Chris Evert, an outstanding tennis player, won 18 Grand Slam singles titles throughout her illustrious career. Her last Major victory came at the French Open in 1986. In this tournament, Evert was seeded second and advanced to the final after defeating Hana Mandlikova in the semifinals. The summit clash saw her face off against Martina Navratilova, another legendary player who was at the top of her game during that period. Despite being down in the first set, Evert bounced back to win the next two sets, claiming a record seventh French Open title and marking her 18th and final Grand Slam triumph.
1986 French Open Victory as an Upset
In a 2021 interview, Evert reflected on her 1986 French Open win, describing it as an upset since many had ruled out her chances of taking home another Grand Slam at 31 years old. She expressed her delight in proving naysayers wrong and surprising herself with her ability to win a Grand Slam during that time in her life: “I think the beauty of it was that it was an upset, I’d beaten Martina. Everybody had counted me out, I think, as far as winning another Grand Slam, that was the consensus. Martina was pretty dominant around those years. So the nice thing was just kind of surprising myself that I could still win a Grand Slam at that late age,” said Evert.
Gaining Confidence from Previous Wins
Evert also explained how her win over Navratilova in the 1985 French Open provided her with the much-needed confidence to defeat Navratilova in future matchups. She noted, “That ‘85 win sort of opened up the door. I regained my confidence, because I’d lost to her like 13 times in a row and then I beat her at Miami and then I beat her in ‘85 at the French. Then the next year I beat her at the French and I just felt like I could beat her. The confidence was there.”
A Record Seven French Open Titles
Chris Evert holds the record for the most French Open titles won by a woman, with an impressive seven championships to her name. Her win in 1986 allowed her to surpass Suzanne Lenglen’s previous record of six French Open titles. Evert’s first victory at the clay-court Major came in 1974, followed by successful title defenses in 1975, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1985, and 1986. She made her final appearance at the French Open in 1988 before suffering a third-round defeat to Arantxa Sanchez Vicario.
