"Did my dad think I was going to join a gang or something?" - When Chris Evert questioned her father Jimmy's reason for introducing her to tennis

Chris Evert once questioned her father Jimmy's reasoning behind introducing her and her siblings to tennis at a young age. The American also explained why she had come to appreciate her father's perspective over time.

Jimmy Evert was a professional tennis player who transitioned into becoming a prominent tennis coach and served as the tennis director for the city of Fort Lauderdale in Florida for 49 years. He brought all five of his children to the court at an early age, with Chris and her sister Jeanne going on to become professional players.

In a 2022 interview with the New York Times, Chris Evert revealed that her father Jimmy's reason for introducing her and her siblings to tennis was "to keep you kids off the streets." The former World No. 1 poked fun at her father's reasoning, questioning whether he was worried about her joining a gang.

Nevertheless, Evert said that she grew to appreciate her father's wisdom as she matured, asserting how important it was to keep children busy in a positive and productive way.

"What, did he think that I was going to join a gang or something? But as I got older I, he got smarter in my eyes. Idle time is not good for kids, especially in this day and age. You have to keep them busy in a positive way," Chris Evert said.

Although Chris Evert deeply appreciated Jimmy's efforts, she has admitted that she "easily could have resented her father and hated tennis" since she had to sacrifice idle time with her friends in order to practice. However, the 18-time Grand Slam champion said that she quickly grew to love training under her father, who was stern but "not a tyrant."

"I have always respected my dad for allowing me to come to that conclusion on my own" - Chris Evert on her father's ultimatum

Chris Evert - Source: Getty

Chris Evert learned another important lesson from her father Jimmy when he objected to her joining the cheerleading squad in eighth grade. In a 2014 interview with Forbes, the 18-time Grand Slam champion recalled that her father gave her a choice, warning her that if she wanted to pursue her interest in cheerleading, he would stop devoting his time to her in tennis.

"My dad told me I had a decision to make. He wasn't going to give me his full support and spend all his free time with me on the tennis court if what I wanted was to become a cheerleader," Evert said.

Evert said that it was an effortless decision for her to make and acknowledged that her father's ultimatum allowed her to realize that she would have to make many sacrifices for her tennis career.

"I thought about it, and in the end it was a fairly obvious choice to make. Still, that was a defining moment for me, because I realized I would have to make sacrifices in order to reach my potential. And I have always respected my dad for allowing me to come to that conclusion on my own," she added.

Chris Evert has also credited her father Jimmy for saving her from financial ruin, especially when many other athletes were losing a lot of money on risky investments in the 1970s.