Chris Evert mourns the death of Pope Francis with a moving message

Chris Evert has penned an emotional message to express her condolences after the death of Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church, on Easter Monday, April 21. The Pope passed away at the age of 88 after a stroke and irreversible heart failure.

Evert being hit hard by the Pope's demise doesn't come as a surprise, since the 18-time Grand Slam champion has been open about "growing up in a very strict Catholic God-fearing environment." The former World No. 1 even attended Catholic school for 12 years before becoming a professional tennis player.

As such, Chris Evert penned a moving message on social media, expressing her gratitude to Pope Francis for his welcoming nature over the 12 years of his papacy. The American also thanked the Pope for breaking new ground by speaking about issues that had never been discussed in the Catholic Church before.

"Rip Pope Francis; Thank you for opening your arms to all of us. Thank you for addressing issues that were never before discussed in the Catholic Church. Thank you for your compassion and hope for a better future.🙏," Evert posted on X.

Evert was not alone in mourning the loss of the Pope, as Rafael Nadal also expressed his condolences in a touching message and lamented the "sad day." Venus Williams' boyfriend, Andrea Preti, also bemoaned the demise of Pope Francis.

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Chris Evert: "Going to Catholic school for 12 years suppresses you a little bit"

Chris Evert - Source: Getty

In a 1990 interview with Bob Costas, Chris Evert opened up about how attending Catholic school for over a decade had caused her to suppress her real personality. The American disclosed that it was only after she joined the professional tennis tour that she embraced her true self.

Evert recalled asking her religious parents to allow her to travel on her own while on tour, which was how she discovered her personality and her love for telling "dirty jokes."

"Going to catholic school for 12 years, this sort of suppresses you a little bit," Evert said. "I think after when I joined the tour full time, I had free time, and I just got to be myself and I told my parents at 19 please stay home I’d like to do this on my own I want to have my independence and that’s when I started to find my own personality and my own niche and I tell a lot of dirty jokes. I can’t help it."

Martina Navratilova has also spoken about how she witnessed Chris Evert grow into her own person after developing a "strong shell" due to her Catholic upbringing.