It’s official, Aussie champion Evonne Goolagong Cawley has inspired a new TV project about her extraordinary true life tale.
As filming begins on the new ABC miniseries, here’s everything we know so far about the upcoming show…
Who is Evonne Goolagong Cawley?
Born on July 31, 1951, Evonne Goolagong Cawley AC MBE is one of the greatest Australian tennis players of all time.
The proud Wiradjuri woman was the third of eight children. Evonne’s father, Ken was a sheep shearer, and her mother, Melinda a homemaker. Growing up in the small country town of Barellan, NSW, at an early age, she’d hit an old moth-eaten ball her father had found against a wall using the handle of an apple crate.
“I’d count how many times that ball hit the wall without making a mistake. I would write the highest score in the dirt and come back the next day and try and beat that score,” she told The Weekly.
Next door was a tennis court attached to the Barellan War Memorial Club. It was here that club president Bill Kurtzman spotted six-year-old Evonne often peering through the fence, as well as whacking that ball.
Despite her young years, he invited her to join and put her into the coaching school. It was unheard of not just for her age but for the fact that, as she says, “Aboriginals weren’t allowed in clubs anywhere.”
How Evonne Goolagong became a tennis legend
She excelled. Under Bill’s wing, she would start to compete, with the town all clubbing in to raise the funds to send Evonne to competitions as well as buy the gear she needed. When Sydney tennis coach Vic Edwards got wind of the talented young player, he drove up to see her.
Signing her up instantly, at 14, Evonne moved to Sydney, where she boarded with Vic’s family. Soon, she was winning matches all over the state.
At the age of 19 in 1971, she won the French Open singles, the Australian Open doubles championships (with her hero Margaret Court). She then won the women’s singles at Wimbledon.
That same year, she was named Australian of the Year.
Continuing the winning streak through the 70s, in 1980 she would win Wimbledon again. But this time, as a mum, the first mother to ever win the title in its 66-year history.
In the course of her extraordinary career, Evonne would win 86 WTA Tour-level singles titles and 46 doubles titles. In 2025, alongside fellow player Ash Barty, she was one of the Role Models who had a Barbie made in her image!
Who stars in Goolagong?
Rising star Lila McGuire (The Twelve) plays Evonne Goolagong in the TV series. Wayne Blair (Mystery Road, Total Control) is the director. Others in the cast include:
- Marton Csokas (Asylum, Equaliser) plays Vic Edwards
- Felix Mallard (Ginny and Georgia, Turtles All The Way Down) plays Roger Cawley, Evonne’s husband.
- Luke Carroll (Mystery Road Origin and Scrublands season 2)
Where is Goolagong filming?
An ABC co-production with VicScreen and Screen Australia, Goolagong is currently in production. It’s filming on the lands of the Wurundjeri, Boonwurrung, Taungurung, and Dja Dja Wurrung peoples of the Kulin Nations.
Where can I watch Goolagong?
Goolagong will air on ABC and ABC iview. We’ll keep you posted when we know the screening details!
