Life can be taken away at any time. Chris Evert had to figure that out the hard way. She was diagnosed with stage 1 ovarian cancer in January 2022, merely two years after her younger sister tragically passed away from it. The doctors assured her that there was a 94% chance that the illness would not return. But, yet it did, in December 2023. Years before that, Evert managed to navigate past a tough professional journey in the sport, begging the question, how? For a person to overcome multiple challenges and still come out in one piece, sounds absurd.
For starters, Evert never lost touch with the good old optimism. Recording an impressive roster that housed 157 WTA singles titles, including 18 Grand Slam crowns, posted her at the top of the game she devoted herself to. Naturally, she found herself blessed, substantially more than others who only dreamt of achieving such heights but couldn’t.
Belonging to a strict Christian family restricted her in several aspects, but that didn’t mean Evert cried over those corners. She made the curve and nearly 50 years after, and three divorces, the American veteran is happy and considers herself privileged.
During a February 7th conversation with Craig Gabriel, she dived into facing challenges all her life and narrated overcoming each hurdle with resilience and Chris Evert finesse. “Yes, I have been through a lot. (Laughter.). Yes, I have been through a lot. I mean, through different phases from growing up in a very strict Catholic God-fearing environment to joining the tour at 18.”
“Really not having much experience in life at all. Kind of learning by myself, learning the ropes, how to deal with the press, how to compete on the court, how to deal with the public, how to deal with fame and fortune, I pretty much did that all by myself. When I look at it, I kind of had a privileged life. This is the way I look at it. I had a privileged, very happy, privileged life until I was like 50 years old, and then I laugh, because it’s kind of like downhill from there,” she added.
A cancer-free Evert is now back doing what she did best. She serves as an analyst for media houses like ESPN and Eurosport during top-tier tour events. Whenever free of those work commitments, the American legend treats her family with surprise visits and adorable outings.
Chris Evert shares a heartwarming Happy Birthday selfie with niece Remi
American icon Chris Evert is fond of spending quality time with her sister Clare and her daughter Remi. She posted a chucklesome photo of the duo on X in 2019, where she described them as “beautiful”. “Out to dinner with the beautiful Shane girls, Clare and Remi,” she wrote.
Then, again in 2020, Evert took to social media to reveal that she had surprised her sister’s family at their residence in Aspen, Colorado with a string of photos. The family photo comprised her sister’s two daughters, Remi and Tatum, and her husband, Steven.
Seeing as her niece Remi’s birthday falls on Friday, February 7, the former World No. 1 used that opportunity to post a selfie with her on her official Instagram handle. She captioned the post, “Happy birthday to my sweet, beautiful niece, @remi.shane. Where has the time gone? Love you always.”
For now, Evert has all the time in the world to spare for her family and even record more cherishable memories. That is until she returns to the sport to provide her expert insight at upcoming tour-level calendar events this season.
The post “Been Through a Lot”: Chris Evert Reflects on Her Life After Enduring the Unthinkable and Overcoming the Ultimate Test appeared first on EssentiallySports.
