Chris Evert, although called time on her career decades ago in 1989, remains active as a strong voice on the tour still. The American tennis legend loves sharing her critical insights into the sport by working as a commentator and analyst for media houses like Eurosport and ESPN. And, whenever she’s free of her commitments, Evert prefers spending time with her sister’s daughters. Subsequently, the veteran shared an adorable post on social media on account of her niece’s birthday on Friday, February 7.

The American ex-pro radiated joy after sharing a sweet selfie with her sister, Clare’s daughter, Remi Shane, on her Instagram. She captioned the young woman’s birthday post saying, “Happy birthday to my sweet, beautiful niece, @remi.shane. Where has the time gone? Love you always.”

Going by the official social media posts, the 18-time Grand Slam champion is quite fond of her niece and sister. In 2019, she added a heartwarming snap of the duo, describing them as “beautiful”. She uploaded a post in 2020 again, which included her sister’s two daughters, Remi and Tatum and her husband, Steven, all smiles after her surprise visit to their residence in Aspen, Colorado.

A few weeks ago, Evert shared a post against the backdrop of the Australian Open with her niece Remi, saying that she ‘always looks forward to spending time with her.’

A strong advocate for women’s rights and responsible for revolutionising women’s tennis, the American legend hasn’t been shy of spreading awareness about ovarian cancer. The former World No. 1 was diagnosed with stage 1C ovarian cancer in 2022 and tested positive once again a few months after successfully overcoming it. While she battled the disease with resilience and announced her cancer-free, Evert hopes that other women suffering from the illness also battle it with a similar strength.

In an interview with ‘We Are Tennis’ by BNP Paribas, she said: “I think it made me stronger in the sense of, a stronger sense of myself, and when I spoke, like people were surprised that I was so open about having ovarian cancer. I’m, like, why? I’m not ashamed. I want to help women. This is a reality and this happens to women, and I want them to know that they can be proactive and they can prevent this if they get genetic testing,” she said on discovering that the root cause of her diagnosis was ingrained in her genetics.

Before enduring this tough phase, Evert drew attention by discussing several hot topics in tennis. One of them included her prediction of the men’s tennis Big Three in 2021.

Chris Evert picked Novak Djokovic as her GOAT choice

Fans aren’t new to the topic – ‘Who is the greatest men’s tennis player?’. The trio consisting of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic have registered a great deal of feats on the tour and their impressive CV often puts critics in a spot when it comes to choosing the best among them. American veteran Chris Evert picked her side in the GOAT debate during a conversation on the podcast ‘Da Windy City’, from FanSided in 2021.

And went with Serbian Djokovic as the GOAT. “I think Novak (Djokovic) if he has another three or four years especially I think he is going to have to be considered the greatest of all time. Mentally, physically, oh my gosh, and emotionally, he’s above them all I think.”

She also foresaw that Federer and Nadal would eventually retire and the ‘Serbinator’ would continue touring and outdo their stellar tour-level Slam record. She said, “Shot making, artistry: Roger Federer. Fitness and warrior fighter: Rafa Nadal, but Djokovic will win more tournaments and will win more grand slam tournaments and will have a better record.”

At 37, Nole completed the career Golden Slam by winning the elusive Olympic gold medal in Paris last year. The Serbian superstar is currently in pursuit of the historic 25th major and will look to record that achievement in the upcoming Slam events this year.