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Chris Evert Biography

(Former World No. 1 Tennis Player)

Birthday: December 21, 1954 (Sagittarius)

Born In: Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States

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Christine Marie Evert also called Chrissie or Chris Evert is a former American professional tennis player. Born into a family where tennis playing family, of their lifestyle, Chris Evert started taking tennis lessons tennis at a young age of five from her father who was a professional tennis coach. On court, while playing the game, she was known to be strong-willed and stoic and this demeanor earned her the nickname “Ice Princess” from media. She later mentioned that remaining calm and composed allowed her to understand the shortcomings of the opponent and perform better. Chris Evert had to her credit a powerful playing style–the two handed backhand; one of the finest in the sport. In her professional tennis career that spanned a little less than two decades, Chris Evert was able to leave a mark as she was part of the sport when it had begun garnering attention from a worldwide audience. Her passion for tennis continues and she has a tennis coaching academy at Florida. Alongside she is also associated with a US based sports channel as a tennis commentator and publisher of a sports magazine

Birthday: December 21, 1954 (Sagittarius)

Born In: Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States

26
Tennis Players #8
Sportspersons #192
Tennis Players #8
Sportspersons #192
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Quick Facts

Also Known As: Christine Marie Evert, Chris Evert Lloyd

Age: 69 Years, 69 Year Old Females

Family:

Spouse/Ex-: Andy Mill, Greg Norman, John Lloyd

father: Jimmy Evert

mother: Colette Thompson

siblings: Clare Evert, Drew Evert, Jeanne Evert, John Evert

children: Alexander James, Colton Jack, Nicholas Joseph

Born Country: United States

Tennis Players American Women

Height: 5'6" (168 cm), 5'6" Females

Notable Alumni: St. Thomas Aquinas High School

U.S. State: Florida

City: Fort Lauderdale, Florida

More Facts

education: St. Thomas Aquinas High School

awards: 1981 - BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year
1976 - Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year
1980; 1977; 1975 - Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year
1990 - Glamour Woman of the Year Award

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You wanted to know

  • 1

    What is Chris Evert known for?

    Chris Evert is known for being a former professional tennis player and one of the greatest female tennis players in history.

  • 2

    How many Grand Slam singles titles did Chris Evert win?

    Chris Evert won a total of 18 Grand Slam singles titles during her tennis career.

  • 3

    What playing style was Chris Evert known for?

    Chris Evert was known for her consistent baseline play and exceptional footwork on the tennis court.

  • 4

    How many times did Chris Evert win the French Open?

    Chris Evert won the French Open a total of 7 times in her career, establishing herself as a dominant force on clay courts.

  • 5

    When did Chris Evert retire from professional tennis?

    Chris Evert retired from professional tennis in 1989, concluding a successful career that spanned over two decades.

