Christine Marie Evert (known widely to tennis fans as Chris Evert) was born on December 21, 1954, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States, to Colette and Jimmy Evert. Evert’s father was a tennis coach, and the sport was a way of life for his family. Her father’s influence was the biggest reason Chris became a professional tennis player.
The American played in her first Grand Slam at the age of 16 at the 1971 US Open, reaching the semifinal. That was followed by further semifinals at her next two Grand Slams in 1972 at Wimbledon and the US Open. She achieved her first victory at a big tournament in 1972 at the Year-end Championships, defeating Kerry Melville in straight sets in the final. That feat was repeated the following year in 1973 against Nancy Richey in the final.
She reached her first three Grand Slam finals at the 1973 French Open and Wimbledon, and then at the 1974 Australian Open. But she lost all those finals to Margaret Court, Billie Jean King, and Evanne Goolagong, respectively.
It was fourth time lucky for Evert at the 1974 French Open. Incredibly, she claimed her first Grand Slam title without dropping a set, including a 6-1, 6-2 thrashing of Olga Morozova in the final. But Evert was not done there during 1974.
She followed her success in Paris by triumphing at Wimbledon and beating Morozova in the final once again. 1975 saw Evert secure two more Grand Slam titles. She retained her French Open trophy by coming from a set down against Martina Navratilova, who would become her great rival.
The Floridian then triumphed in the US Open final against Evonne Goolagong, also fighting back from a set behind in that match. Evert won four more Grand Slam titles over the next three years. Three of these were at the US Open against Goolagong, Wendy Turnbull, and Pam Shriver. The other was at Wimbledon in 1976, beating Goolagong once again.
Her sole Grand Slam final defeat during that period was at Wimbledon in 1978 against Navratilova. The Grand Slam finals kept coming for Evert between 1979 and 1981. She reached eight overall during that time. Evert won two French Opens, Wimbledon, and another US Open title across those three years.
Of the four finals she lost, two were at Wimbledon, while the other pair were at the Australian Open and US Open. Evert won at least one Grand Slam title every year until 1986. Remarkably, that meant she claimed a major for 13 consecutive years from 1974 to 1986. Between 1982 and 1986, she triumphed twice at the Australian Open and once each at the French Open and US Open.
In total, Evert won 18 Grand Slam singles titles during her glittering career. She was also the runner-up at 16 other majors. Another incredible statistic is that Evert reached at least the semifinal in 54 of the 56 Grand Slams she played, probably making her the most consistent tennis singles player of all time.
Evert is also remembered for her amazing rivalry with Navratilova. They played each other in 14 Grand Slam finals, with Evert winning four of them. The pair ended with an identical 18 singles Grand Slam singles titles each, cementing their places as two of the best players ever.
