Andrea Jaeger

Early life

Andrea Jaeger was born on June 4, 1965 in Chicago. Her parents, Roland and Ilse Jaeger, are both deceased. Jaeger grew up in Skokie and Lincolnshire, Illinois.

Tennis career

While a student at Stevenson High School, Jaeger was the top-ranked player in the United States in the 18-and-under age group. She won 13 U.S. national junior titles, including the most prominent junior titles in tennis: the 1979 Orange Bowl and 1979 Boca Raton.

In 1980 (at the age of 15 years, 19 days), Jaeger became the youngest player ever to be seeded at Wimbledon, a record that was broken by Jennifer Capriati in 1990. After defeating former champion Virginia Wade, she became the youngest quarterfinalist in the history of the tournament. Later in the year, she became the youngest semifinalist in US Open history. By the age of 16, she had become the second ranked female professional tennis player in the world.

Jaeger became a household name on the front pages of news publications, notable magazines and appearances on TV. People Magazine, Sports Illustrated, Life Magazine visited her junior high and high school. One of her endorsement commercials featured Jaeger with Bjorn Borg and another with her Mom, highlighting a new way of viewing sports prodigies.

At the French Open in 1982, Jaeger defeated Chris Evert in the semifinal 6–3, 6–1 but lost the final to Martina Navratilova. She then reached the semifinals of both the US Open and the Australian Open, losing both matches to Evert in straight sets. Jaeger and Evert met 10 times in all in 1982, with Jaeger winning three of the first five but losing the last five in a row.

At Wimbledon in 1983, Jaeger defeated six-time Wimbledon singles champion Billie Jean King 6–1, 6–1 in a semifinal on Centre Court, which was King's last career singles match at that tournament and her most lopsided singles defeat at Wimbledon. Jaeger then lost the final to Navratilova.

Jaeger won eight of the nine singles matches she played for the U.S. in Fed Cup. She also won two of the three Wightman Cup singles matches she played for the U.S., resulting in the U.S. winning Fed Cup and Wightman Cup trophies.

A major shoulder injury at the age of 19 ended Jaeger's career in 1985. Jaeger obtained a degree in theology and ministry training.

During her career, Jaeger won U.S. $1.4 million in prize money and had endorsement deals with clothing, racket, shoes, watch and fast food restaurants.

Philanthropy

Jaeger used her winnings from tennis to create the Silver Lining Foundation in 1990. The foundation's purpose was to provide long term care to children with cancer and children in need. Originally located in Aspen, Colorado, the organization transported groups of young cancer patients to Aspen for a week of support and activities, including horseback riding and whitewater rafting. The foundation also provided money for programs for children who could not travel. The first contributor was John McEnroe. Many high-profile celebrities were involved, including Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras, David Robinson, Cindy Crawford, David Foster and Kevin Costner. The foundation was later renamed ‘Little Star Foundation’, paying tribute to Rhea Olsen, a teenager with cancer from Chicago. Olsen became best friends with Jaeger and became the first-ever paid employee of the Foundation. Jaeger helped Olsen for years before her death.

In 1996, Jaeger received the Samuel S. Beard Award for Greatest Public Service by an Individual 35 Years or Under, an award given annually by Jefferson Awards.

Jaeger's autobiography, First Service, was published in 2004. In the book, she discussed her teenage years as a tennis player and her focus on serving God. All proceeds from the book were donated to children's charities.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, and other natural disasters, Jaeger's Foundation provided food, medical, daily, educational and recreational supplies and support to help.

In April 2007, Jaeger and several former athletes, including Andre Agassi, Lance Armstrong, Tony Hawk, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, and Muhammad Ali, appeared on the American morning television talk show Good Morning America to announce their formation of a charity called Athletes for Hope.

