Chris Evert Quotes (20 Quotes)

I was a 16-year-old schoolgirl more concerned about the boy I liked. I came from a Catholic, very protective family, so I didn't even understand women's lib back in those days. She had to be the Gloria Steinem of women's sports.

I was very, very shy as a younger girl, just petrified of people. Tennis helped give me an identity and made me feel like somebody.

If you're a champion, you have to have it in your heart.

When I was younger, I was a robot. Wind her up and she plays tennis.

Losing hurts me. I was determined to be the best.

Billie Jean and I have a very special relationship. We were perceived as different in the beginning, but now we laugh because we are very much alike. We're strong, we're stubborn. In a lot of ways free spirits, open-minded.

Every time, all the time, I'm a perfectionist. I feel I should never lose.

If I win seven tournaments in a row, I get so confident I'm in a cloud. A loss gets me eager again.

The fact that two of the grandest stages for women's sport, Wimbledon and Roland Garros, still do not treat women equal to the men is a black mark on the sport.

Without getting into it, just that I'm not as goody two-shoes as people think. I'm a normal woman. I've dated a lot of guys, I've had a few drinks, I've cursed, I've been rude to my parents.

Every time I played a pro from then on, I never felt intimidated or felt like there was such a big gap. I always felt like there's no pressure.

She's great for the game. She has that combination of glamour and hard work ethic, ... I think her motives are pure as far as, it means more to her to win tennis tournaments than to be on the cover of a magazine.

For Monica (Seles) and I, this isn't work. It's our pleasure to help out. It's in our blood. This isn't work, it's more about responsibility, and it's a pleasure to do.

I always looked ahead.

You've got to take the initiative and play your game. In a decisive set, confidence is the difference.

In America we're looking for future stars and we're coming up short a bit, ... There is so much now to choose from. In the '70s (when Evert was the No. 1 player) we didn't have women's basketball and soccer. A lot of our great athletes are going into other sports. But worldwide tennis has made a big jump.

I'm not an overly ambitious person; I don't feel like I have to excel.

Ninety percent of my game is mental. It's my concentration that has gotten me this far.

Find something that you're really interested in doing in your life. Pursue it, set goals, and commit yourself to excellence. Do the best you can.

If you can react the same way to winning and losing, that's a big accomplishment. That quality is important because it stays with you the rest of your life, and there's going to be a life after tennis that's a lot longer than your tennis life.