"I wore pigtails with ribbons, nail polish" - Chris Evert on how she balanced her 'teenage, high-school girl' image with 'tough competitor' persona
Tennis legend Chris Evert spoke about how she balanced wearing 'pigtails' and 'nail polish' while sporting a strong persona on the tennis court. The 18-time Major singles winner dominated women's tennis in the 1970s and 1980s alongside her rival, Martina Navratilova.
Evert won a record seven French Open titles and also shares the record for the most US Open titles (six) with Serena Williams. She retired from tennis in 1989 and was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1995.
Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova recently spoke to CNN's Christiane Amanpour, and the former was asked about being a fashion trailblazer in tennis. The 69-year-old said that she went out of her way to break taboos and boundaries, standardizing 'high-school' fashion on the court.
"I was in the era of two very strong strong women But I think if I had one thing that you know I can remember The most was that I brought I think I helped to bring a lot of young girls into the sport and say okay It's okay. It's you know it's okay to sweat. It's okay to have muscles. It's okay to get mad on the court It's okay to be strong, and you know, but I went out of my way Christiane I have to admit," she shared. [5:00]
She also shared some of the fashion choices she aced alongside her 'tough competitor' persona.
"I wore the Pigtails with the ribbons, and I wore the ruffles on my bloomers, and I wore nail polish And I mean I still wanted to be a teenage girl... But I still want to be this tough competitor on the court," Evert said.
Chris Evert called Martina Navratilova a 'generous' friend for inviting her to the 2024 French Open
In the second Grand Slam event of the year, the French Open, Iga Swiatek defeated Jasmine Paolini to secure her third consecutive title. Martina Navratilova was initially selected to present the trophy, but she invited Chris Evert to be a fellow presenter on the 50th anniversary of the latter's maiden triumph at Roland Garros.
The 69-year-old lauded Navratilova's friendship and generosity for her gesture.
"I have to be honest, I was not on the roster to present that trophy on this big 50th for me. Martina was on the roster and when she heard it was my 50th anniversary, she quickly went to the French federation and said, 'Chrissie has to present this with me, it's her day too.' So, that's how generous of a friend she was and we both got to present which was great," Chris Evert said. (0:30)
Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova, both of whom won 18 Grand Slam singles titles, had a fierce rivalry on court, with the latter leading 43-37 in their head-to-head. They locked horns in a total of 14 Major finals, with Navratilova winning ten of them.
The two greats of the game were also doubles partners and won two Grand Slams together. The first of these came at the 1975 French Open, when they beat Julie Anthony and Olga Morozova in the final. Evert and Navratilova's second Grand Slam doubles title as a team came at Wimbledon 1976, when the duo beat Billie Jean King and Betty Stove 6-1, 3-6, 7-5 in the final.