Chris Evert Proves That Advocacy and Excellence Go Hand In Hand
It was not until nearly two years after the death of her sister that Chris Evert tested positive for a harmful variant of the BRCA1 gene, which can increase the risk of breast and ovarian cancers. Her doctor told her she had to have a preventative hysterectomy right away, and shortly after, lab tests revealed cancer in one of her fallopian tubes, one of her ovaries, and the fluid surrounding her reproductive organs. The cancer was found in stage one. But had she not known about testing, within four months, Evert would have ended up with stage four like her sister. Now, the former world number one tennis player is encouraging everyone to participate in genetic testing in an effort to save lives, all while continuing to lead tennis programs targeted toward underserved youth.
Since 2011, Evert has served as a sports analyst for ESPN and has covered all four Grand Slam events. However, she rose to prominence in 1971, when at the age of 16, she became the youngest semifinalist in the U.S. Open, defeating Mary-Ann Eisel, Françoise Dürr and Lesley Hunt before her eventual loss to Billie Jean King. Shortly after, she won 18 major singles titles—tied for fifth-best in women’s history, and had already won the U.S. Open, Wimbledon, and the French Open before her 21st birthday. She went on to win a record seven French Open titles and a joint-record of six U.S. Open Titles before retiring in 1989 to serve as president of the Women’s Tennis Association (W.T.A.).
For six months following her surgery, Evert underwent chemotherapy, with a 90 to 95% chance that the cancer would not return. Between treatments, she traveled with the United States Tennis Association (U.S.T.A.) and continued coaching at Evert Academy, the tennis camp founded by Evert and her family in Boca Raton, Florida. Evert has leveraged her platform to spread awareness about cancer and genetic testing, supporting the W.T.A.'s ACEing Cancer charity and launching a new research fund in her sister’s name, also supported by the W.T.A. In an interview with The New York Times, Evert says that she intends to raise more awareness and money for cancer research once she fully recovers.
In addition to her cancer treatment advocacy, Evert serves as the chairperson of the U.S.T.A. Foundation, which runs tennis learning centers for up to 160,000 underserved children each year. Over the course of her term, she has helped raise $30 million in grants and donations. Her passion for making tennis accessible to underprivileged youth is inspired by her own background. Growing up, her father, a tennis instructor who also offered free clinics to locals, encouraged Evert and her siblings to play tennis at a young age in hopes of keeping them active and engaged. Evert, along with her brother, John, established a scholarship fund through the U.S.T.A. known as the Jimmy Evert Merit Scholarship Fund. The scholarship supports academic tutoring, college counseling and advanced tennis training.
In an era where women tennis players continue to defy the odds, from Serena Williams to Emma Raducanu, it is exciting to see another female athlete make an impact beyond achieving greatness in her sport.
