Potter started playing tennis when she was eight years old. After graduating from
Taft School in
Watertown, Connecticut in 1978 Potter elected to turn professional instead of accepting an offer of admission at
Princeton. A left-hander, she reached the semifinals at the
U.S. Open in 1981 as well as the quarterfinals at the
Australian Open in 1984, and
Wimbledon in 1982, 1983 and 1985. At the
WTA Tour Championships, she reached the semifinals in singles in 1984 and was a runner-up in doubles with
Sharon Walsh in 1981. Potter reached a career high ranking of No. 7 in 1982 and that year won the singles titles at the
Avon Championships of Cincinnati and the
US Indoor Championships. She also played in three Grand Slam doubles finals, the 1982 US Open women's doubles with Sharon Walsh as well as the 1982 and 1983 US Open mixed doubles with
Ferdi Taygan. In 1986, Potter suffered two herniated disks in her back at a tournament in England and was forced off the tour several times. After a grueling exercise and fitness program, she successfully returned to the tour. She was a member of the 1982 and 1984 U.S.
Wightman Cup teams and the 1988
United States Fed Cup team. In 1989, she re-aggravated a persistent back condition at the beginning season when she was involved in an automobile accident. She retired in November 1989 due to deteriorating hip cartilage. Potter currently resides in
Harlem, Georgia. ==Major finals==