Chris Evert enjoys rare company of Nadia Comaneci & her husband with Simona Halep's unique presence

Chris Evert recently shared images from the BNP Paribas Open in the company of gymnastics icons Bart Conner and Nadia Comaneci. Conner and Comaneci were contemporary stars in the 1970s and 1980s, and the former helped the latter to defect from Romania to Montreal in 1989 before they were married five years later.

Evert's astonishing tennis career coincided with that of the gymnasts. The American was ranked as the World No. 1 for 260 weeks during that period, and she won a world-best seven French Open titles and a record-equalling six US Open championships. Along with her now-good friend Martina Navratilova, she dominated women's tennis for close to 20 years.

Evert shared an image of herself with Comaneci and Conner from the BNP Paribas Open, with Simona Halep in the background on her official Instagram handle. The 70-year-old's caption read:

"These two...#icons...and look, @simonahalep in the background!"

Comaneci and Conner share an endearing love story. They met at the Montreal Olympic Games, and when Comaneci defected in 1989, Conner helped the Russian-born gymnast to escape an allegedly abusive relationship and settle in the US, eventually offering her a job at his gymnastics school in Oklahoma in 1991.

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Chris Evert changed the world of tennis, according to Billie Jean King

Chris Evert during the Wimbledon 2024 - Source: Getty

Chris Evert was just a teenager when she arrived on the tennis scene. She won 18 Major titles and graced the game for 17 years on the Tour before retiring in 1989. Currently, she has three children of her own, and in 2024, she became a grandmother for the first time. She's now a tennis broadcaster and commentator.

Billie Jean King suggested that Evert's impact on world tennis was akin to that of Caitlin Clark's on women's basketball. In 1971, Evert went all the way to the US Open semifinal and lost to King, who told wtatennis.com that the then sixteen-year-old made quite the splash.

“You know what Caitlin Clark did this year for women’s basketball -- actually, just basketball, period? Chrissie did that for tennis in 1971. I was there, so I can tell you all about it. I had to have a meeting with the older players and told them to shape up. I said, `She’ll put money in your pocket. Guys, she’s our next superstar.’ To this day, she’s the only player, man or woman, who won 90 percent of her career matches," said King.

Chris Evert holds the record of being the only player to win atleast one major title for 13 consecutive years. On the other hand, Nadia Comaneci won five gold medals, four silver medals, and one bronze medal in her gymnastics career. Both are truly icons of their respective sports and fitting representatives of both tennis and gymnastics.