3, in straight sets to reach the semifinals. However, she was unable to repeat 1981's victory over Evert, who defeated her in the semifinals.

In 1983, she was the runner-up at the Family Circle Cup, losing the final to Navratilova in three sets. She also reached the quarterfinals of the French Open.

1984 to 1989

Austin played sporadically from 1984 to 1987 and tried yet another comeback on the tour in 1988 when she played in seven doubles tournaments, and in 1989, when she played in one doubles and two singles tournaments. A highlight of this comeback included a semifinal showing in the 1988 US Open mixed doubles with partner Ken Flach.^[21] This comeback was ended by a near-fatal motor vehicle accident in Millburn, New Jersey, on August 3, 1989. A van coming from the opposite direction crashed into her vehicle's driver side, and she suffered a bruised heart, a bruised spleen, a sprained back and a shattered knee.^[5][22]

1992 to 1994

In 1992, Austin became the youngest person to be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame, at the age of 29.^[1] She attempted a second comeback in 1993 and 1994 but was not particularly successful. In 1993, Austin upset Rennae Stubbs and Katerina Maleeva at the Evert Cup in Indian Wells, California, then lost to Stephanie Rottier. At the WTA Manhattan Beach event, she upset Gigi Fernández and Elena Likhovtseva, then lost to Gabriela Sabatini in the round of 16. Her wins over Maleeva, Fernandez, and Likhovtseva began a buzz that Austin might become at least a top 20 player again. However, in 1994, her results were not as promising and at the Evert Cup in Indian Wells, California, Austin lost in the second round to Steffi Graf, and Austin soon retired in June 1994.^[23]

Playing style

Austin possessed a solid baseline game, with a strong flat-hit forehand and reliable two-handed backhand.^[24][16] Her favorite shot was the backhand down the line and she considered her backhand to be more powerful and accurate than her forehand.^[24]

She had excellent court coverage and struck the ball deep, with substantial pace, and with pinpoint accuracy.^[25][16]

Austin's first serve was a mid-paced high percentage shot that functioned well on all playing surfaces, and although her second serve has been described as lacking penetration, she rarely double faulted.

Grand Slam finals

Singles: 2 (2 titles)

Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Opponent	Score
Win	1979	US Open	Hard	Chris Evert	6–4, 6–3
Win	1981	US Open	Hard	Martina Navratilova	1–6, 7–6(7–4), 7–6(7–1)

Mixed doubles: 2 (1 title, 1 runner–up)

Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Win	1980	Wimbledon	Grass	John Austin	Dianne Fromholtz Mark Edmondson	4–6, 7–6(8–6), 6–3
Loss	1981	Wimbledon	Grass	John Austin	Betty Stöve Frew McMillan	6–4, 6–7(2–7), 3–6

Year-end championships finals

Singles: 2 (1 title, 1 runner–up)

Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Opponent	Score
Loss	1979	New York City	Carpet (i)	Martina Navratilova	3–6, 6–3, 2–6
Win	1980	New York City	Carpet (i)	Martina Navratilova	6–2, 2–6, 6–2

Singles: 44 (30–14)

