The life of tennis star Chris Evert, on and off the court

From the moment she burst onto the international stage by reaching the semifinals of the 1971 U.S. Open at 16, Evert hardly put a foot wrong on the tennis court. Her personal life was less simple.

5 Seconds

00:00

Oct. 8, 1971

Chris Evert competes in the 1971 U.S. Open at Forest Hills, N.Y. From the moment she burst onto the international stage by reaching the semifinals of that tournament at age 16, Evert became an international sensation.

/ AP

Oct. 13, 1971

Evert is feted by fellow students at St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., six weeks after her semifinal run in the 1971 U.S. Open.

Jim Kerlin / AP

Feb. 13, 1972

Evert, right, poses with her family at home in 1972. All of the family members, including her brother John, front left, mother Colette, sister Jeanne and father Jimmy, played tennis. Evert's brother Drew, top left, and youngest sister Clare also were involved in the sport.

/ AP

June 16, 1974

Evert hits a forehand during the 1974 French Open final at Roland Garros. She defeated the Soviet Union's Olga Morozova, 6-1, 6-2, to win the women's title in Paris.

/ AP

July 1974

Evert holds up her trophy after winning the 1974 Wimbledon final. She won at least one Grand Slam title for 13 years in a row — a record that still stands.

/ AP

June 14, 1975

Evert savors her victory over Martina Navratilova, right, in the 1975 French Open final. Evert defeated Navratilova, 2-6, 6-2, 6-1.

/ AP

June 27, 1977

Evert and Billie Jean King, right, walk off Centre Court at the All England club after their 1977 Wimbledon quarterfinal match. Evert defeated Billie Jean King, 6-1, 6-2, to reach the semifinals, where she lost to the eventual champion, Britain's Virginia Wade.

Robert Dear / AP

June 4, 1979

Evert hits her trademark two-handed backhand in defeating fellow American Ruta Gerulaitis, 6-0, 6-4, in the 1979 French Open quarterfinals. Evert won the tournament.

/ AP

1981

Evert in action in 1981.

/ AP

June 8, 1985

Evert holds up her trophy after winning the 1985 French Open over Martina Navratilova.

Lionel Cironneau / AP

June 2, 1983

Evert defeated fellow American Andrea Jaeger in the semifinals en route to the 1983 French Open title.

Langevin / AP

July 1, 2000

Martina Navratilova, left, joins Evert as former champions gather at Wimbledon in 2000. In one of the greatest rivalries in sports history, the two met 80 times. Evert dominated early, but Navratilova ended up on top with 43 victories.

Gerry Penny / AFP

Sept. 13, 2004

Evert poses with her then-husband, former U.S. Olympic ski racer Andy Mill, and their sons Alexander, Nicholas and Colton at the premiere of the film "Wimbledon" in Beverly Hills. Evert appeared in the film about the high-stakes world of professional tennis, which starred Kirsten Dunst and Paul Bettany.

Fred Prouser / Reuters

Dec. 14, 2007

Evert and Australian golf great Greg Norman at a benefit in New York in 2007. The two married the following year but divorced after 15 months.

Jeff Zelevansky / AP

Evert converses with Patrick McEnroe last year during ESPN's Wimbledon coverage.

Photo by Scott Clarke/ESPN / PHOTO BY SCOTT CLARKE/ESPN

Jan 11, 2012

Evert, right, and student Madison Appel play against other students during a drill at Evert's tennis academy in Boca Raton, Fla.

Andrew Innerarity / for The Washington Post

Jan 11, 2012

Evert, left, looks on as her brother John, a co-owner of the Evert Academy, instructs Caroline Morton during a drill.

Andrew Innerarity / for The Washington Post

Evert and her brother John pose for a group photo with Evert Academy students.

Andrew Innerarity / FOR THE WASHINGTON POST

Evert shows her dog, Harley, some love.

Andrew Innerarity / FOR THE WASHINGTON POST

Evert poses with her sons, from left, Alex, 20, Colton, 15, and Nicholas, 17, at their home in Boca Raton, Fla.

Andrew Innerarity / FOR THE WASHINGTON POST

Evert smiles after giving a lesson at the Evert Academy in Boca Raton, Fla.

Andrew Innerarity / FOR THE WASHINGTON POST

FEATURED PHOTO GALLERIES

epa03708924 Franziska (C) wears a helmet and carries a shield during the recreation of The Battle of the Teutoburg Museum in Bramsche, Germany, 20 May 2013. The everyday life of Romans and the Germanic people is depicted at Museum Park Kalkriese during the Romans and Germanic people days. EPA/Friso Gentsch

Photos of the day

Battle of Teutoburg Forest reenactment, Mars Curiosity rover drilling, massive tornado strikes Moore, Oklahoma and more.

A Burrowing owl tries to perch on a protective rope in a public park in Cooper City, Fla. Monday, May 20, 2013 as rain falls. (AP Photo/J Pat Carter)

Animal views

Fun and fascinating creatures around the world.

ANNAPOLIS, MD - MAY 20: The Herndon Monument Climb is the traditional culmination of plebe year at the United States Naval Academy. The plebes climb to the top of the lard-covered 21 foot high monument and remove the 'dixie cup' hat at the top replacing it with an upperclassman's hat. After completing this, the freshmen are called 'fourth class midshipmen.' This class completed the task in 1 hour 32 minutes and 43 seconds. The hat was placed by Patrick Lien from Orlando. (Photo by Sarah L. Voisin/The Washington Post)

The Herndon Climb

The Herndon Monument climb is the traditional culmination of plebe year at the U.S. Naval Academy.

