Chris Evert

Born Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Tennis match after tennis match, Chris Evert was the picture of composed aggression as she sliced, lobbed, and, with two fists, backhanded her way to victory, amassing an astonishing career-winning record of 90 percent. Between 1974, with her first French Open championship, and 1986, with her record seventh, she collected eighteen Grand Slam singles titles, including two Australian Open, three Wimbledon, and six U.S. Open. Evert was one of the last major champions to use a wooden tennis racquet; her one-time fiancé Jimmy Connors had switched to metal, and her greatest rival, Czech star Martina Navratilova, was swinging a graphite model. Known as “America’s Sweetheart” for her on-court femininity, Evert also became known as the “Ice Maiden” for her steely nerves. Even in defeat, which was rare, Evert was always the gracious competitor. In 1995 she was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.