Chris Evert once shed light on her feelings about sharing a locker room with transgender player Renee Richards at the US Open. Richards, who was born Richard Raskind, had captained the Yale men’s tennis team and reached the semifinals of the US Men’s 35 Championships before undergoing a sex-change operation in 1975.
After Richards’ gender reassignment surgery, she wanted to compete in the women’s singles competition at the 1976 US Open but refused to take a chromosome test, which had been introduced as a prerequisite by the USTA (United States Tennis Association) just that year. After being denied entry, she sued the USTA in a New York State Supreme Court the following year and ensured her participation in the 1977 US Open after a judge ruled in her favor.
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In a 2012 interview with the New York Times, Chris Evert recalled the stark contrast between two of the most talked-about stories at the New York Major that year. On one hand was the "picture of innocence" presented by a 14-year-old Tracy Austin, who was making her US Open debut. On the other was the 43-year-old Renee Richards, whom the former World No. 1 described as the "polar opposite" due to the immense adversity she had faced.
"Tracy, in her pinafore dress and braces, was the picture of innocence. Renée, on the other hand, had been through so much adversity and hurt in her life. They were just polar opposites," Chris Evert said.
Evert also made an honest admission about initially feeling "uncomfortable" while sharing a locker room with Richards. However, the American admitted that Richard's graciousness and lack of resentment about the heavy press scrutiny changed her perspective and helped her learn an important life lesson.
"It was a little uncomfortable to go into the locker room. Renée would be in there — do you look, do you not look? But she was just such a gracious person, with no resentment about the press coverage. It was a life lesson and definitely made me a better person," she said.
Despite all the discourse surrounding her participation in the US Open, Renee Richards crashed out of the event in the very first round after a 6-1, 6-4 loss to Virginia Wade. Chris Evert, meanwhile, made a stellar run to the final and defeated Wendy Turnbull 7-6, 6-2 to clinch her third consecutive title at the New York Major.
Chris Evert on transgender inclusion in women's sports: "I competed against Renee Richards when she was 43 and struggled to beat her"
While Chris Evert did not lock horns with Renee Richards at the 1977 US Open, she did face her fellow American in six matches between 1978 and 1980. Although the 18-time Grand Slam champion enjoyed a perfect 6-0 winning record against Richards, she has admitted that the wins did not come easy.
In a 2022 interview with the New York Post, Evert argued against the inclusion of transgender athletes in women's sports by highlighting how she "struggled" to beat a 43-year-old Richards when she was in her 20s.
"I competed against Renee Richards when she was 43 and was not in shape, as she admitted, and (struggled to beat her) — and I was ranked No. 1 in the world," Chris Evert said.
"The wingspan. The size of the heart. The size of the lungs. The speed. The fast twitch muscles. The testosterone. There’s just everything pointing to the fact that men are quicker, stronger, etc. than women — especially after puberty," she added.
Martina Navratilova, who was coached by Renee Richards from 1981 to 1983, also expressed similar sentiments and revealed that Richards herself said that she shouldn't have been allowed to compete at the US Open.
