Chris Evert recalls past meeting with young Venus and Serena Williams at charity tournament
Chris Evert went down memory lane to remember her meeting with Venus and Serena Williams. On Saturday, the 70-year-old shared a picture in which she can be seen alongside young Williams sisters and Tracy Austin as they posed together in a crowd-filled stadium.
Evert first met Venus Williams when she was about nine years old. Her father, Richard Williams, contacted Evert's father to arrange a visit to their home so young Venus could see Chris's trophies. Her early bond with Venus and Serena Williams was supportive and she invited both sisters to participate in her first Pro-Celebrity charity event when they were around nine and eleven years old.
Chris Evert recently took a moment to share her memorable meeting with the Williams sisters via her Instagram handle. The WTA legend posted a picture alongside young Serena and Venus from 1989, when she organized the opening version of her pro-celebrity event, a fundraiser for Chris Evert charities in Boca Raton, Florida.
Sharing the adorable moment alongside Tracy Austin, she wrote:
"My first pro celebrity charity tournament... Stars in the making!💪🏼👍."
Serena Williams marked an end to her professional career in September 2022. By that time, she had 23 Grand Slam titles and 4 Olympic gold medals under her belt.
When Chris Evert named Serena Williams among the best players of all time
While everyone has their own set of names to pitch in the GOAT debate, Chris Evert had Serena Williams on top of her list. In 2021, when asked about the best WTA star according to her, she couldn't back down from from pitching the 23-time Grand Slam champion's name. However, Evert's verdict came with a condition.
“If you put all the best tennis players of all-time I would say Serena," she said, during her presence at the FanSided’s Da Windy City podcast (as quoted by Bolavip).
However, besides naming Williams as the best player, she had two other names in her mind.
“If you said the most accomplished career, I would say more Steffi (Graf) and Martina (Navratilova). They have better numbers. They have a better percentage of winning, they won more tournaments, they just won a couple of less grand slams but they are better in all the other categories," she added.
Now working as an analyst, Evert herself has left a lasting legacy behind. She secured a total of 157 tour-level singles titles including 18 majors.