Mary Carillo is an American sportscaster and former professional
tennisTennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
player.
Tennis career
Carillo played on the women's professional tennis circuit from 1977 to 1980. She was ranked as high as number 33, in the WTA Rankings, from January through March 1980, then retired due to knee injuries. She won the French Open mixed doubles title with partner and childhood friend,
John McEnroeJohn Patrick McEnroe, Jr. is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player from the United States. During his career, he won seven Grand Slam singles titles , nine Grand Slam men's doubles titles, and one Grand Slam mixed doubles title...
, in 1977. 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
U.S. OpenThe US Open, formally the United States Open Tennis Championships, is a hardcourt tennis tournament which is the modern iteration of one of the oldest tennis championships in the world, the U.S. National Championship, which for men's singles was first contested in 1881...
.
Doubles 1
| Outcome |
No. |
Date |
Tournament |
Surface |
Partner |
Opponents |
Score |
| Runner-up |
9. |
8 August 1977 |
Indianapolis, Indiana, USA |
Clay |
 Wendy OvertonWendy Overton was an American professional tennis player active in the 1970s. She is known mostly for her performance in doubles.She began her tennis career in Florida at the age of 11. She was ranked world No...
|
 Delina Ann Boshoff
Ilana KlossIlana Sheryl Kloss is a former professional tennis player and the commissioner of World Team Tennis.-Tennis career:Kloss was born in Johannesburg, South Africa. Before turning professional, in 1972 she won the Wimbledon juniors singles title. In 1974 she won U.S...
|
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. |
5 June 1977 |
French Open, France |
Clay |
John McEnroeJohn Patrick McEnroe, Jr. is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player from the United States. During his career, he won seven Grand Slam singles titles , nine Grand Slam men's doubles titles, and one Grand Slam mixed doubles title...
|
 Iván MolinaIván Molina is a former professional Colombian tennis player.Molina and Martina Navratilova teamed to win the 1974 French Open mixed doubles title, beating Rosie Reyes Darmon and Marcelo Lara 6–3, 6–3 in the final. Together with Florenţa Mihai, he reached the French Open mixed doubles final in...
 Florenţa MihaiFlorenţa Mihai is a former female tennis player from Romania.She was the runner-up in two events at the 1977 French Open. She lost in the singles final to Mima Jaušovec...
|
7-6, 6-3 |
Tennis coverage
Carillo began her television career working for
USA NetworkUSA Network is an American cable television channel launched in 1971. Once a minor player in basic cable, the network has steadily gained popularity because of breakout hits like Monk, Psych, Burn Notice, Royal Pains, Covert Affairs, White Collar, Monday Night RAW, Suits, and reruns of the various...
from 1980 through 1987, PBS from 1981 through 1986 and MSG from 1981 through 1988. She started with
ESPNEntertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
in 1988 and continued with them for nine years, returning in 2003. Her work on the
U.S. OpenThe US Open, formally the United States Open Tennis Championships, is a hardcourt tennis tournament which is the modern iteration of one of the oldest tennis championships in the world, the U.S. National Championship, which for men's singles was first contested in 1881...
for
CBS SportsCBS Sports is a division of CBS Broadcasting which airs sporting events on the American television network. Its headquarters are in the CBS Building on West 52nd Street in midtown Manhattan, New York City, with programs produced out of Studio 43 at the CBS Broadcast Center on West 57th Street.CBS...
began in 1986, and continues to the present. In addition, Carillo worked as both a host and analyst on HBO's
WimbledonThe Championships, Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon , is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, considered by many to be the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London since 1877. It is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, the other three Majors...
coverage from 1996 to 1999, and on
Turner SportsTurner Sports is the division of Turner Broadcasting System responsible for sports broadcasts on Turner channels including TBS, TNT, and TruTV, and for operating the interactive properties , , , and...
