Chanda Rubin was born February 18, 1976 in Lafayette, Louisiana and attended the Episcopal School of Acadiana in Cade, Louisiana. She learned the game of tennis from as early as the age of five, and by the time she was 11, Rubin won the Age 12 and Under National Championship in 1988, and the following year, won again in the Age 14 and Under category. At age 14, Rubin was chosen for the national team by the United States Tennis Association (USTA), the youngest player ever to be selected. She would also become the only player without an 18 and under national championship win to be granted a U.S. Open wild card draw. A year later, at age 15, Rubin won the Wimbledon Girls’ Singles Championship and turned pro. In 1995, Rubin was selected Athlete of the Year by the American Tennis Association (ATA), Female Athlete of the Year by the USTA and honored with her own day when Lafayette, Louisiana named September 12, 1995, “Chanda Rubin Day.” In 1996, Rubin was ranked the world’s number one American-born player and tapped for the Olympic tennis team. Due to a stress fracture, she had to withdraw from the Olympics and over the next couple of years suffered with injuries. After a second knee surgery in 2002, Rubin came back stronger than ever with her strongest showing to date at Wimbledon and defeated top players Lindsay Davenport, Jelena Dokic and Serena Williams that same year. Known as a caring athlete, Rubin is involved in a number of charities including her own Chanda Rubin Tennis Foundation which raises money for tennis programs in several Louisiana schools.

Return to Sports Legends...