"We realized both of us weren't mature enough" - When Chris Evert got emotional talking about her & ex-fiancé Jimmy Connors' breakup

Chris Evert and Jimmy Connors were once considered one of tennis’ most iconic couples and even got engaged, though they never made it to marriage. Reflecting on that time, Evert once shared the reason behind their split, speaking about it with an emotional tone.

Evert and Connors first met over lunch during the Queen’s Club Championships in 1972, and Connors soon began taking her out on dates. Their relationship became public in 1974 when both won the men’s and women’s singles titles at Wimbledon.

It was later revealed that the two had gotten engaged, with Evert only 19 at the time and Connors just two years older. A wedding was planned for November 1974, but fate had other plans, and it was eventually called off.

In a 1975 interview with The New York Times, shortly after her split with Jimmy Connors, Chris Evert revealed the real reason behind their breakup. She explained that while they both “enjoyed” being engaged, they eventually realized they were not mature enough at the time to get married.

"It was serious," she said. "You just can't throw two and one‐half Years out the window because you decide you're too young to get married."

"Jimmy and I made the decision. How? That's an interesting question. I don't know. I think when we were engaged, we enjoyed being engaged, but never thought of how it would be if we were married. When we stopped and thought about what marriage meant, we realized both of us weren't mature enough," she added.

Like Chris Evert, Jimmy Connors has also spoken in the past about why their marriage never happened.

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Jimmy Connors on his split with Chris Evert: "The timing was bad"

Jimmy Connors and Chris Evert | Image Source: Getty

In his 2013 memoir The Outsider, Jimmy Connors revealed his version of why the wedding never took place. He suggested that Chris Evert became pregnant with his child earlier that year and chose to have an abortion without telling him beforehand.

Connors wrote:

"Listen, an issue had arisen as a result of youthful passion and a decision had to be made as a couple. I was staying in an apartment and Nasty [Ilie Nastase] was there when Chrissie called to say she was coming out to LA to take care of that 'issue.' I was perfectly happy to let nature take its course and accept responsibility for what was to come."

"Chrissie, however, had already made up her mind that the timing was bad and too much was riding on her future. She asked me to handle the details. 'Well, thanks for letting me know. Since I don't have any say in the matter, then I guess I'm just here to help'," he added.

Evert later responded to those claims, saying she was “disappointed” that Connors had shared such a deeply private matter publicly and without her consent, in a statement to Reuters.

Their relationship ultimately ended, and by 1979, both had moved on and married other people. Connors wed Patti McGuire, and the two have remained together for more than four decades, while Evert went on to marry three times to John Lloyd, Andy Mill, and Greg Norman, though each ended in divorce.