Mary Carillo : biography
Mary Carillo (born March 15, 1957, in Queens, New York) is an American sportscaster and former professional tennis player.
Personal life
Carillo splits her time between Naples, Florida, and New York City’s Greenwich Village. She was married for 15 years to tennis instructor Bill Bowden. They divorced in 1998 and have two children, Anthony and Rachel. Her brother is the author Charlie Carillo.
Career
Tennis
Carillo played on the women’s professional tennis circuit from 1977 to 1980. She was ranked as high as number 33, in the Women’s Tennis Association Rankings, from January through March 1980, then retired due to knee injuries.
She won the 1977 French Open mixed-doubles title with partner and childhood friend John McEnroe. Carillo and McEnroe then made it to the quarterfinals of Wimbledon, and later that year Carillo was a women’s doubles quarter finalist at the US Open.
WTA Tour finals
- Doubles 1
Outcome | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
Runner-up | 9. | August 8, 1977 | U.S. Open Clay Courts (Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.) | clay | USA}} Wendy Overton | RSA}} Linky Boshoff Ilana Kloss | 7–5, 5–7, 3–6 |
- Mixed doubles 1
Legend | |
Grand Slam | 1 |
WTA Championships | 0 |
Tier I | 0 |
Tier II | 0 |
Tier III | 0 |
Tier IV & V | 0 |
Olympic Games | 0 |
Titles by Surface | |
Hard | 0 |
Clay | 1 |
Grass | 0 |
Carpet | 0 |
Outcome | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
Winner | 1. | June 5, 1977 | French Open, France | Clay | USA}} John McEnroe | COL}} Iván Molina Florenţa Mihai | 7–6, 6–3 |
Sportscasting
Tennis coverage
Carillo began her television career working for USA Network from 1980 through 1987, PBS from 1981 through 1986 and MSG from 1981 through 1988. She started with ESPN in 1988 and continued with them for nine years, returning in 2003. Her work on the U.S. Open for CBS Sports began in 1986, and continues to the present. In addition, Carillo worked as both a host and analyst on HBO’s Wimbledon coverage from 1996 to 1999, and on Turner Sports’ coverage of Wimbledon from 2000 to 2002. In May 2003, Carillo joined NBC Sports as an analyst on the network’s French Open and Wimbledon coverage, having made her debut as an analyst on NBC for the 1996 Family Circle Cup tennis event.
Carillo’s candid and insightful commentary has earned her accolades throughout the industry, including the distinction of being called "the sport’s top analyst" by Sports Illustrated. She is known for her deep voice, quick wit and pointed sense of humor. Like her long-time friend and fellow Douglaston, Queens, New York native John McEnroe, Carillo is known for her colorful turns of speech, and is credited with coining the phrase "Big Babe Tennis" to describe the era in women’s tennis dominated by large, powerful players such as Lindsay Davenport, Serena Williams and Venus Williams. . buzzle.com Carillo’s unabashed and opinionated style of tennis commentary has drawn criticism from several top players, notably Andre Agassi, Serena and Venus Williams, and Maria Sharapova.Maffei, John (June 23, 2006). . North County Times. Retrieved July 31, 2012. Nevertheless, she has been named Best Commentator by Tennis Magazine (1988–91), Best Commentator by World Tennis magazine (1986) and Broadcaster of the Year by the Women’s Tennis Association (1981 and 1985).