‘Nervous as Hell’ – When a 21-Year-Old Jimmy Connors Felt Intimidated by Chris Evert’s Father’s Sheer Presence Right After Their ‘Secret Engagement’

The 8 Grand Slam champion, Jimmy Connors, tied the knot with Patti McGuire in 1979. However, before his marriage, Connors was in a relationship with his compatriot and former tennis player, Chris Evert. Additionally, American tennis stars were engaged to each other during that period.

Connors once talked about his former partner in the book, The Outsider: My Autobiography. He further talked about his meeting with Chris’ father, Jimmy Evert after his engagement with his daughter.

Jimmy Connors once talked about his meeting with Chris Evert’s father

The 8 Grand Slam title winner kept his engagement with Chris Evert a secret for a long period during their relationship. However, Jimmy Connors later revealed the reason behind his “secret engagement” with Evert in the book, The Outsider: My Autobiography. He also stated that they kept it a secret because he “still had to ask Chrissie’s father for permission to marry his daughter.”

Meanwhile, Connors also stated that he was extremely intimidated by Evert’s father’s presence. He stated, “I knew it was a done deal, but I was still nervous as hell when I went down to see him in Fort Lauderdale.”

The former American tennis player went on to say that he was involved in a conversation with Chris’ father behind closed doors. Connors further revealed that their meeting took place at the Holiday Park Tennis Center pro shop. He added, “I don’t know how happy he was, and I’m pretty sure he was thinking, “Well, this will never happen,” but he gave us his blessing anyway. I was 21 and about to get married.”

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However, after a brief period of their romantic relationship, Connors and Evert called off their marriage. However, the split didn’t affect their illustrious tennis journeys. As a result, both American tennis stars, Connors and Evert won many Grand Slam titles during their stellar tennis journey.

Evert once talked about her romantic relationship with Connors

The 18 times Grand Slam title winner once got featured in an interview with BBC. Meanwhile, Chris Evert talked about his romantic relationship with Connors during her tennis journey. Evert stated that they were very young when they fell for each other. She went on to say that their romantic relationship at a very young age was “like a Cinderella story.“

Evert also stated that Connors was a gentleman, and he supported her throughout their relationship. Connors also supported Evert during her various tennis tournaments. Evert also said that fans were intrigued by two very young tennis players involved in a romantic relationship. However, despite their split, Connors and Evert went on to dominate on the tennis court.

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