This combination of Associated Press photos shows left, a neighborhood in Moore, Okla., in ruins on Tuesday, May 4, 1999, after a tornado flattened many houses and buildings in central Oklahoma, and right, flattened houses in Moore on Monday, May 20, 2013. Monday's powerful tornado in suburban Oklahoma City loosely followed the path of a killer twister that slammed the region in May 1999. (AP Photo)

Okla. tornado loosely followed path of 1999 twister

Monday’s powerful tornado in suburban Oklahoma City loosely followed the path of a killer twister that slammed the area in May 1999.

Lea Bessinger salvages a picture of Jesus as she and her son Josh Bessinger sort through the rubble of the elder Bessinger's tornado-ravaged home Tuesday, May 21, 2013, in Moore, Okla. A huge tornado roared through the Oklahoma City suburb Monday, flattening an entire neighborhoods and destroying an elementary school with a direct blow as children and teachers huddled against winds. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Tornado near Oklahoma City causes more damage

Rescue workers are searching for survivors after a twister carved a long path of destruction in a suburb of Oklahoma City. It was part of the...

FILE - In this undated publicity file photo, members of the Doors, from left, John Densmore, Robbie Krieger, Ray Manzarek and Jim Morrison, pose for a portrait. Manzarek, the keyboardist who was a founding member of The Doors, has died at 74. Publicist Heidi Robinson-Fitzgerald says in a news release that Manzarek died Monday, May 20, 2013, at the RoMed Clinic in Rosenheim, Germany, surrounded by his family. (AP Photo, File)

Ray Manzarek, founding member of the Doors, dies at 74

Manzarek co-founded the Doors after meeting then-poet Jim Morrison in California. The band went on to become one of the most successful rock-and-roll...

US actress Rosario Dawson smiles on May 20, 2013 as she arrives for the screening of the film 'Wara No Tate' (Shield of Straw) presented in Competition at the 66th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes. Cannes, one of the world's top film festivals, opened on May 15 and will climax on May 26 with awards selected by a jury headed this year by Hollywood legend Steven Spielberg. AFP PHOTO / ALBERTO PIZZOLIALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP/Getty Images

Eye on entertainment

Rosario Dawson, Alec Baldwin, Michael Douglas, Matt Damon, Bow Wow, Amy Poehler and more.

A man walks on sulphur and mineral salt formations near Dallol in the Danakil Depression, northern Ethiopia April 22, 2013. The Danakil Depression in Ethiopia is one of the hottest and harshest environments on earth, with an average annual temperature of 94 degrees Fahrenheit (34.4 Celsius). For centuries, merchants have travelled there with caravans of camels to collect salt from the surface of the vast desert basin. The mineral is extracted and shaped into slabs, then loaded onto the animals before being transported back across the desert so that it can be sold around the country. Picture taken April 22, 2013. REUTERS/Siegfried Modola (ETHIOPIA - Tags: BUSINESS SOCIETY TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)

ATTENTION EDITORS: PICTURE 2 OF 30 FOR PACKAGE 'ETHIOPIA'S ANCIENT SALT TRAIL'
SEARCH 'DANAKIL DEPRESSION' FOR ALL

Ethiopia’s salt trail

For centuries, merchants have traveled to Ethiopia’s Danakil Depression with caravans of camels to collect salt from the surface of the vast desert basin. The mineral is extracted...

Back to Previous Gallery

Discussion Policy | FAQ | About Discussions

Comments

Add your comment

Read what others are saying About Badges

SuperFan Badge

SuperFan badge holders consistently post smart, timely comments about Washington area sports and teams.

More about badges | Request a badge

Culture Connoisseur Badge

Culture Connoisseurs consistently offer thought-provoking, timely comments on the arts, lifestyle and entertainment.

More about badges | Request a badge

Fact Checker Badge

Fact Checkers contribute questions, information and facts to The Fact Checker.

More about badges | Request a badge

Washingtologist Badge

Washingtologists consistently post thought-provoking, timely comments on events, communities, and trends in the Washington area.

More about badges | Request a badge

Post Writer Badge

This commenter is a Washington Post editor, reporter or producer.

Post Forum Badge

Post Forum members consistently offer thought-provoking, timely comments on politics, national and international affairs.

More about badges | Request a badge

Weather Watcher Badge

Weather Watchers consistently offer thought-provoking, timely comments on climates and forecasts.

More about badges | Request a badge

World Watcher Badge

World Watchers consistently offer thought-provoking, timely comments on international affairs.

More about badges | Request a badge

Post Contributor Badge

This commenter is a Washington Post contributor. Post contributors aren’t staff, but may write articles or columns. In some cases, contributors are sources or experts quoted in a story.

More about badges | Request a badge

Post Recommended

Washington Post reporters or editors recommend this comment or reader post.

You must be logged in to report a comment.

Comments our editors find particularly useful or relevant are displayed in Top Comments, as are comments by users with these badges: . Replies to those posts appear here, as well as posts by staff writers.

All comments are posted in the All Comments tab.

More about badges

Get a badge

To pause and restart automatic updates, click "Live" or "Paused". If paused, you'll be notified of the number of additional comments that have come in.