facts about chris evert
Facts About Chris Evert
Holding the World No. 1 female singles player title in tennis for a period of seven years, Chris Evert has also been the top favorite amongst many lovers of the game for her sheer style and grace. Here's a look at some interesting facts about the iconic Chris Evert.
Chris Evert, a former women's tennis champion, had a very large fan following, and till date there are millions who love her. With a large number of titles to her credit, she caused a phenomenon with her skills at the game, and the poise that she reflected on the court. There are many reasons why she remains to be a favorite amongst all tennis lovers! Here are some interesting facts, which will help you take a trip through her association with tennis, and her personal life as well.
- Chris Evert (Christine Marie Evert) was born on December 21, 1954. A former professional tennis player, she has many prestigious titles to her credit.
- She was particularly popular as a women's tennis champion from the period of 1974 to 1986.
- This gorgeous tennis player was first seen on the tennis scene in the year 1970. She participated in a small tournament in North Carolina.
- Her father, Jimmy Evert, tutored her personally by giving her tennis lessons when she was just 5 years old. Jimmy Evert had won the men's singles title at the Canadian Championships in 1947.
- Her super cool personality that showed no signs of aggression earned her the nicknames―Ice Princess and Ice Maiden.
- She is known to have faced rival Martina Navratilova around 80 times. This professional rivalry helped popularize women's tennis all over the world!
- In total, she won a whopping 18 Grand Slam singles titles, including a record breaking 7 at the French Open.
- Even before she had her first win in a Grand Slam event, she had already signed a contract with Puritan Fashions Corp, which required her to endorse sportswear.
- She made her Grand Slam debut at the U.S. Open at the age of 16, in the year 1971.
- She was much in the public eye due to her romance with tennis champion Jimmy Connors. This was the time when they were at the peak of their careers, and the media termed it as the 'Love Match' during that period. (1974-1976)
- She was also the runner-up at the French Open and Wimbledon in 1973. But by 1974, she won both these titles and bagged the first Grand Slam singles title, with around 55 match victories to her credit.
- Chris Evert was mainly a dominant player on clay courts. From August 1973, she won 125 matches on that surface.
- She faced Martina Navratilova in the finals of around 14 Grand Slam events.
- She was also known for her powerful two-handed backhand, and thus, remains to be the first woman player to develop this talent, which caused millions to emulate the same.
- She was linked with many other men apart from Jimmy Connors. Some of them included Burt Reynolds, Adam Faith, Geraldo Rivera, Pat Boone, etc. She ultimately married John Lloyd, a British tennis player. But this marriage ended in divorce in 1987.
- She then married Andy Mill in 1988. Andy Hill was an Olympic downhill skier, but this marriage also ended in divorce, which was finalized on December 4, 2006.
- She has been named as the third best female player of the 20th century (following Martina Navratilova and Steffi Graf), in Steve Flink's book 'The Greatest Tennis Matches of the Twentieth Century'.