“I couldn’t give enough to the marriage, but we love each other” – When Chris Evert spoke honestly of her relationship with ex-tennis star husband
Chris Evert dominated women’s tennis in the 1970s and the 1980s but off the court, navigating relationships proved more complex for the American. She tied the knot thrice but each of her marriages failed. Early in her career, Evert’s romance with tennis star Jimmy Connors was the talk of the town. They played mixed doubles together as well. When Evert was 19, the couple got engaged but they called the marriage off soon after.
In 1979, Evert tied the knot with British tennis star John Lloyd. Their relationship, however, faced challenges. The pair could not give each other enough time which in turn saw them get divorced in April 1987. Reflecting on her first marriage in an interview with The Guardian in 2022, Evert said:
“John and I were both lonely, on tour, but I was so intense about being No 1 I couldn’t give enough to the marriage. But we still love each other and are good friends.” She later found love with American downhill skier Andy Mill. The pair got married in 1988 after they were introduced to each other by Martina Navratilova. Evert believes this was her most fulfilling marriage and claims that separation was a mistake. They got divorced in 2006 and Evert got married to Australian golfer Greg Norman in 2008.
“My most successful marriage was with Andy. We were married 20 years but I made a bad choice [leaving Mill for Norman]. It was a mistake,” Evert added.
