"It wasn't that I didn't respect her or take her seriously... I'm very upset" - When Chris Evert broke down in tears after first loss to Helena Sukova

Chris Evert was visibly distraught, breaking down in tears with red-rimmed eyes after her shock loss to Helena Sukova in the 1986 US Open semifinals. This marked the second consecutive year that the American missed reaching the final of the New York Major.

After 14 consecutive losses to Evert, Sukova finally turned the tide, defeating her 6-2, 6-4 in just 1 hour and 10 minutes. This victory sent the Czech to her second Grand Slam final, her first since the 1984 Australian Open.

Once a dominant force on the court, Evert was unaccustomed to losses and struggled to process her defeat to Sukova, as seen in her emotional post-match press conference. She admitted it was hard to accept the loss, especially as it was her first to her young opponent.

"It wasn't that I didn't respect her or take her seriously," the 18-time Grand Slam champion said. "I did because she's a very good player and we've had close matches before. But when you've never lost to a player before I don't think you have that extra five percent, that fear of losing."

"And then she came out and played a great match. She served great, hit her groundstrokes great and just played an excellent match," she added.

In a subsequent interview with CBS-TV, Chris Evert, fighting back tears, reiterated how "upset" she was by the loss, saying:

"To tell you the truth, I'm very upset. I don't think I take my losses as badly as I used to. I mean, if I did, I'd be depressed a lot of the time. Before, I used to dwell on them after a major tournament for maybe a week."

"Tomorrow, I'll feel disappointed, but I'll feel fine about myself. But I still hate to lose. I'm a competitor. Any champion hates to lose," she added.

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Chris Evert: "When I've played Helena Sukova before, she's had moments where she's played very flashy"

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

In the CBS-TV interview, Chris Evert continued reflecting on her semifinal loss to Helena Sukova at the 1986 US Open, comparing it to their previous matches.

The American noted that while the Czech often had "flashy" moments in their past encounters, this time, despite some early mistakes, her resilience and strong comeback ultimately worked in her favor.

"When I've played her before, she's always had moments where she's played very flashy shots but also moments where she's been erratic. Today, that never happened. A couple of nervous points here and there but then she would come back with a great point," Evert said.

In the final at Flushing Meadows, Sukova faced Martina Navratilova, who was coming off a hard-fought win over Steffi Graf. Navratilova ultimately prevailed in straight sets, claiming her 15th Major title.