Pam Shriver says ‘most’ of her grand slam trophies were stolen while at hotel during wildfire evacuation
3 min read
Tennis Hall of Famer Pam Shriver revealed that a car containing most of her Grand Slam trophies was stolen while she was staying at a hotel during an evacuation caused by the recent wildfires in the Los Angeles area. The car, which Shriver had been using as temporary storage for her prized trophies, was taken from the parking lot of the Marina Del Rey hotel where she and her son were staying.
In a post shared on social media, Shriver explained the situation, saying, “My son & I are at a police station reporting our car was stolen from the hotel parking lot we evacuated to when fires started.” She further added that the vehicle contained the majority of her major tennis trophies, which she had been keeping in the car while waiting for the fires to subside before returning home.
According to Shriver, the car was a Dodge Durango Hellcat, and it contained significant memorabilia from her legendary career. In the vehicle were all five of her US Open trophies, five French Open titles, and one Australian Open trophy. Shriver revealed to ESPN that she realized the vehicle had been stolen around 7:30 a.m. local time on Thursday, while she was staying at the DoubleTree hotel in Marina Del Rey. The fire that prompted the evacuation was part of the ongoing Pacific Palisades fire.
Reflecting on the situation, Shriver shared her emotional reaction to the theft. “Now, my family’s a victim of a crime, too,” she told ESPN. “It’s really sad on so many levels that, when people are at their lowest and in their most difficult times, people are doing things like this.” Thankfully, her home in Brentwood had not been affected by the fires, though she is still waiting for power and heating to be restored.
Shriver’s career has cemented her as one of the greatest doubles players in tennis history. She won 21 Grand Slam women’s doubles titles, 20 of which came alongside the iconic Martina Navratilova. In addition to her doubles success, Shriver also claimed a mixed doubles title at the French Open in 1987 with Spain’s Emilio Sánchez.
Her success on the doubles court was remarkable. Shriver secured seven Australian Open titles, five Wimbledon titles, five US Open titles, and four French Open titles in women’s doubles. In 1984, she and Navratilova made history by winning the calendar Grand Slam, claiming all four major doubles titles in a single year.
Aside from her on-court achievements, Shriver has remained heavily involved in the tennis world. She serves as a commentator for ESPN and Tennis Channel, and she also coaches top Croatian player Donna Vekić, who is ranked 19th in the world. Despite being scheduled to coach Vekić at the Australian Open, Shriver opted to stay in Los Angeles due to the evacuation. From a distance, she continued to guide Vekić, who advanced to the round of 16 in Melbourne after a tough three-hour match. Vekić defeated No. 12 seed Diana Shnaider, 7-6 (4), 6-7 (3), 7-5, and will next face No. 27 seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.
Shriver’s contributions to the sport have been widely recognized, and she was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2002. Her accomplishments on the court, particularly in doubles, have left an indelible mark on tennis history. Despite this recent setback, Shriver’s legacy as one of the greatest players in the sport endures.
As of now, local authorities are investigating the theft, and Shriver’s family is left grappling with both the devastation of the wildfire evacuation and the loss of irreplaceable mementos from her historic career. The emotional toll of the theft during such a challenging time has been compounded by the realization that the trophies, which represent years of hard work and success, were stolen when she and her family were already dealing with the stress of the fires.
About The Author
