‘Riding on the Crest of a Wave’ – Hall of Famer Billie Jean King’s Crucial Words to Chris Evert During Their First-Ever Grand Slam Meeting at the US Open

Former American tennis player Chris Evert was dominant on the tour right from a very young age. Notably, she became the youngest ever semi-finalist at the US Open at just 16 years old. In a recent interview, Evert talked about that experience and remembered the words said by another legendary player, Billie Jean King.

In the semi-finals of the 1971 US Open, Billie Jean King beat Evert; Evert was still playing as an amateur at that time. In the very next year, she turned professional and never looked back.

Chris Evert talked about playing against Billie Jean King and remembering her words

In an interview with ESPN, Evert talked about the atmosphere of the American crowd during the US Open, as she recalled, “I guess the electricity in the crowds when the American players played, especially Jimmy and McEnroe, I remember Nastase, just with his antics.“

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Later, she remembered reaching her first ever Grand Slam semi-finals at the US Open, as she said, “My first US Open I think was just very special for me because that was sort of the beginning of ‑‑ it was a Cinderella story for me… Just the women that I had to beat to get to the semifinals and lose to Billie Jean, but having her say to me while we are walking out to the course, “You’re riding on the crest of a wave, enjoy it.” I still remember those words.“

Notably, in the 1971 US Open, Evert had to go through some top players like Mary-Ann Eisel, Françoise Dürr, and Lesley Hunt. In the semis, she faced King, who ultimately won the title. Nevertheless, Evert showed her tremendous talent at just 16, and many knew she would win multiple Grand Slams in the future.

Evert’s career in numbers

In her career, Evert won 18 Grand Slam titles and 157 singles titles in total. Moreover, she won 1309 matches on the tour, the second most in the history of the sport.

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Evert’s record on clay courts was extraordinary; she won 7 French Open titles, the most by any player in the women’s circuit. Also, she won the US Open 6-times, tied with Serena Williams, for the most in history. She also had one incredible record, where she maintained either no.1 or no.2 in the WTA rankings for almost 11 straight years.

Before retiring from tennis in 1989, she had already created a benchmark for the future generation. Currently, the former American tennis player is working as a tennis expert and a commentator for ESPN.