The Open Era
United States · born Fort Lauderdale, Florida, 1954 · three times Wimbledon champion
All playersBack to the rankings
10
Wimbledon singles finals, 1973 to 1985
96-15
Wimbledon singles match record
17
Wimbledon semi-finals or better, in 18 appearances
6-2, 6-2
1981 final, won without dropping a set
Born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on 21 December 1954, Evert reached the US Open semi-finals at 16 in 1971 and played her first Wimbledon a year later. She won 18 major singles titles: seven French Opens, six US Opens, three Wimbledons and two Australian Opens. She won 157 singles titles with a match record of 1,309 wins and 146 losses, held the world No. 1 ranking for 260 weeks and finished seven years as year-end No. 1. Between 1973 and 1979 she won 125 consecutive matches on clay. She helped the United States win the Federation Cup eight times, retired after the 1989 US Open and entered the Hall of Fame in 1995. She runs the Evert Tennis Academy in Boca Raton with her brother John.
| Major singles titles | 5: Wimbledon (1974, 1976, 1981); Australian (1982, 1984) |
|---|---|
| Major singles finals lost | 10: Wimbledon 1973, Wimbledon 1978, Wimbledon 1979, Wimbledon 1980, Wimbledon 1982, Wimbledon 1984, Wimbledon 1985, Australian 1974, Australian 1981, Australian 1985 |
| Other grass singles titles | 11: Eastbourne 3 (1974, 1976, 1979); Newport 2 (1974, 1985); Carlsbad (1979); Chichester (1980); Eastern Grass Court Championships (1971); Queen's (1972); Sydney (1981); Tokyo (Emeron Cup) (1978) |
| Major doubles titles | 1 doubles (Wimbledon 1) |
| Other grass doubles titles | 1: Eastbourne (1978) |
| Wimbledon finals won | 1974: Olga Morozova 6-0, 6-4. 1976: Evonne Goolagong 6-3, 4-6, 8-6. 1981: Hana MandlÃková 6-2, 6-2 |
| Wimbledon finals lost | 1973 to Billie Jean King; 1980 to Goolagong 1-6, 6-7; 1978, 1979, 1982, 1984 and 1985 to Martina Navratilova |
| Wimbledon doubles | Champion 1976 with Navratilova, beating King and Betty Stöve 6-1, 3-6, 7-5 |
| Australian finals on grass | Won 1982 against Navratilova 6-3, 2-6, 6-3. Lost 1974 to Goolagong and 1981 and 1985 to Navratilova |
| Eastbourne 1979 | Beat Navratilova 7-5, 5-7, 13-11 in the final |
| Wimbledon semi-finals | Reached at least the semi-finals in 17 of her 18 Wimbledon appearances from 1972 to 1989 |
| Wimbledon | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1974 | Women's singles | |
| 1976 | Women's doubles | with Martina Navratilova |
| 1976 | Women's singles | |
| 1981 | Women's singles | |
| Eastbourne | ||
| 1974 | Women's singles†| |
| 1976 | Women's singles†| |
| 1978 | Women's doubles†| with Betty Stöve |
| 1979 | Women's singles†| |
| Newport, Rhode Island | ||
| 1974 | Women's singles†Virginia Slims of Newport | |
| 1985 | Women's doubles Virginia Slims of Newport | with Wendy Turnbull |
| 1985 | Women's singles Virginia Slims of Newport | |
| Australian Championships | ||
| 1982 | Women's singles Australian Open | |
| 1984 | Women's singles Australian Open | |
| Eastern Grass Court Championships (South Orange) | ||
| 1971 | Women's singles†| |
| Queen's Club | ||
| 1972 | Women's singles†| |
| Chichester | ||
| 1980 | Women's singles†| |
| New South Wales Championships | ||
| 1981 | Women's singles New South Wales Open | |
Leading grass titles only: the grass majors, tour-level grass events since 1968 and the leading grass championships before 1968. †single source; ‡ sources disagree. Roll of champions
"She won't carry anyone and she'll never tank a match."
The person behind the player.
Wimbledon 1972
Before her first Wimbledon, at 17, the British press had already named her the Ice Princess for her composure on court. She leaned into the image rather than fight it, reached the semi-finals on debut, and won the title two years later.
Source: International Tennis Hall of FameWimbledon 1974
Evert and Jimmy Connors had become engaged when she was 19, and in 1974 both won the Wimbledon singles titles. A wedding was planned for 8 November that year. It was called off, and both went on to win the Wimbledon singles again in later years.
Source: WikipediaWimbledon 1976
In the year she won her second singles title, Evert paired with Martina Navratilova, the rival who would beat her in five Wimbledon singles finals, and they won the doubles against Billie Jean King and Betty Stöve, 7-5 in the final set. It was her only Wimbledon doubles title.
Source: WikipediaWimbledon 1981
Playing as Chris Evert Lloyd after her marriage to the British player John Lloyd, she won her third Wimbledon without losing a set, beating Hana MandlÃková 6-2, 6-2 in the final. It was her 12th major singles title, which passed Margaret Court's Open Era record.
Source: WikipediaNew York 1979
Andy Warhol painted her in 1979 as one of a series of portraits of the top ten athletes of the 1970s, commissioned by the collector Richard Weisman. It was the same year her run of 125 consecutive wins on clay, which began in August 1973, came to an end.
Source: International Tennis Hall of FameUS Open 1989
In her final US Open, in 1989, Zina Garrison beat her in the quarter-finals, then cried at courtside and apologised for winning. The two embraced as they left the court. It was the last match Evert played at a major before she retired.
Source: International Tennis Hall of FameFree membership: player news, the grass court Atlas, the rankings and the grass season calendar.
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