Why profile Evert:
Thirty five years ago, if you can believe it, she was named Sports Illustrated’s Sportswoman of the Year. A lot has occurred in her life since then, including marriages to athletes in three different sports – British tennis player John Lloyd, Olympic skier Andy Mill, and Australian golfer Greg Norman. Even if reluctant to reveal the gritty details of her personal life, she’s learned valuable lessons along the way, including as the mother of three boys, that could captivate fans who remember her as tennis’s most celebrated teen idol.
Her winning percentage during the Open era remains unmatched, among both men and women players. To this day, few players have ever exhibited as much composure and precision on the court, nor wielded a shot – her signature two-fisted backhand – that spawned a whole generation of copycats.
Evert learned the game from her professional tennis coach dad, Jimmy, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and she and her brother, John, watch over the Evert Academy, a tennis development school, in South Boca Raton, Fla. She also does tennis commentary for ESPN. Her reflections on everything from her teen romance with Jimmy Connors to her battle royals with friend but fierce rival Martina Navratilova to her current insight on the women’s game provide much fertile ground for a first-rate biography.
