“I looked up and saw Jimmy with another girl,” When Chris Evert revealed how Jimmy Connors’ affair with another woman affected her during Wimbledon 1975 semifinal battle against Billie Jean King
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Chris Evert
Chris Evert and Jimmy Connors are arguably two of the most well-known names in tennis history. The former won 18 major titles during her playing career, whereas, Jimmy won eight major titles. The American duo were a ‘thing’ during the 70s, and were slated to be married. However, a string of unfortunate events derailed their relationship, and the pair had to call off their wedding.
The duo do not speak much about their past relationship to the media, however, in an interview dating back to 1990, Chris Evert shed some light on the same. The American legend revealed that when the couple were going through a rough phase, she spotted Jimmy Connors in the stands with another woman. Moreover, this was during her semifinal battle against Billie Jean King at Wimbledon 1975.
Although, the pair were going through a rocky phase, yet Chris Evert had some hope to mend their relationship. “I don’t think actually (Jimmy Connors) appreciates me mentioning this, but I will anyways, since I opened my big mouth about it. But I was playing Billie Jean and I was up in the third, and at that time, we were going through, you know, we were sort of very, very rocky. I think we were breaking up actually. But I still had a lot of feelings for him, and I think I looked up and saw Jimmy with another girl,” she said.
“It sort of threw me off a little bit,” Chris Evert on spotting Jimmy Connors with another woman
Chris Evert added that spotting Jimmy Connors with another woman affected the outcome of her semifinal battle against eventual champion Billie Jean King. In the same interview, the American became candid about her emotions, and how her personal matters affected her tennis.
“I can’t believe I said this in public but I was, it was probably one of my more open moments, when I was very revealing, and I just said (that) it just really bothered me, and I think that people thought that I was such a machine out there, that I had no emotion, but in essence a lot of things and my emotional life affected my tennis and that was one of them,” she added.
Chris Evert also revealed as to why she decided to speak out on the topic. She has often been judged by the media as someone who lacks emotion, something which the American herself does not agree with.
“I just saw him up in the stands with another woman and it sort of threw me off a little bit, and I think I double faulted and it was my own fault you know, I wasn’t concentrating. But I think the reason I mentioned that was probably just to make it known that the stories about me, just being unfeeling all the time were not true,” Chris Evert continued.
Jimmy Connors eventually married Patti McGuire in 1979, and the duo have been living happily for almost over 40 years. Meanwhile, Chris Evert has been married thrice, with her relationship with Greg Norman lasting for just a year.
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Nirmit Mehta
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