"I'll be only 18, that's too young to be playing for money" - When Chris Evert didn't want to follow Billie Jean King into breakaway tour
Chris Evert spoke about not competing in the breakaway tour which was independent from the WTA. The American stated that she wasn't playing just for the money.
It was 1972, and the Virginia Slims Circuit, a precursor to the WTA Tour was around at the time. The breakaway tour also had better prize purses compared to the other tournaments and there was talk of barring its players, which included Billie Jean King and Margaret Court, among others.
However, then-17-year-old Chris Evert did not have that stance, stating that while the likes of King and Court may not have anything to gain from winning tournaments like Wimbledon, that was not the case with her as she never won it.
“Billie Jean and Margaret may have nothing to gain by winning Wimbledon or Forest Hills because they've already done it a few times. But I haven't yet and it means a lot to me," Evert said, as quoted by the New York Times.
The then-teenager also said that she was at a stage in her life when she wouldn't play just for the money.
"I'll still be only 18 next summer and that's too young to be playing entirely for money," Evert said.
Chris Evert reached two Grand Slam semifinals in 1972
1972 was a decent year for Chris Evert as she won four singles titles throughout the season. The then-teenager's first tournament win was the Virginia Slims of Fort Lauderdale, beating Billie Jean King in the final.
She then won that year's Queen's Club Championships before triumphing at the U.S. Clay Court Championships. The American's fourth title that season came at the Virginia Slims Championships, defeating Kerry Melville in the final.
As far as Grand Slams were concerned, Chris Evert did not compete at the Australian Open and the French Open but reached the semifinals at Wimbledon and the US Open. The American made her debut at the grass-court Major and reached the last four after beating five of her compatriots. Here, she lost 6-4, 3-6, 4-6 to eventual runner-up Evonne Goolagong.
Evert reached her second successive semifinal at the US Open following wins over Laurie Tenney, Marita Redondo, Julie Heldman, and Olga Morozova before suffering a 4-6, 2-6 loss to Kerry Melville.
1972 would be the last season until 1980 when the American would win less than five singles titles.