‘Found Someone as Talented as You’- Venus and Serena Williams’ Top Opponent Once Received a Huge Acclaim From Chris Evert’s Father

Chris Evert is among the sport’s most revered legends. There was a time when she was considered the best tennis player in the world. The 67-year-old had an impressively successful career, winning 18 major titles.

However, her dad once felt that there was a girl who was equally talented as her. A few years later, the same girl became one of the top opponents of Serena and Venus Williams. Once in an interview, Chris Evert’s brother, John Evert, recalled this incident and had a thing or two to share.

Jimmy Evert once compared Chris Evert with Jennifer Capriati

In 1990, Chris Evert’s brother John Evert served as an agent of three-time Grand Slam winner Jennifer Capriati. In the same year, he was in conversation with one of the top news publications, the Los Angeles Times. 

During the conversation, there was an instance where he revealed a small insight that involved his father and his sister Chris Evert. His father, Jimmy Evert, once compared his daughter with Jennifer Capriati. “Dad came home one night and said to Chrissie, ‘I think I’ve finally found someone as talented as you,’ which was kind of neat,” reminisced John Evert. 

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He further recalled, “My dad said this when Chrissie was No. 1 in the world. But Jennifer really had something special when she was 5, 6, 7 years old, and you can only notice that in a couple of kids.”

The comparison between Evert and Capriati’s career

1990 was the year when Capriati made her professional tennis debut. She was‌ just 13 years and 11 months old back then. At the age of 14 years and 235 days, she created history by becoming the youngest player to reach the top 10 rankings. The 46-year-old retired at the end of the 2004 season, having won a total of 14 titles throughout her career.

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In contrast, Evert won 18 Grand Slam singles titles, including a record seven French Open titles and a tie for the highest number of US Open titles with six. The 67-year-old has the second-highest winning percentage for any male or female player in the Open Era of tennis. Her career singles win percentage of 94.55% on clay courts is still the highest of any player in WTA or ATP tour history.