Chris Evert

Chris Evert, born in 1954, American tennis player and tournament broadcast commentator, one of the first top players to rely on a two-handed backhand. Born Christine Marie Evert in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, she gained recognition as a teenage amateur, defeating such stars as Margaret Smith Court, Virginia Wade, and Billie Jean King. A poised and intensely concentrated player, Evert quickly became a favorite of sportswriters and spectators, helping attract large audiences and significant prize money to women's tennis.

Evert turned professional in 1972 after winning the Virginia Slims championship tournament and the United States Clay-Court Championship earlier the same year. In 1974, at the age of 19, she won singles titles at Wimbledon and the French and Italian opens. In 1975 she again won the French title, in addition to winning her first U.S. Open women's singles competition by defeating Evonne Goolagong at Forest Hills. She beat Goolagong again in 1976 at Wimbledon. Evert went on to win a total of six U.S. opens, seven French opens, three Wimbledon titles, and two Australian opens. She retired from competitive tennis in 1989 and became a color commentator for network-television broadcasts of major tennis tournaments. The first player to win 1000 singles matches (1984), Evert earned a rare unanimous selection to the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1995.