"Like mother, like son" - Chris Evert recalls playing Taylor Fritz's mother Kathy May
Chris Evert recently reminisced about her time competing alongside Taylor Fritz's mother, Kathy May, and highlighted the striking similarity in the competitive spirit shared by the mother-son duo.
Kathy May Fritz is an American former professional tennis player who won seven WTA singles titles over the course of her career, and reached a career-high ranking of World No. 10 in 1977. She appeared in three Grand Slam quarterfinals, once at the US Open, in 1978, and twice at the French Open, in 1977 and 1978.
Taylor Fritz is currently competing at the 2023 Shanghai Masters. Following a bye in the first round, the American claimed a hard-fought 7-6(2), 6-7(6), 6-4 victory over Yosuke Watanuki to advance to the third round of the ATP Masters 1000 event.
Following Fritz's win, Chris Evert took to social media and shared that watching him play had brought back memories of competing against his mother, Kathy May. Evert praised Kathy May as a formidable competitor and drew a parallel between her competitive spirit and that of her son.
"So, I'm watching @Taylor_Fritz97 remembering playing his mom, Kathy May in our era. She was a great competitor.... like mother, like son," she posted.
Up next, Taylor Fritz will take on the winner of the match between Jiri Lehecka and Diego Schwartzman for a place in the fourth round of the 2023 Shanghai Masters.
A brief look at Chris Evert's rivalry with Taylor Fritz's mother Kathy May
Chris Evert dominated her rivalry against Taylor Fritz's mother, Kathy May. They faced off against each in four tour-level encounters, with Evert emerging victorious in each of them.
The pair first locked horns in Washington DC in 1977, where the 18-time Grand Slam champion claimed a commanding 6-4, 6-3 victory over her compatriot. They met again in the 1977 Hilton Head quarterfinals, with the former World No. 1 securing a dominant 6-0, 6-1 victory.
Evert continued her dominance in their third encounter in Boston in 1979, winning 6-3, 6-0. Their final showdown occurred at the 1979 Wimbledon Championships, where the American claimed a 6-4, 6-3 victory, maintaining her perfect record against the former World No. 10.
Chris Evert's win over Kathy May at the 1979 Wimbledon Championships came en route to her second consecutive final at the grasscourt Major. In the title clash, she locked horns with arch-rival Martina Navratilova, in a rematch of the previous year's fina. Navratilova emerged victorious once more, winning 6-4, 6-4 to claim her second title at SW19.
Over the course of her career, Evert won three Wimbledon titles, in 1974, 1976 and 1981. She also contested seven finals at the grasscourt Major, losing to Navratilova on five of those occasions.