’ coverage of Wimbledon from 2000 to 2002. In May 2003, Carillo joined
NBC SportsNBC Sports is the sports division of the NBC television network. Formerly "a service of NBC News," it broadcasts a diverse array of programs, including the Olympic Games, the NFL, the NHL, MLS, Notre Dame football, the PGA Tour, the Triple Crown, and the French Open, among others...
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 CupThe Family Circle Cup is a WTA Tour affiliated professional tennis tournament for women, held every year since 1973. The tournament is currently played on the green clay courts at the Daniel Island Tennis Center in Charleston, South Carolina, USA...
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 IllustratedSports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
. She is known for her deep voice, quick wit and pointed sense of humor. Like her long-time friend and fellow
Douglaston, QueensDouglaston, population 14,168 , is a community in the New York City borough of Queens. Douglaston comprises six distinct neighborhoods: Doug Bay, Douglas Manor, and Douglaston Hill, all located north of Northern Boulevard on the peninsula abutting Little Neck Bay; Douglaston Park, located between...
,
New YorkNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
native
John McEnroeJohn Patrick McEnroe, Jr. is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player from the United States. During his career, he won seven Grand Slam singles titles , nine Grand Slam men's doubles titles, and one Grand Slam mixed doubles title...
, 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 DavenportLindsay Ann Davenport is a former World No. 1 American professional tennis player. She has won three Grand Slam singles tournaments and an Olympic gold medal in singles. In 2005, TENNIS Magazine ranked her as the 29th-best player of the preceding forty years...
,
Serena WilliamsSerena Jameka Williams is an American professional tennis player and a former world no. 1. The Women's Tennis Association has ranked her world no. 1 in singles on five separate occasions. She became the world no. 1 for the first time on July 8, 2002 and regained this ranking for the fifth time on...
and
Venus WilliamsVenus Ebony Starr Williams is an American professional tennis player who is a former World No. 1 and is ranked World No. 101 as of 10 October 2011 in singles and World No. 20 in doubles as of 2011. She has been ranked World No. 1 in singles by the Women's Tennis Association on three separate...
. Carillo's unabashed and opinionated style of tennis commentary has drawn criticism from several top players, notably
Andre AgassiAndre Kirk Agassi is a retired American professional tennis player and former world no. 1. Generally considered by critics and fellow players to be one of the greatest tennis players of all time, Agassi has been called the best service returner in the history of the game...
,
SerenaSerena Jameka Williams is an American professional tennis player and a former world no. 1. The Women's Tennis Association has ranked her world no. 1 in singles on five separate occasions. She became the world no. 1 for the first time on July 8, 2002 and regained this ranking for the fifth time on...
and
Venus WilliamsVenus Ebony Starr Williams is an American professional tennis player who is a former World No. 1 and is ranked World No. 101 as of 10 October 2011 in singles and World No. 20 in doubles as of 2011. She has been ranked World No. 1 in singles by the Women's Tennis Association on three separate...
, and
Maria SharapovaMaria Yuryevna Sharapova ,. is a Russian professional tennis player and a former world no. 1. A US resident since 1994, Sharapova has won 24 WTA singles titles, including three Grand Slam singles titles at the 2004 Wimbledon, 2006 US Open and 2008 Australian Open...
. Nevertheless, she has been named Best Commentator by
Tennis MagazineTennis Magazine is an American sports magazine owned by the Miller Publishing Group, LLC. It is a monthly magazine which covers news from the world of tennis.-History:...
(1988–91), Best Commentator by
World Tennis magazine (1986) and Broadcaster of the Year by the
Women's Tennis AssociationThe Women's Tennis Association , founded in 1973 by Billie Jean King, is the principal organizing body of Women's Professional Tennis. It governs the WTA Tour which is the worldwide professional tennis tour for women. Its counterpart organization in the men's professional game is the Association of...
(1981 and 1985).
