"When I first ran into Chrissie, I was absolutely nobody from Australia" - When Greg Norman spoke about his first meeting with Chris Evert
Chris Evert is one of the greatest tennis players of all time and has enjoyed quite a career in both singles and doubles. The American has had an interesting personal life as well, being married thrice after her highly-publicized relationship with Jimmy Connors.
Evert's final marriage was to golf legend Greg Norman in 2008. The couple spoke to Australian TV presenter Eddie McGuire that year, with Norman talking about his first meeting with Evert, which dated back to the 1970s.
"When I first ran into Chrissie, it was in 1976-1977 and she was at a tennis event. I just happened to be there and I was in the locker room. I made an effort to try and go up and introduce myself. It was 1976-1977, I was absolutely nobody from Australia, and I always thought 'Wow, this must be a great person to know because of the sporting achievements she has attained at such a young age and what goes through that mind," Norman said.
Evert said that there was always a spark between the two and that they had a lot of admiration for one another.
"There is always a little spark, a little jarring, and we were teasing each other and at the same time, the keyword was respect and we just admired each other," the 18-time Grand Slam singles champion said.
Evert and Norman both divorced their longtime spouses (Andy Mill and Laura Andrassy) around the same time in 2006. While there were a lot of rumors about them being in a relationship, Norman denied them.
"There wasn't any physical relationship between us, I mean, I can put my hand on my heart and swear that on my mum and dad's lives and my kids' lives. There wasn't any of that taking place, it was just, 'Hey, how you're feeling, thanks for coming out...' and that's what Chrissie said. There was a connection with us," the Aussie said.
Chris Evert and Greg Norman were married for 15 months
Chris Evert and Greg Norman were married for only 15 months before divorcing in 2009. The American said in an interview with Elle that both had different priorities.
"Was there passion? Yes. Was there love? Sure, uh, yes—but we had two big worlds. Honestly, we had different priorities. I want roots—I want to be with my kids, live in a nice, comfortable house, and be able to do my work. One of us would have had to give up a big part of our life. I don't want this to be a slam on Greg, but our lifestyles were different. My priority was my kids. His priority was to build his business and travel," Chris Evert said.