Chris Evert‘s rise to fame has been quite an interesting story. Born into a sporting family, the American legend had the natural instinct to pursue a career in sports. Further, tennis was something that she was always inclined towards. Being a fond lover of the sport, Chris Evert didn’t look at future concerns and decided to take up the sport.

Recently, she reminisced about the early days of her career and drew parallels with Naomi Osaka’s career. Meanwhile, Osaka rose to fame after defeating Serena Williams to win the 2018 US Open title. Here’s what Evert said about the start of her career.

Chris Evert makes a candid revelation

During an interview, the 68-year-old tennis legend opened up about how she started her tennis career out of pure passion and it soon became one of the legendary careers women’s tennis has ever seen.

Talking on his subject. Evert said, “I got into the game of tennis because I love the sport and I had no idea of the fanfare, the spotlight — and no idea that people were hanging onto every word. I was no Billie Jean King, I was not a leader. I was more of a follower, I was shy and liked to observe people.”

Further, she found similarities between her career and Naomi Osaka’s career. She said, “Look, Naomi Osaka went through the same thing. I mean, we start out because we love to play tennis, but the things that go along with success — some are wonderful and other things are paralyzing.”

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When Osaka suffered an unfortunate fate

The Japanese tennis star’s career started brightly, winning four Grand Slam titles. However, over the period of time, Osaka was affected by growing expectations. Take for example the 2021 French Open. She withdrew mid-way after the first round of the tournament. Osaka couldn’t handle the confrontational questions from the press and eventually pulled out of the French Open.

Osaka has been away from tennis, having turned first-time mother earlier this year. However, she plans to make a comeback next year. Can she find her old mojo back when she returns to action once again? Let us know your views in the comments below.

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