Carillo has written three books, all related to tennis:
Tennis My Way (1984) for which she is second author to
Martina Navratilova,
Rick Elstein's Tennis Kinetics: With Martina Navratilova (1985) for which she is uncredited, and
Tennis Confidential II: More of Today's Greatest Players, Matches, and Controversies (2008) for which she is second author to Paul Fein. She is a former member of the
WTAThe Women's Tennis Association , founded in 1973 by Billie Jean King, is the principal organizing body of Women's Professional Tennis. It governs the WTA Tour which is the worldwide professional tennis tour for women. Its counterpart organization in the men's professional game is the Association of...
's Board of Directors.
Olympic coverage
Carillo served as tennis analyst in both Sydney (2000) and Atlanta (1996) and as the
skiingSkiing is a recreational activity using skis as equipment for traveling over snow. Skis are used in conjunction with boots that connect to the ski with use of a binding....
reporter for CBS’ coverage in Nagano (1998),
Lillehammer (1994)The 1994 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVII Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 12 to 27 February 1994 in and around Lillehammer, Norway. Lillehammer failed to win the bid for the 1992 event. Lillehammer was awarded the games in 1988, after having beat...
and
Albertville (1992)The 1992 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVI Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 8 to 23 February 1992 in Albertville, France. They were the last Winter Olympics to be held the same year as the Summer Olympics, and the first where the Winter Paralympics...
.
At the 2004 Athens Games, Carillo earned critical praise in her debut as a full-time Olympic host on Bravo's coverage in addition to anchoring
USA NetworkUSA Network is an American cable television channel launched in 1971. Once a minor player in basic cable, the network has steadily gained popularity because of breakout hits like Monk, Psych, Burn Notice, Royal Pains, Covert Affairs, White Collar, Monday Night RAW, Suits, and reruns of the various...
's live, Grand Slam-style coverage of the tennis gold medal finals. During NBC's coverage of the 2002 Salt Lake Winter Olympics she covered bobsled,
lugeThe Luge competition at the 2002 Winter Olympic Games was held at Utah Olympic Park in Park City. Three events were staged, taking place from February 10 to February 14.-Medal table:-Events:-References:***...
and
skeletonSkeleton returned to the program of the Winter Olympic Games for the first time in 54 years at the 2002 Games in Salt Lake City. Both men and women competed, with medals awarded after two runs down the course. Both events were contested on February 20.-Medal summary:-Medal table:-References:**...
competitions. Her comment that men's doubles luge is "like a bar bet gone bad" was recognized as "line of the year" in many sports television columns. In addition, Carillo's work co-hosting the
2002 Closing CeremonyThe 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event that was celebrated in February 2002 in and around Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. Approximately 2,400 athletes from 77 nations participated in 78 events in fifteen disciplines, held throughout...
alongside
Dan HicksJohn Daniel "Dan" Hicks is an American sportscaster for NBC. His primary duties for the network include play-by-play commentary for golf, but he also does occasional play-by-play commentary for The AFL on NBC and Notre Dame football...
earned her critical acclaim.
At the 2006 Winter Games in Torino Carillo hosted "
Olympic IceOlympic Ice was a daily television program that was broadcast at 6 p.m. ET on the USA Network during the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy...
", a daily
figure skatingFigure skating is an Olympic sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform spins, jumps, footwork and other intricate and challenging moves on ice skates. Figure skaters compete at various levels from beginner up to the Olympic level , and at local, national, and international competitions...
show on
USA NetworkUSA Network is an American cable television channel launched in 1971. Once a minor player in basic cable, the network has steadily gained popularity because of breakout hits like Monk, Psych, Burn Notice, Royal Pains, Covert Affairs, White Collar, Monday Night RAW, Suits, and reruns of the various...
. She co-hosted the critically acclaimed daily figure skating television program with
Scott HamiltonScott Scovell Hamilton is an American figure skater and Olympic gold medalist. He won four consecutive U.S. championships , four consecutive World Championships and a gold medal in the 1984 Olympics....
,
Dick ButtonRichard Totten "Dick" Button is an American former figure skater and a well-known long-time skating television analyst. He is a two-time Olympic Champion and five-time World Champion...
