"Policemen have pulled me over many times and seen that I'm Chris Evert" - When American icon explained why she had never received a speeding ticket

Chris Evert once shed light on the drawbacks of the overwhelming level of fame she attained at a very young age. The American elucidated her point by revealing how police officers treated her differently when they pulled her over.

Evert was just a teenager when she joined the professional tour and began making headlines. Over the course of her legendary career, she won 18 Major titles, completed the career Slam, and reigned as the World No. 1 for 260 weeks. The American's success, as well as her celebrated rivalry with Martina Navratilova, made her one of the most well-known athletes in America.

However, Chris Evert believed that the attention she received from a young age stopped her from developing her real self. In an interview with CBS News in 2022, the former World No. 1 acknowledged that she constantly received praise and special treatment, like policemen always letting her off without a speeding ticket.

"I think that my fame at a young age, I really didn't get to have the freedom to develop the authentic me at a young age. I didn't go to college; I joined the tour right away. And you know, I think people that, again, are always told, 'You're the greatest,' and patted on the back, and people can't say no to them, you know?" Chris Evert said.

"I mean, I don't think I've ever gotten a ticket in my life, because policemen have pulled me over many times and seen that I'm Chris Evert. And they go, 'I'm such a big fan of yours, I'm gonna let you go,'" she added.

Evert confessed that such experiences led her to feel entitled, which had a negative impact on all her relationships and marriages. The 18-time Grand Slam champion was married three times, to British tennis player John Lloyd (1979-1987), American skier Andy Mill (1988-2006), and Australian golfer Greg Norman (2008-2009).

"I think when that happens years, and years, and years, and years, I think you become a little entitled and a little enabled. And I'm the first to admit that. I feel like that affected my relationships with people, and with my marriages … I think you pay a price," she said.

Chris Evert's ex-husband John Lloyd expressed similar sentiments, revealing that he had to "swallow his ego" while being married to a big star like her.

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Chris Evert's then-husband John Lloyd: "We don't go out that much... People stare at us"

Chris Evert And John Lloyd - Source: Getty

During a press conference at the 1979 US Open, John Lloyd disclosed that he and then-wife Chris Evert kept to their hotel room while in New York because of how much attention the American garnered when they stepped out in public. The couple chose to rely on room service in order to avoid being stared at in restaurants.

Lloyd humorously also revealed that Evert did not back down when she caught people openly staring at them.

"We don't go out that much. Even in New York this week, we had room service for dinner most of the time. It's easier than going to restaurant, where people stare at us," Lloyd said.

"I can understand someone staring for a few seconds, but not continually. It even happens in elevators and if they do it for too long, Chrissie stares back at them," he added.

On the tennis front, John Lloyd was forced to pull out of the New York Major after falling ill before his third-round encounter with John McEnroe. Meanwhile, four-time defending champion Chris Evert reached the final, where she lost to Tracy Austin.