‘Took Them Into a Room and Scolded Them’– Chris Evert on How Billie Jean King Stood by Her Amidst Intense Adversity From Fellow Players

Chris Evert is one of the most decorated tennis players in the world. We know her for her famous rivalry with Martina Navratilova. They both have one of the most iconic rivalries in the world of tennis. The player has also played one of the most iconic players in the world of tennis, the Billie Jean King Cup. Chris Evert talked about how Billie Jean King stood up for her when she was new to the sport and supported her.

Billie Jean King and Chris Evert

Chris Evert was only 16 when she first played with 27-year-old Billie Jean King at the US Open in 1971. Billie Jean defeated Chris Evert. However, she knew she was going to be a tennis legend down the line. The two players then went on and played more than 20 matches throughout their careers. Chris Evert talked about how Billie stood up for her during her tennis career when elite players felt envious of Chris. She said, “I remember when I was 16, I started playing some of the Virginia Slams, I was still in high school and whenever I would play Billie Jean or Rosie, there would be, like a big group of eight women, who would sit in one of the player boxes and just scream and shout for my opponent. It was kind of in my face. And it was obvious that they were a little jealous.”

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Billie Jean to the rescue

She stated that Billie Jean King stood up for her. She said, “I remember this happened in quite a few tournaments and after a while, BJK took them into a room and scolded them and said, ‘She is putting money in our pockets, basically. And, this is the future of women’s tennis. I mean, I shouldn’t have scared anybody and didn’t say boo at that time. I wasn’t trying to get all the press, and I wasn’t trying to get on the covers of the magazines. When I was asked, I gave all the women credit for it’. So, after BJK had that talk with them and they got to know me a little bit, then it became a calmer situation.” 

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Chris Evert’s recovery

Chris Evert has been suffering from 1C ovarian cancer. Wishes have flooded from all over the world for her quick recovery. We know that the player has been a strong player on the court and we know for sure, her resilience both on and off the court will make her recover quickly.