Colette, the mother of tennis legend Chris Evert, once opened up about the pain she felt when her daughter ignored her in public. Evert, who has won 18 Grand Slam titles and is considered one of the best female tennis players of all time, was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to parents Jimmy and Colette. Her father was her tennis coach at the early stages of her career, and they allegedly had a love-hate relationship.
Colette revealed that Chris was more reserved, similar to her father, while her sister Jeanne took after their mother. According to Colette, Chris didn’t like kissing or crying publicly, as she saw it as a sign of weakness. Colette also admitted feeling hurt when her daughter began to ignore her in front of other players, as Chris didn’t want to be viewed as a “mama’s girl.”
Chris Evert, herself, acknowledged that she and her mother had a typical mother-daughter relationship rather than being friends. Tensions arose between the two, especially when Chris tried to sneak out with her then-boyfriend Jimmy Connors. “My mother and I were never friends. She was just a, well, mother, tending to my ways,” Evert stated.
Colette Evert passed away in 2020 at the age of 92, and her death deeply affected her daughter Chris. “My heart is broken as she was the sweetest and kindest mom and person ever…At 92, it was her time, and she went peacefully and gracefully… RIP mom,” the former World No. 1 posted online.
