"Billie Jean King was the one person that wasn't threatened by me" - Chris Evert reveals how King's interference made everyone on the tour like her
Chris Evert turned pro in 1972 at the age of 18. However, she made her Grand Slam debut at the 1971 US Open when she became the youngest semifinalist in US Open history. She was stopped by the legendary Billie Jean King, who beat her 6-3, 6-2, and went on to win the tournament.
Evert was the guest speaker on the 'Design Matters with Debbie Millman' podcast a few months ago. When the host asked the American icon why the other players didn't speak to her for the first two years, she stated that because she was beating everyone straightaway and had all the media attention.
"Because I was getting all the press. I was on the cover of Newsweek. You know, I was the 'It girl'," Evert said. "Nobody had seen a young girl do so well until then. A young school girl, an all-American girl. I was the promoter's dream, I was the sponsor's dream and the reason was that the other women professionals had done all the work to provide a professional tour for 200-300 women. They had provided a way to support the sport and the women. They knocked on sponsors' doors and got great sponsorships."
She revealed that it took a meeting between King and other players to change their perspective about the youngster. Only after King explained to them the importance of Evert did everyone accept her.
"So they did all the work and I and I kind of came right in there and started beating them. Suddenly, I was getting all the attention. So I 100% understand why they felt the way they did. There were some of them that were nice by the way. I wasn't there but supposedly, Billie Jean King had a meeting with the other players," she stated.
"She said 'listen, Chrissie is putting money in our pockets. She is bringing more people to the table, to the matches, she is bringing more sponsorship, more money, more publicity, more TV, and this is very important for the growth of the game of women's tennis. You are lucky that she's there'. I think that kind of changed their philosophy a little bit. King was the one person that wasn't threatened by me," she added.
"Not enough credit is given to Steffi" - Chris Evert on Steffi Graf's rare accomplishment of Golden Slam
Steffi Graf's unbelievable feat of achieving the Golden Slam in 1988 completed 34 years a few days ago. The German icon won all four Grand Slam titles, along with an Olympic gold medal that year.
One of her biggest rivals, Chris Evert, took to social media to praise Graf and state that it would be impossible for anyone to repeat what she did.
"Not enough credit is given to Steffi. She was relentless in her power game, her movement, her mental strength, and her competitiveness. Winning the Golden Slam will be almost impossible to replicate….and she achieved it with her trademark humility...#alsoaGOAT," Chris Evert tweeted.
#alsoaGOAT twitter.com/usopen/status/…