Jaeger's Little Star Foundation has a podcast called Little Star Light. Guests have included David Agus, Jill Bolte Taylor, Christine Brennan, Cindy Crawford, David Foster, Tony Hawk, Judy Jordan, Dallas Jenkins, Samina Khan, Nancy Lieberman, Patrick McEnroe, Anne Drysdale, Joe Moravsky, Brian Sharp, Michael Singer, Leslie Visser, Alice Walker, and Kurt Warner.

In September 2025, Jaeger attended the unveiling of a “Pressure is a Privilege” plaque honoring Billie Jean King at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center during the U.S. Open. She reflected on her 1983 Wimbledon semifinal against King, describing it as an honor to share the court with her, and said that King’s phrase “Pressure is a privilege” continues to influence her outlook and charitable work.

Major finals

Grand Slam finals

Singles: 2 runner-ups

Mixed doubles: 1 title

Year-end championships finals

Singles: 1 runner-up

WTA career finals

Singles: 36 (10–26)

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Doubles: 6 (4–2)

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Grand Slam singles performance timeline

References

References

1. {{WTA
2. {{ITF profile
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6. (July 12, 2024). "Wimbledon Finalist Quits Tennis to Become a Nun". Express.
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10. (1980-08-31). "Jaeger, 15, Shrugs Off Early Stardom". [[The Washington Post]].
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17. Sokolowski, Alexandre. (2022-04-10). "April 10, 1982: the day Chris Evert lost on clay for the third time in nine years".
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19. link
20. (1985-09-15). "Andrea Jaeger Battles Back From Burnout".
21. (2012-04-13). "EXCLUSIVE: Jaeger's confession - I let Martina win the title".
22. (1982-03-29). "New York Magazine". New York Media, LLC.
23. "Jaeger: I Lost '83 Final on Purpose".
24. Tingay, Lance. (1983). "The Guinness book of tennis facts & feats". Guinness Superlatives.
25. . (1981-08-26). ["Andrea Jaeger Out On Shoulder Injury"](https://www.nytimes.com/1981/08/26/sports/andrea-jaeger-out-on-shoulder-injury.html). *The New York Times*.
26. (2 May 1985). "SHE'S BURNED UP, NOT OUT".
27. "Andrea Jaeger & Little Star Foundation The MorningStar Journal December 2022 Feature!".
28. (2022-12-22). "American Tennis Player Turned Nun Once Revealed How 'God' Decided Her Tennis Fate Through a Shoulder Injury -'I Know…'".
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30. "50 Years, 50 Heroes: Andrea Jaeger, 1990".
31. (1996-08-18). "GUARDIAN ANGEL : Andrea Jaeger Still Gives Everything She Has, but Now She Gives It to Ailing Children".
32. "Little Star Foundation".
33. "National Winners | public service awards | Jefferson Awards.org".
34. Richards, Renee. (2007-03-26). "No Way Renee: The Second Half of My Notorious Life". Simon and Schuster.
35. (2008-06-28). "Where are they now? Andrea Jaeger".
36. "Strength for Today".
37. (July 12, 2024). "Wimbledon Finalist Quits Tennis to Become a Nun". Express.
38. Patrick Saunders. (31 January 2008). "Jaeger finds joy in serving others". The Denver Post.
39. (2012-12-17). "Former tennis champ Andrea Jaeger goes to Newtown to offer comfort".
40. Futterman, Matthew. (August 27, 2010). "Where Are They Now?". The Wall Street Journal.
41. Futterman, Matthew. (August 30, 2010). "Jaeger's 20 Years of Good Deeds". Wall Street Journal.
42. "'Athletes for Hope' Unite for Charity".
43. "Athletes for Hope {{!}} The Intersection of Sports and Philanthropy".
44. (June 5, 2023). "Andrea Jaeger a tennis prodigy-turned-philanthropist".
45. "About Little Star Light Podcast".
46. (September 11, 2025). "Andrea Jaeger on Billie Jean King's "Pressure Is a Privilege" Plaque at US Open".