"I easily could have resented my father and hated tennis" - When Chris Evert made brutally honest admission about her unhappy start to tennis life

Chris Evert once made a brutally honest admission about her father Jimmy coaching her, revealing that she didn’t initially like it whatsoever. She even admitted that, at the time, she wanted to resent her dad for it. She would have rather spent her time with friends, enjoying swimming and barbecues, than focusing on tennis training.

Jimmy was a prominent tennis coach and former professional player, with his best result in a Grand Slam being a third-round finish at the 1942 US Open. He eventually served as the tennis director at Holiday Park in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, for many years.

He coached Evert and her siblings, playing a pivotal role in her development into one of the greatest tennis players in history, with 18 Grand Slam titles and countless other accomplishments. Beyond his daughter, he also mentored players such as Brian Gottfried, Harold Solomon, and Jennifer Capriati.

In a 2015 first-person essay for The Wall Street Journal, Chris Evert shared:

"When I was 5, he took me to the Holiday Park Tennis Center in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., about three minutes from our house. I wasn’t happy about going at first. I was in kindergarten and loved spending time at my girlfriend’s house swimming and having barbecues. Instead, I had to hit balls my dad threw to me from shopping carts."

The 18-time Grand Slam champion added:

"I easily could have resented my father and hated tennis. But I quickly learned to enjoy it and responded well to my dad, who was more of a stern teacher than a tyrant. Besides, there were many other kids my age playing there, so I had fun."

Chris Evert's father Jimmy passed away at 91

Chris Evert pictured at a press conference | Image Source: Getty

Chris Evert's father, Jimmy, passed away on August 21, 2015, in Florida at the age of 91. According to a report from People magazine, his death was attributed to natural causes.

After his passing, Chris Evert shared a heartfelt message to her father on X (formerly Twitter). She expressed that it was both an honor and a blessing to have been born as his daughter and that he would forever remain in her heart.

"It's an honor and a blessing to have been your daughter. You will be in my heart forever. RIP Dad... XO," she wrote.

Evert became one of the greatest players in tennis history, with her father’s guidance laying the foundation for her legendary career. Among her many achievements, she won 18 Grand Slam titles and held the World No. 1 ranking for 260 weeks.