"My dad really took care of my money... A lot of athletes were losing money" - When Chris Evert credited her father for saving her from financial ruin

Chris Evert once opened up about the crucial role her father Jimmy played in handling her finances. The American disclosed how her father saved her from suffering the same unfortunate fate many of her fellow athletes did.

The former World No. 1 was introduced to tennis by her father, who was a tennis coach in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He trained all five of his children in the sport, with Chris Evert going on to become the most successful player in the family. During her legendary career, she won 18 Grand Slam singles titles and earned $8,895,195 in prize money alone.

Speaking to Forbes in 2014, Evert credited her dad for taking very good care of her wealth. She said that while her fellow athletes were losing money on risky investments, Jimmy had ensured that she wouldn't face financial ruin.

"My dad really took care of my money," Evert said. "In the 70s, when a lot of athletes were losing money on things like oil, there was no way he was going to let me lose money."

Thanks to Jimmy's wisdom, the 18-time Grand Slam champion wasn't hit hard by the financial crisis in 2008. She disclosed that while she had the same conservative investment strategy as her father, she did like to diversify her portfolio.

"I did OK when a lot of people were hit hard," she added. "I'm conservative, but I also want to be diversified."

Chris Evert has often also credited her father for her tennis success, disclosing that he taught her the important lesson of masking her emotions on the court.

"He never lived off my money like some people on the circuit these days" - Chris Evert on her father Jimmy's refusal to depend on her earnings

Chris Evert - Source: Getty

Speaking to the Daily Mail in 2016, Chris Evert disclosed that her father Jimmy was very proud of her, but he made sure that she didn't let her tennis success go to her head. Even after the American won Grand Slam titles, she still had to do chores at home because her family wanted her to stay humble.

"We talked every day, right up until his death. He was very proud of me, but quietly so. He made sure I never got too big for my britches. Even after I won Wimbledon, I still had to fold the laundry and load the dishwasher at home. My family kept me humble," Evert said.

Evert also revealed that her father continued to work as a tennis coach well into his seventies and refused to live off her wealth, despite her vast fortune.

"He worked as a tennis coach until he was 75 and, even though I made millions, he never lived off my money like some people on the circuit these days," she added.

Chris Evert's father Jimmy passed away in August 2015 at the age of 91. The former World No. 1 gave a heartfelt eulogy at his funeral, praising him for never putting any pressure on her and saying that his legacy was "the way he lived his life."