Divorces, cancer and 18 Grand Slams: what happened to tennis legend Chris Evert?

Few women have left such a mark on tennis as Chris Evert. The American dominated her era and holds one of the most impressive records in the game. Join us on a journey through the past of Chris Evert, on and off the court.

Evert was born on 21 December 1954 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, into a Catholic family.

Tennis is in her blood, as her father Jimmy was a coach and a former player and her siblings also played tennis. However, it was Chris who would make the name Evert known worldwide.

Evert enjoyed a highly successful junior career, winning the national 16-and-under championships. When she was 15, she surprised the world by beating legend Margaret Court at a tournament in Charlotte, North Carolina. The future looked bright for the young Evert.

Evert turned pro in 1972, but had made her Grand Slam debut as an invitational a year before. At the US Open, she had stunned the world by reaching the semi-finals, only to lose to Billy Jean King.

In 1974, after three lost major finals, she would lay the foundations of her impressive career by winning her first two Grand Slams: the French Open and Wimbledon.

The year after, Evert fought her way to the World No. 1 position, which she would hold for a total of 260 weeks in her career. Moreover, she finished the year as the best player in the world seven times in her career.

Evert's style of play was characterized by playing from the baseline, counter-punching and excellent movement. She made few unforced errors and managed to control her nerves when the going got tough, earning her the nickname 'Ice Maiden'.

In total, Evert would win no fewer than 18 majors in her career, including seven French Open titles and six US Open titles. Throughout her career, she would claim 157 singles titles and 32 doubles titles, amassing $8,896,195 in prize money, according to wtatennis.com. Impressive.

She also proudly represented her country in the Fed Cup, winning the tournament no less than eight times and retiring in 1989 after winning in that year's final against Spain's Conchita Martinez.

Evert's fiercest rival during her career was Martina Navratilova (pictured), with a win-loss balance of 43-37 in the latter's favor. Like Evert, Navratilova also won 18 majors during her singles career.

It speaks for itself that Evert got a lot of recognition for her splendid career. She was inducted into International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1995 and received the Philippe Chatrier Award two years later.

In her personal life, Evert was in a relationship with former tennis star Jimmy Connors (pictured) in the 70s, who she got engaged with. However, they never got married, and Connors later hinted in his autobiography that Evert had an abortion without his consent when she was pregnant.

"I am extremely disappointed that he used the book to misrepresent a private matter that took place 40 years ago and made it public, without my knowledge," Evert reacted in a statement to Reuters. "I hope everyone can understand that I have no further comment."

Evert subsequently married three times. She divorced tennis player John Lloyd (pictured) and remarried skier Andy Mill, with whom she has three sons. They divorced in 2006, after which Evert married golfer Greg Norman in 2008, from whom she divorced just 15 months later.

After her playing career, Evert is still involved in tennis. She runs her own tennis academy in Boca Raton, is also the publisher of Tennis Magazine and works as a commentator for ESPN.

In December 2021, Evert suffered a huge blow when she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, the disease from which her sister had already died. However, she fought through this difficult period and was declared cancer-free in January 2023.