, and
Jamie SaléJamie Rae Salé is a Canadian pair skater. With partner David Pelletier, she is a 2002 Olympic Champion and the 2001 World Champion. Salé & Pelletier's Olympic gold medal was shared with the Russian pair Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze after the 2002 Olympic Winter Games figure skating...
and
David PelletierDavid Jacques Pelletier is a Canadian pairs figure skater. With his partner Jamie Salé, he was the co-gold medal winner at the 2002 Olympic Winter Games...
.
Carillo served as late night show host, closing ceremony host, and "Friend of
BobRobert Quinlan "Bob" Costas is an American sportscaster, on the air for the NBC network since the early 1980s.-Early life:...
" for the 2008 Beijing Games, her ninth
OlympicThe Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
assignment and her sixth with NBC. Her role focused on cultural commentary and "slice of life" pieces about China. She repeated these duties – late-night host and human-interest reporter – for NBC in their coverage of the
2010 Winter OlympicsThe 2010 Winter Olympics, officially the XXI Olympic Winter Games or the 21st Winter Olympics, were a major international multi-sport event held from February 12–28, 2010, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with some events held in the suburbs of Richmond, West Vancouver and the University...
in Vancouver. She was also one of the torch bearers during the torch's tour through Canada.
Other activities
Carillo has been a correspondent on HBO's
Real Sports with Bryant GumbelReal Sports with Bryant Gumbel is a monthly sports newsmagazine on HBO that debuted on April 2, 1995. The show was "spawned by the fact that sports have changed dramatically, that it's no longer just fun and games, and that what happens off the field, beyond the scores, is worthy of some serious...
since 1997, winning a Sports Emmy Award for her
Real Sports feature on the
Hoyt FamilyTeam Hoyt is a father and son team from Holland, Massachusetts, who have competed together in various athletic endeavors, including marathons and triathlons...
.
In 2009, Carillo co-hosted the 133rd
Westminster Kennel Club Dog ShowThe Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show is a two-day, all-breed benched conformation show that takes place at Madison Square Garden in New York City every year. The first Westminster show was held in 1877....
broadcast on USA Networks.
Personal life
Carillo splits her time between
Naples, FloridaNaples is a city in Collier County, Florida, United States. As of July 1, 2007, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated the city's population at 21,653. Naples is a principal city of the Naples–Marco Island Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had an estimated total population of 315,839 on July 1, 2007...
, and New York's
Greenwich VillageGreenwich Village, , , , .in New York often simply called "the Village", is a largely residential neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City. A large majority of the district is home to upper middle class families...
. 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.
Awards and honors
- Carillo received a Peabody Award
The George Foster Peabody Awards recognize distinguished and meritorious public service by radio and television stations, networks, producing organizations and individuals. In 1939, the National Association of Broadcasters formed a committee to recognize outstanding achievement in radio broadcasting...
, one of television's highest honors, for co-writing with Frank DefordBenjamin "Frank" Deford, III is a senior contributing writer for Sports Illustrated, author, and commentator for National Public Radio and correspondent for Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel on HBO....
the HBO documentary "Dare to Compete: The Struggle of Women in Sport."
- Twice named Broadcaster of the Year by Women's Tennis Association (1981, 1985)
- Named "Best Commentator" by World Tennis Magazine (1986), Toronto Star (1986), and TENNIS Magazine
Tennis Magazine is an American sports magazine owned by the Miller Publishing Group, LLC. It is a monthly magazine which covers news from the world of tennis.-History:...
(1988–91)
- Won a Sports Emmy Award for her feature on the Hoyt Family.
- Won 2010 Dick Schaap Award for Outstanding Journalism
The Dick Schaap Award for Outstanding Journalism was established in 2002 to honor the memory of one of Americas pre-eminent sports writers, Dick Schaap. The award is presented by the Nassau County Sports Commission and is given out to the journalist, in any medium, that best exemplifies the...
- First Female recipient of the award.
External links