The American legend reminisces on her long and incomparable career, and chimes in on Serena Williams and the US Open.
It feels almost uncomfortable to even attempt to summarise the achievements of today’s guest, because Chris Evert’s career is so extraordinary that it would require oodles of metaphorical ink. Anyway, here it goes, in a very compressed rendition: 18 Slam titles (seven at the French Open, six at the US Open on two different surfaces, three at Wimbledon, two at the Australian Open) with at least one victory for 13 straight years (she didn’t even compete in every event, nor were the Majors the biggest priority for female players back then, as she told us during the interview); 260 weeks as the world N.1 (she finished the year as the top-ranked player seven times); 52 semis and 54 quarters reached out of the 56 Slams she entered; 125 consecutive wins on clay with a final win percentage of 94.28 on the dirt – in short, Evert exegete Steve Flink and I had a chat with Tennis History herself. Nowadays, she helms a successful Academy in Florida with her brother John (it actually bears his name), works as an analyst for ESPN, and also serves as a publisher for “Tennis”.
THE COMPLETE INTERVIEW
https://www.facebook.com/ubitennisEN/videos/269919837439574/
VIDEO SCHEDULE
Minute 00: introduction. After all this time, does Chris ever get bored while hearing her accomplishments listed over and over again?
03:49: “Luckily, I have so many unforgettable moments for me! Perhaps the one I cherish the most is the first time I entered the US Open, or the last two French Open titles. However, my rivalry with Martina will always hold a special place in my heart…”
07:26: Were the Slams as important back then? “We were the first professional league for women, so we had a duty to promote that…”
13:44: Steve Flink is the greatest living Evert expert, but does he know how many times she won in Rome?
17:00: Serena Williams and Margaret Court’s 24-Slam record: “You have to feel for her, just look at how her four final opponents played…”. Is she still competitive?
25:40: Was Serena’s defeat against Roberta Vinci at the 2015 US Open the biggest upset ever?
30:42: Her broadcasting career: “I had a few initial hiccups, but after opening an Academy with my brother…”
36:56: What does the women’s game need to stay relevant – a rivalry, a Serena-style dictatorship, or competitive balance?
41:53: “My longevity at the top is something I’m exceedingly proud of!” Her final Wimbledon run, and a bout she refused to concede…
47:34: “My father was the driving tennis force in my family – my sister Jeanne played on the Virginia Slims Circuit like me, and my other three siblings all won tennis scholarships!” Throwback to when she needed to phone her parents after her matches because they didn’t go live on TV.
50:52: Her career-revamping win against Tracy Austin, who had beaten her five times in a row, at the 1980 US Open: “I had some good advice from former Australian player Don Candy…”. How important is it to know the opponent’s game?
58:06: Is the US Open going to happen? Who had the better behaviour during the lockdown, the WTA or the ATP?
01:01:52: Will Nadal go to New York? What about Djokovic?
