"The toughest, most resilient woman athlete ever" - Chris Evert expresses admiration for Lindsey Vonn following knee surgery

Chris Evert has commended Lindsey Vonn for her resilience after the latter underwent knee surgery recently.

Former World Cup alpine ski racer Vonn went under the knife on Wednesday, July 26, to rectify the 'damage' caused by her professional career. The American took to social media to explain that she has been trying to manage the pain as best as she could and hoped surgery could be a big step in the right direction.

“I’ve been dealing with all the damage from my ski racing career and have been trying to manage the pain as best I can. This surgery is hopefully a big step to help me long term. We still have work to do, and most likely another surgery, but I hope this will help me for a bit,” she said in a message posted on her Instagram story.

“Hey guys, just letting you know. I’m out of surgery. It went well. I’m here, still kicking. Appreciate all of the support,” she added.

Vonn then tweeted that she was doing well and urged her fans to not worry about her as she got pizza after the surgery.

"Surgery went well yesterday. Don’t worry, I got pizza after!" she said.

Former WTA World No. 1 Chris Evert has always expressed her love and admiration for Vonn, even posting about it several times on social media. When the 38-year-old announced that she had surgery on her knee, Evert expressed shock at the Olympic gold medallist (2010 Winter Games) going through yet another operation.

The 68-year-old also praised Vonn for her resilience and stated that she was the tough female athlete 'ever'.

"ANOTHER surgery??? You are the TOUGHEST, most RESILIENT woman athlete ……like EVER…" Evert tweeted.

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Chris Evert expresses admiration for GOAT Esther Vergeer

Chris Evert is an 18-time Grand Slam champion.

Chris Evert has never shied away from expressing her admiration for fellow athletes. She recently stated her admiration for wheelchair tennis legend Esther Vergeer, who was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

Vergeer is a 21-time Grand Slam singles champion and a seven-time Paralympic gold medalist. She topped the world rankings for 668 weeks between 2000 and 2013, winning 470 consecutive singles matches. On July 22, she was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in a ceremony in Newport, Rhode Island.

Evert took to social media and called Vergeer the GOAT.

"Wow! SHE is the GOAT!" the 18-time Grand Slam champion tweeted.

Evert is a legend of tennis in her own right. She has held several records during her playing career, some of which have been broken over the years. Until recently, she was the last married woman to win the Wimbledon Championships title. With her grasscourt Major triumph earlier this month, Marketa Vondrousova became the first married woman since Evert in 1981 to clinch the SW19 title.

Billie Jean King, Margaret Court, Ann Jones, and Evonne Goolagong Cawley are the only other female players to win the Wimbledon title when married.