Born Christine Marie Evert on December 21, 1954 in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, her father was a professional tennis player who encouraged her to play the game. Under her father's tutelage, she developed her skills quickly gaining the No. 1 national ranking for girls' 14 & under. After a spectacular 1971 amateur season where she won 46 consecutive matches, at age 18, she debuted on the ATP tour. Although very shy, her good looks, quiet demeanor, and gracious sportsmanship made her a media favorite and as a 20-year-old she was thrust into the limelight not only by winning her first Grand Slam singles title, but for an on-and-off romance with fellow tennis star, Jimmy Connors.
In her illustrious career in professional tennis, Chris Evert was the first player to win 1,000 singles matches and was the No.1 ranked player in the world 5 times. A pioneer of the two-handed backhand, in 1974 she set a modern-day record for women by winning 56 straight matches and for the next 13 straight years until 1986, she won at least 1 Grand Slam singles title each year. A steady and rentless baseline player, she was known for her unflappable behaviour on court as she methodically went about winning.
Chris Evert won four consecutive US Open titles between 1975 and 1978. She would win the US Open again in 1980 and 1982. Virtually unbeatable on clay courts, she was a finalist at the French Open for ten straight years between 1973 and 1982, winning the title seven times. She was voted the Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year on four occasions.
In 1979 she married British tennis professional John Lloyd. They were divorced and in 1988 she married Andy Mill, a former Olympic skier.
Chris Evert retired after the 1989 season with 18 grand slam championships to her credit. Her 157 singles titles ranks her second all time amongst both men and women. In 1995, she was unanimously elected into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
