With her girl-next-door looks and blond locks, Chris Evert earned the nickname America’s Sweetheart and became one of the first tennis celebrities of the TV era. Born in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., in 1954, she had a traditional feminine deportment that made parents more comfortable with their daughters’ taking up the sport, and her rivalry with Martina Navratilova fueled interest in the women’s game throughout the 1970s and ’80s. She pioneered the two-handed backhand, which allowed her to push through shots with unmatched power, paving the way for power baseline players like Monica Seles. Her career win-loss record of 1,304144 (.900) remains the best of any professional player in tennis history. She also holds records for consecutive wins on any surface 125 on clay and for winning at least one Grand Slam title for 13 consecutive years beginning in 1974.
30 Legends of Women’s Tennis: Past, Present and Future
Rebel, survivor, pinup, sweetheart, pit bull, rock chick, ice queen: female tennis players sure seem to get labeled a lot. And while that kind of media sizzle makes tournaments like Wimbledon a hot ticket, it doesn't begin to sum up the resilience and power of the sport's biggest stars. Find out what drives the greatest players of the past 40 years, from Billie Jean King to Li Na
Chris Evert
Full List
Wimbledon Women
- Li Na
- Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
- Andrea Petkovic
- Petra Kvitova
- Caroline Wozniacki
- Yanina Wickmayer
- Victoria Azarenka
- Agnieszka Radwanska
- Bethanie Mattek-Sands
- Ana Ivanovic
- Samantha Stosur
- Vera Zvonareva
- Maria Sharapova
- Kim Clijsters
- Justine Henin
- Serena Williams
- Venus Williams
- Martina Hingis
- Monica Seles
- Arantxa Sánchez-Vicario
- Gabriela Sabatini
- Steffi Graf
- Tracy Austin
- Martina Navratilova
- Chris Evert
- Evonne Goolagong
- Virginia Wade
- Rosie Casals
- Margaret Court
- Billie Jean King