"I was a taboo" - Chris Evert fought stigma for being muscular and paved way for many girls to pick tennis as a profession
Turning pro in her teenage years, Chris Evert became a sensation and went on to register a number of records against her name. However, the icon's biggest contribution to tennis, according to her, is that she was able to motivate many kids, especially girls, to pick up the sport as a profession.
Speaking on the 'Design Matters with Debbie Millman' podcast a couple of months ago, Evert explained what her answer would be if anyone asked her what her contribution to the sport was.
"When people ask me, 'What do you think you've done for the game of tennis', I say that I had two huge trailblazers in my era — Billie Jean King and Martina Navratilova," Chris Evert said.
"Billie Jean just opened the doors to equality and equal pay. She was just such a visionary and such a great leader to all of us. Martina, coming out as gay, she had her own leadership and her own path that she followed in a very, very authentic way," she added.
However, Evert feels she motivated young girls to become tennis players and not care about their physicalities. Calling herself a "taboo," she revealed that when she made her debut, it was considered unattractive for girls to have muscles.
"I was kind of like a girl next door, you know, white bread. I kind of got lost in that shuffle a little bit. But when I look back, I realize that what I helped to do was to encourage young girls to become tennis players, to say, 'Hey, it's okay to be athletic, have muscles, and to be tough. You can still be feminine and wear your jewelry. You can still be yourself', because when I first came on the scene, having muscles and being tough was not attractive. It was taboo. I was taboo," she stated.
Chris Evert responds to fan regarding Steffi Graf's GOAT debate
One fan recently defended Steffi Graf against allegations from another, who stated that she remained on top because of the absence of Monica Seles, whose career was severely affected after she was stabbed by a fan.
"Two things can be true at once. Steffi can be a GOAT and have dominated, while at the same time she could have been aided by Monica's absence. It's not an either/or. (It should also be noted that the Golden Slam happened in 1988 and is irrelevant to Seles being stabbed.)," a fan tweeted.
@whatisthebein @ChrissieEvert Two things can be true at once. Steffi can be a GOAT and have dominated, while at the same time she could have been aided by Monica's absence. It's not an either/or. (It should also be noted that the Golden Slam happened in 1988 and is irrelevant to Seles being stabbed.)
This compelled Evert to revert as she seconded the fan's opinion, stating that both points were valid.
"Well said… both are true" Chris Evert wrote.
