‘Jimmy Hates When I Talk..’ – Chris Evert Once Revealed How a Devastating Heart-Break Ruined Her Chance at Glory

Chris Evert has had an illustrious career. She executed a legendary run and is one of the greatest players tennis has ever seen. However, in contrast to that, Evert’s personal life saw some rough patches. The 18 times Grand Slam champion has dealt with a lot of heartbreaking moments. In hopes of finding true love, she went through three broken marriages.

On one of those journeys, she was with tennis’ original ‘Bad Boy’ Jimmy Connors. The couple’s relationship took a bad turn in 1974, the same year they were engaged to be married, and it once affected her on-court performance.

Chris Evert spoke about her fragile emotions

In a 1997 interview, Evert spoke about how Connors’ presence in one of her high stake matches after their breakup affected her game. “Jimmy hates when I talk about that because it makes him look like a bad guy, and he wasn’t. We had broken up. He could do whatever he wanted to.” Evert said.

 Thereafter, she added, “I think my vulnerability… I always let my emotions come first. And that’s not so bad.” The former world no.1 was playing in the Wimbledon Championships’ finals against the 12 time Grand Slam champion Billie Jean King when the incident took place.

Connors came as a spectator along with Susan George, the British actress, and when Evert spotted them, her focus shifted. She was leading the second set 3-0 and had already secured the first set, but soon after seeing her ex-boyfriend, her entire game derailed and she lost the title. 

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The eight-time Grand Slam champion Connors and Evert were engaged and were one of the most celebrated couples of tennis in the 70s. However, they called off the wedding in 1974.

How Evert’s career panned out

The seven-time French Open champion debuted in the year in 1972 and in just three years asserted dominance. She claimed four Grand Slam titles and climbed up to the ranking of World no.1 in 1975. 

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She held the crown for a record 260 weeks and marked 157 singles and 32 doubles titles under her. Further, she represented America in the Fed Cup and Olympics. Although she failed to bring a gold medal back home, she helped her nation win eight Fed Cups.