Result	W/L	Date	Tournament	Surface	Opponent	Score
Win	1–0	Jan 1977	Portland, US	Hard (i)	Stacy Margolin	6–7, 6–3, 4–1 ret.
Loss	1–1	Mar 1978	Dallas, US	Carpet (i)	Evonne Goolagong Cawley	6–4, 0–6, 2–6
Loss	1–2	Oct 1978	Phoenix, US	Hard	Martina Navratilova	4–6, 2–6
Win	2–2	Oct 1978	Filderstadt, West Germany	Carpet (i)	Betty Stöve	6–3, 6–3
Win	3–2	Nov 1978	Tokyo, Japan	Hard (i)	Martina Navratilova	6–1, 6–1
Win	4–2	Jan 1979	Washington, US	Carpet (i)	Martina Navratilova	6–3, 6–2
Loss	4–3	Jan 1979	Chicago, US	Carpet (i)	Martina Navratilova	3–6, 4–6
Loss	4–4	Mar 1979	Avon Championships, US	Carpet (i)	Martina Navratilova	3–6, 6–3, 2–6
Win	5–4	Apr 1979	Hilton Head Island, US	Clay	Kerry Melville Reid	7–6(7–3), 7–6(9–7)
Win	6–4	May 1979	Rome, Italy	Clay	Sylvia Hanika	6–4, 1–6, 6–3
Win	7–4	Jul 1979	San Diego, US	Hard	Martina Navratilova	6–4, 6–2
Loss	7–5	Aug 1979	Mahwah, US	Hard	Chris Evert-Lloyd	7–6(7–2), 4–6, 1–6
Win	8–5	Aug 1979	US Open	Hard	Chris Evert-Lloyd	6–4, 6–3
Win	9–5	Nov 1979	Filderstadt, West Germany	Carpet (i)	Martina Navratilova	6–2, 6–0
Win	10–5	Dec 1979	Tokyo, Japan	Carpet (i)	Martina Navratilova	6–2, 6–1
Loss	10–6	Jan 1980	Landover, US	Carpet (i)	Martina Navratilova	2–6, 1–6
Win	11–6	Jan 1980	Cincinnati, US	Carpet (i)	Chris Evert-Lloyd	6–2, 6–1
Win	12–6	Jan 1980	Seattle, US	Carpet (i)	Virginia Wade	6–2, 7–6
Loss	12–7	Feb 1980	Los Angeles, US	Carpet (i)	Martina Navratilova	2–6, 0–6
Win	13v7	Mar 1980	Boston, US	Carpet (i)	Virginia Wade	6–2, 6–1
Win	14v7	Mar 1980	Avon Championships, US	Carpet (i)	Martina Navratilova	6–2, 2–6, 6–2
Win	15–7	Mar 1980	Carlsbad, US	Hard	Martina Navratilova	7–5, 6–2
Win	16–7	Apr 1980	Hilton Head Island, US	Clay	Regina Maršíková	3–6, 6–1, 6–0
Loss	16–8	Apr 1980	Orlando, US	Clay	Martina Navratilova	2–6, 4–6
Win	17–8	Jun 1980	Eastbourne, UK	Grass	Wendy Turnbull	7–6, 6–2
Win	18–8	Jul 1980	San Diego, US	Hard	Wendy Turnbull	6–1, 6–3
Win	19–8	Sep 1980	Minneapolis, US	Carpet (i)	Martina Navratilova	6–1, 2–6, 6–2
Win	20–8	Nov 1980	Filderstadt, West Germany	Carpet (i)	Sherry Acker	6–2, 7–5
Loss	20–9	Nov 1980	Tampa, US	Hard	Andrea Jaeger	w/o
Loss	20–10	Nov 1980	Tokyo, Japan	Carpet (i)	Martina Navratilova	4–6, 3–6
Win	21–10	Dec 1980	Tucson, US	Carpet (i)	Peanut Louie	6–2, 6–0
Win	22–10	Jan 1981	Landover, US	Carpet (i)	Andrea Jaeger	6–2, 6–2
Win	23–10	Jun 1981	Eastbourne, UK	Grass	Andrea Jaeger	6–3, 6–4
Win	24–10	Jul 1981	San Diego, US	Hard	Pam Shriver	6–2, 5–7, 6–2
Win	25–10	Aug 1981	Toronto, Canada	Hard	Chris Evert-Lloyd	6–1, 6–4
Win	26–10	Sep 1981	US Open	Hard	Martina Navratilova	1–6, 7–6(7–4), 7–6(7–1)
Win	27–10	Sep 1981	Atlanta, US	Hard	Mary-Lou Piatek	4–6, 6–3, 6–3
Loss	27–11	Sep 1981	Minneapolis, US	Carpet (i)	Martina Navratilova	0–6, 2–6
Win	28–11	Oct 1981	Filderstadt, West Germany	Carpet (i)	Martina Navratilova	4–6, 6–3, 6–4
Win	29–11	Dec 1981	East Rutherford, US	Carpet (i)	Martina Navratilova	2–6, 6–4, 6–2
Win	30–11	Jul 1982	San Diego, US	Hard	Kathy Rinaldi	7–6, 6–3
Loss	30–12	Oct 1982	Filderstadt, West Germany	Carpet (i)	Martina Navratilova	3–6, 3–6
Loss	30–13	Dec 1982	Richmond, US	Carpet (i)	Wendy Turnbull	7–6(7–3), 2–6, 4–6
Loss	30–14	Apr 1983	Hilton Head Island, US	Clay	Martina Navratilova	7–5, 1–6, 0–6

Doubles: 7 (5–2)

Result	W/L	Date	Tournament	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Win	1–0	Oct 1978	Phoenix, US	Hard	Betty Stöve	Martina Navratilova Anne Smith	6–4, 6–7, 6–2
Win	2–0	Oct 1978	Filderstadt, West Germany	Carpet (i)	Betty Stöve	Mima Jaušovec Virginia Ruzici	6–3, 6–2
Loss	2–1	Nov 1978	Tokyo, Japan	Hard (i)	Kathy May	Martina Navratilova Betty Stöve	6–4, 6–7, 3–6
Loss	2–2	Jan 1979	Oakland, US	Carpet (i)	Betty Stöve	Rosie Casals Chris Evert	6–3, 4–6, 3–6
Win	3–2	Jan 1979	Hollywood, US	Carpet (i)	Betty Stöve	Rosie Casals Wendy Turnbull	6–2, 2–6, 6–2
Win	4–2	Aug 1979	Mahwah, US	Hard	Betty Stöve	Mima Jaušovec Regina Maršíková	7–6, 2–6, 6–4
Win	5–2	Jul 1980	San Diego, US	Hard	Ann Kiyomura	Rosie Casals Wendy Turnbull	3–6, 6–4, 6–3