Chris Evert Net Worth

What Is Chris Evert's Net Worth and Career Earnings?

Chris Evert is a retired American world number one professional tennis player who has a net worth of $30 million.

Chris Evert won 18 Grand Slam singles championships and was world No. 1 for several years. Among her many records, she reached more Grand Slam singles finals than any other player in professional tennis history, with 34, and posted the most consecutive years of winning at least one major title, with 13. Beyond her playing, Evert served as the president of the Women's Tennis Association for 11 years. She won a record seven championships at the French Open and a record six championships at the U.S. Open. She was a year-end World No. 1 singles player in 1975, 1976, 1977, 1980, and 1981.

Her lifetime career win–loss record is 1309–146 (89.96%) in singles matches. That's the best record of any professional player, man or woman, in the Open Era. Chris was a favorite on the clay courts. Her win-loss rate of 94.05% (316/20) remains a WTA record. Tennis writer Steve Flink wrote a book naming Evert the third-best female player of the 20th century, after Steffi Graf and Martina Navratilova. During Evert's career, she never lost in the first or second rounds of a Grand Slam singles tournament.

Today, she operates a tennis academy in Boca Raton, Florida. She also helps coach the Saint Andrew's High School tennis team. She has been a contributor to Tennis Magazine since 2009 and a tennis analyst on ESPN since June 2011.

Endorsements & Career Earnings

According to an interview Chris gave in the early 1980s, by that point in her career, she had earned $7 million on the court AND $7 million off the court from endorsements. That's the same as earning around $45 million in today's dollars.

By the time her career ended, Chris had earned a little under $9 million in tournament prize money. After adjusting for inflation, that's the same as around $30 million in today's dollars.

Early Life

Chris Evert was born Christine Marie Evert on December 21, 1954, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. She is the daughter of Colette and Jimmy Evert. She has four siblings: sisters Jeanne and Clare and brothers John and Drew. When she was just five years old, Evert started taking tennis lessons from her father, who was a professional coach. As a teen, she went to St. Thomas Aquinas High School. During this time, in 1969, Chris became the #1-ranked under-14 girl in the country. The same year, she played her first senior tournament, reaching the semifinals against Mary-Ann Eisel. In 1970, Evert won the national 16-and-under championship and was subsequently invited to compete in an eight-player tournament in North Carolina. There, she beat Françoise Dürr; even more significantly, she defeated world No. 1 player Margaret Court. As a result, Chris was selected for the US Wightman Cup team as the youngest player in competition history.

(Photo by Tony Duffy/Getty Images)

Grand Slam Debut and 1970s Winning Streak

At only 16 years of age, Evert made her Grand Slam tournament debut at the 1971 US Open. Reaching the semifinals, she ultimately fell to Billie Jean King in straight sets. A few years later, Chris was the runner-up at both the French Open and the Wimbledon Championships. The year after that, Evert won both of those events as part of her record 55-consecutive-match winning streak. She finished the year with a 100-7 match record, having won 16 tournaments, including two Grand Slams. Evert went on to achieve the world No. 1 rank for the ensuing five years. In 1975, she won her second French Open and first of four consecutive US Open titles.

Due to her dominant performance and stoic demeanor, Evert earned the moniker "Ice Maiden." She continued her success in 1976, one of the best years of her professional career in that it was the only time she won both Wimbledon and the US Open titles in the same year. Chris extended her dominance through 1977 and 1978, winning two further US Open titles and finishing with a 126-7 match record. Although experienced on all surfaces, she was particularly exceptional on clay courts, having won 125 straight matches on that surface. Moreover, Evert holds the record for the most Grand Slam titles, 10, played on clay.

Notable Achievements

Among her greatest accomplishments in the '80s, Evert beat Martina Navratilova at the 1986 French Open, giving her her final Grand Slam title. Two years later, at the Australian Open, she once again defeated Navratilova to make it to her record 34th and last Grand Slam final.

In 1989, Chris retired from professional tennis following the US Open. She finished her career having won a record 18 Grand Slam singles titles, including a record seven at the French Open and six at the US Open. Meanwhile, her record of 101-13 at the US Open represents the most singles match wins in history. Evert also holds the record for the highest winning percentage in singles matches in the history of the Open Era, with 90.00%. Additionally, her 94.55% winning percentage in singles matches on clay courts is a WTA record.

Playing Style

A baseline player, Evert is often credited with revolutionizing tennis. She was known for her counterpunching game and was one of the first players to play entirely from the baseline. On top of this, Chris was one of the first women to successfully use a double-handed backhand on the WTA tour. She also had an incredibly effective drop shot and was especially adept with her footwork, coverage of the court, and mental stamina.

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Post-Playing Career

In Boca Raton, Florida, Evert owns the Event Tennis Academy with her brother John. She also helps coach the high school tennis team of Saint Andrew's School and both publishes and contributes to Tennis magazine. In 2011, Chris became a tennis commentator for Grand Slam tournaments on ESPN. Four years later, she launched a line of tennis apparel and other activewear called Chrissie by Tail.

Personal Life

When she was on her professional hot streak in the '70s, Chris had a heavily publicized romance with fellow top tennis player Jimmy Connors; the two occasionally played together on mixed doubles teams. At the age of 19, Evert got engaged to Connors; however, the relationship fell apart, and the wedding was called off.

In 1979, Chris married British tennis player John Lloyd. The relationship suffered due to Evert's affair with British singer Adam Faith, leading to a separation. Eventually, however, Evert and Lloyd reconciled before ultimately divorcing in 1987. The following year, Chris married downhill skier Andy Mill; they had three sons named Alexander, Nicholas, and Colton and ended up divorcing in 2006. Two years after that, Evert wed her third husband, Australian golfer Greg Norman. After 15 months, the pair split, and they divorced in December 2009.

Real Estate

In 2003, Chris and Andy Mill paid $2.8 million for a sprawling estate in Boca Raton, Florida. The five-acre property features a 10,000 square-foot mansion, two guest houses, a soccer field, tennis court, pool, a garage that can fit nine cars, gym, home theater and even a par three golf course. She listed this home for sale in September 2019 for $6 million, but ultimately accepted $4 million in July 2020. As perk of the sale, she offered to give the buyer a free private tennis lesson at the house. Her timing was just slightly off because only three years later, post-COVID, the home sold for $5.8 million, and today it is worth north of $7 million. Thankfully, she did very well with a different Boca home.

In 2016, Chris paid $4.9 million for a 4,500-square-foot home in Boca Raton, Florida. The property is located in The Sanctuary, one of Boca Raton's most exclusive guard-gated yachting enclaves, with private land and water patrols, a marina, Har-Tru tennis courts, and a 27-acre bird and wildlife preserve. The Regency-inspired deepwater estate sits on 94 feet of south-facing waterfront and includes yacht dockage just off the Intracoastal Waterway. The single-level home features retractable glass doors that open the main living spaces to a waterfront terrace, pergola, and L-shaped heated pool with a sun shelf and water features. Interior details include French washed oak floors, honed French Vanilla marble, matte Venetian plaster, a marble fireplace, home automation, impact-glass windows, a generator, and a chef's kitchen with Wolf, Sub-Zero, Bosch, and KitchenAid appliances. Today, this home is worth at least $10 million based on comparable recent sales.

Here is a video tour of Chris' former Boca home:

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