Gladys Heldman

Gladys Medalie Heldman (May 13, 1922 – June 22, 2003) was an American tennis player, journalist, and promoter renowned for founding World Tennis magazine in 1953 and establishing the Virginia Slims Circuit in 1970, an independent professional tour that challenged the male-dominated governance of tennis and paved the way for the Women's Tennis Association (WTA).

Born in New York City to scholarly Jewish parents, Heldman graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Stanford University in 1942 and earned a master's degree in medieval history from the University of California, Berkeley, before pivoting to tennis despite limited early athletic experience. After only five years of competitive play, she captured the Texas State Championships, ranked number one in Texas and number two in the Southwest in 1954, and advanced to early rounds at Wimbledon and the U.S. Nationals.

Gladys Medalie Heldman was born on May 13, 1922, in New York City to Jewish parents George Z. Medalie, a prominent lawyer who later served as a judge on the New York Court of Appeals, and Carrie Waplan Medalie. Her family's scholarly orientation emphasized intellectual achievement, as evidenced by her own early academic excellence, though specific details of her upbringing in New York remain sparse in available records.