‘Got Lost in That Shuffle’- Chris Evert Explains the Difficulty in Creating Own Image Amidst Pioneers Like Billie Jean King and Martina Navratilova Back in The Day

Chris Evert is an inspiration for many. She, alongside Martina Navratilova, strengthened the foundation of WTA…the WTA for which Billie Jean King invested all her prime years. All these three women receive showers of love and respect for their contribution to the sport. Though at the same time, the comparison also exists.

However, even though fans are constantly at each other’s throats about who is better. The three of them know what roles they have played. Speaking of which, recently, Evert sat down for an interview and stumbled upon a similar question. To which she gave the most subtle and wise answer.

Chris Evert details the difference

The 18 times Grand Slam champion while speaking for a podcast addressed the difference in her Navratilova and King’s contribution. Rather than defining who is better, she pointed how they all were vital. After detailing how King laid the foundation of women’s tennis and how the Czech-American brought reforms by embracing her sexuality, she spoke about her part. And said, “I kind of like was the girl next door. I was like, okay, that’s kind of like, white bread. You know, I kind of got lost in that shuffle a little bit.”

“But when I look back, I realized that what I helped to do was to encourage young girls to become tennis players. To say, Hey, it’s okay to be athletic. It’s okay to have muscles. You know, it’s okay to be tough.”

Thereafter she added, “You can still be feminine, you can still have your friends, you can still wear your jewelry, which we’ll get into later, you can still be yourself.”

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Evert claimed a total of  157 singles and 32 doubles titles in her playing days. Also, although she couldn bring an Olympic medal to America, she alongside her team brought eight Fed Cups to her homeland.

Evert against King and Navratilova

The seven times French Open champion locked horns with the founder of WTA for a total of 13 times. Out of those clashes, she secured victory in 10. The three matches in which she faced defeat happened around her early days. Therefore, as soon as she developed an understanding of the professional level tennis, there was no stopping her.

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Speaking of her rivalry with the nine times Wimbledon champion. Their career spanned in the same era and, having similar prowess, they masked each others potential records. Evert and Navratilova squared off 80 times and by the end of her career, Navratilova secured a lead of 43-37.