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Childhood & Early Life
Chris Evert was born on 21 December 1954, in Boca Raton, Florida, to Jimmy Evert, and Colette Thompson. Her father was a professional tennis coach and Christ Evert began taking tennis lessons from her father at the age of five.
In 1973, she graduated from St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale and later attended the Auburn University in Alabama with a full athletic scholarship for tennis.
As a child, constant practice helped Chris Evert become the No. 1 junior player in the ‘Under 14’ age group. She also won the national championship (Girls – Under 16) for tennis in 1970.
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Sagittarius Tennis Players
Career
When Evert was 15 years she was invited to play an eight player clay court tournament where she defeated Margaret Court - a world No. 1 and Grand Slam winner in the semi-finals. This led to Chris Evert being selected as the youngest ever player in the US Wightman team.
Chris Evert made her Grand Slam debut in 1971 following an invitation to play at the U.S. Open where she played against several seasoned professional players and reached the semi-finals.
In 1973, Chris Evert finished as runner up in the French Open and Wimbledon tournaments.
In 1974, she went through a “winning streak” of 55 consecutive matches during which she won the French Open and Wimbledon tournaments along with 16 other tournaments. Chris Evert also reached the finals of her maiden Australian Open tournament and semi-finals of the US Open. She was chosen to be ranked No. 1 by tennis experts. This ranking remained up to 1979.
In 1975, Chris Evert won the French Open and US Open tournament. The WTA rankings were introduced this year and she was the first woman tennis player to be ranked No.1.
In 1976, Chris Evert won the US Open and Wimbledon; the only time in her career she won both the tournaments in same year. During the two years that followed Chris Evert won 18 of 25 tournaments played, and won the US Open tournaments in both years.
Chris Evert dominated the clay court matches and starting from 1973 she won 125 consecutive matches on clay losing only eight sets in the period. This winning streak was broken in 1979 semi-final of Italian Open when she lost to Tracy Austin. Her ranking dropped to No. 2 that year.
Chris Evert regained her No.1 ranking between 1980-1981 with victories in the French Open (1980), US Open (1980) and Wimbledon (1981).
In 1982, she won her first Australian Open and thus completed her career Grand slam. But, by this time her dominance in women’s tennis was being seriously challenged by Martina Navratilova it gave birth to a great rivalry between the two of them.
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Over a period of time Martina became the No.1 player and Chris Evert’s performance dipped. But, Evert still managed to win the Australian Open in 1984 and the French Open in 1985 and 1986.
In 1989, Chris Evert retired from professional tennis. Presently, Chris Evert operates a tennis academy in Florida along with coaching the high school team at Saint Andrew’s high school. She also contributes to the magazine “Tennis” where she is a publisher as well.
Beginning 2011, she has been associated with ESPN as a tennis commentator.
Awards and Achievements:
Between 1974 and 1986, Christ Evert won at least one major tournament every year.
In 1976, Chris Evert was awarded “Sportswoman of the Year” by the ‘Sports Illustrated’ magazine.
In 1985, the Women’s Sports Foundation voted her as “Greatest Woman Athlete of the Last 25 Years”.
In 1995, Chris Evert was unanimously selected into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
Chris Evert had to her credit 7 French Open singles for 27 years until it was broken by Rafael Nadal in 2013. She is still the only woman player who has achieved this. Again in 2013 she was awarded a special merit from the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
She has the maximum number of clay court Grand Slam titles till date i.e. 10.
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Chris Evert has to her credit 18 Grand Slam single titles and 3 doubles championships. On the whole, she has won 157 single titles and 29 doubles tournaments.
She was ranked number one in the world from 1974 to 1978 and in 1980 and 1981.
Personal Life & Legacy:
In the 1970s Chris had a relationship with tennis player Jimmy Connors. The couple even played mixed doubles occasionally. They were engaged but the wedding was called off
She married tennis player John Lloyd in 1979. However, they divorced in 1987. During this marriage Chris Evert had an affair with British singer Adam Faith.
In 1988, Chris Evert married Olympic skier Andy Mill and had three sons – Alexander James (1991), Nicholas Joseph (1994) and Colton Jack (1996). In 2006, she filed for a divorce that was granted later that year.
She married Australian golfer Norman in 2008. However after a short period of 15 months into marriage they announced that they were getting a divorce which was finalized in 2009.
Facts About Chris Evert

Chris Evert holds the record for the highest winning percentage in professional tennis history, with an impressive 90% career winning rate.

Off the court, Chris Evert is known for her philanthropic efforts, particularly her work with charities that support children's education and health initiatives.

In addition to her tennis skills, Chris Evert is also a talented author, having published several books on topics ranging from sports to self-help and personal development.

Chris Evert has a keen interest in fashion and has been praised for her stylish on-court outfits, which have influenced trends in tennis apparel over the years.

Despite her intense competitiveness on the court, Chris Evert is admired for her grace and sportsmanship, setting a positive example for future generations of tennis players.

See the events in life of Chris Evert in Chronological Order

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Also Listed In

20th Century | Celebrity Names With Letter C | 20th Century Sportspersons | 20th Century Tennis Players