Chris Evert once compared herself to the likes of Martina Navratilova, Steffi Graf and Serena Williams to highlight a quality she lacked as an athlete. However, the former World No. 1 disclosed how she managed to overcome that shortcoming by honing a different strength.
Although she earned the nickname ‘Ice Maiden’ during her legendary career because of her calm demeanor on the court, Evert wasn’t always so composed. During her junior years, she had a tendency to display her frustration and smash rackets during matches. It wasn’t until her father Jimmy warned her against being so demonstrative on the court that she underwent a transformation.
In a 2023 appearance on the Design Matters podcast, Chris Evert admitted that she lacked the innate athletic abilities of players like Martina Hingis, Martina Navratilova, Steffi Graf and Serena Williams. As such, the American asserted that she had to compensate by becoming extremely mentally strong and not letting her emotions get the better of her on the court.
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Evert shared that she found it easy to focus on thinking strategically during matches rather than dwelling on her feelings, even when she was a "wreck" in her personal life.
"You’re feeling, feeling, feeling, but you’re really not thinking. And you have to think when you’re a tennis player. It came easy to me. And I say that not in a boastful way, but in a way that I wasn’t the naturally strong quick athlete of a Martina or a Navratilova, or a Steffi Graf, or a Serena Williams," Chris Evert said.
"So I had to compensate and find other ways, other edges. And I realized at a young age that my temperament by being calm and cool on the court, by being present in every single point, and trying to win every single point, and having just a good mental, being strong mentally, I felt that, that was the strength of my game. But trust me in my personal life, I’m a wreck," she added.
While Chris Evert separated herself from other WTA stars, she did find kindred spirits in Bjorn Borg and Roger Federer. The American revealed that, like them, she had learned to overcome her tendency to have outbursts while transitioning from juniors to professional tennis.
"I became known as the poker face after that" - Chris Evert on her father Jimmy's career-changing advice
During the same podcast, Chris Evert credited her father Jimmy for teaching her about the importance of masking her emotions on the court. The 18-time Grand Slam champion recalled how her dad forewarned her that she would give her opponents the upper hand if she didn't remain calm, which led to her taking on the "little miss poker face" persona during matches.
"I think he just watched me in practice one day and I like banged my racket or threw it or something, which I did often in practice. And finally he said to me, he goes, "Chrissy, you got to stay calm. You got to be cool out here,"" Chris Evert said.
"He goes, "Because you don’t want to let your opponent see that you’re upset because they’ll have that aha moment. I’ve got her. And they’ll gain more confidence." And I became known as the poker face after that, like little miss poker face because I would not let my opponent see if I was discouraged or not," she added.
Evert disclosed that her father's advice had a major impact on her career, as she asserted that her calm and composed temperament helped her win "a lot of points, a lot of matches, and a lot of Grand Slam titles."
Chris Evert, who runs her own tennis academy in Boca Raton, Florida, also shared that she was carrying on her dad's legacy by teaching all the young players she mentored that "when you get too emotional, the mind turns off."
