Chris Evert and Greg Norman’s Relationship: A Look Back on How the sports legends’ marriage went from romantic to over in just 15 months

Chris Evert and Greg Norman seemed to have it all: a passionate courtship, romantic trips around the world and each other’s undying support. “We like to be with each other,” Norman told Golf magazine of Evert in 2007, per New York Post. “We enjoy each other’s company immensely. We share a very common bond with a lot of things in life.”

The tennis star and Australian golfer announced their engagement at a tournament in South Africa in December 2007. When Evert appeared on Oprah Winfrey’s talk show in April 2008, she showed off her engagement ring and said she and Norman share a “connection.”

“At our age, over 50 … it’s not like you’re 18. Both of us have lived long enough to know,” Evert said when Winfrey asked if she had concerns about remarrying so soon after her divorce from skier Andy Mill.

Six months after announcing their engagement, the couple tied the knot in the Bahamas in June 2008. However, the tennis star and golfing great — who left their longtime spouses for each other in 2006 — called it quits in 2009 after just 15 months of marriage.

At the start, it looked as if Evert and Norman’s marriage was torn straight from the pages of a fairytale — so why did they divorce?

From their whirlwind engagement and rumored family feuds to their short-lived marriage, here is a look back at Chris Evert and Greg Norman’s relationship.

2006: Chris Evert and Greg Norman divorce their spouses to be together

Evert and Norman’s love story was controversial from the start. In 2006, both professional athletes left their respective spouses to kindle a romance of their own.

After 18 years of marriage, Evert filed for divorce from Mill, with whom she had three children: Alex, Nicky and Colton. Before Mill, Evert was married to British tennis player John Lloyd from 1979 until their union dissolved in 1987.

Norman — who was best friends with Mill — parted ways with his wife of 25 years, Laura Andrassy, with whom he shared children: Morgan-Leigh and Greg Jr.
December 14, 2007: Chris Evert and Greg Norman announce their engagement

Evert and Norman announced their engagement during a golf tournament in South Africa, where Evert was building a new tennis center.
When reporters asked about her wedding plans, Evert said, “Well, it is an engagement ring … We don’t know when and where we’ll be married, though.”

June 28, 2008: Chris Evert and Greg Norman get married

Evert and Norman tied the knot in the Bahamas on June 28, 2008.
“It was a beautiful three days, and we had our closest friends and family,” Evert told 60 Minutes Australia in 2009 of their wedding ceremony. “It wasn’t a million dollars or over in excess like it was reported. Everything was exaggerated. It was very low-key, and the vows were great.”
After their dreamy sunset nuptials, Evert told PEOPLE, “Greg will take care of me emotionally.”
The union marked Evert’s third marriage and Norman’s second.
2009: Friends of Chris Evert and Greg Norman discuss troubles in their relationship

Despite seeming happily in love, Evert and Norman’s close friends never expected the relationship to last.
“Chris had a midlife crisis and came out of it totally turned on by Greg’s celebrity, gorgeous looks and bank account,” a friend of the couple told PEOPLE. “They didn’t take time to get to know each other. Both of them are narcissistic and want to control. In a celebrity marriage, only one person can be like that.”
According to sources close to the pair, Norman and Evert never set up a home together. He stayed in his “Tranquility” estate on Jupiter Island, while Evert remained in her $3 million home in Boca Raton, Florida. The couple would reportedly sleep over at each other’s houses. Friends also speculated many of their problems involved interactions with each other’s children.

“Greg got in between Andy and his sons, which caused a great deal of turmoil for Chris,” a close source said. “On one occasion, Andy flew from his Aspen home to Boca Raton to spend time with his sons, and before Andy even touched ground, Greg whisked Nicky off in his private jet. He took him to his own ranch in Colorado, leaving a very unhappy Andy crying on the phone to his son.”
Another time, Norman told Colton he needed to spend time with him instead of going to a planned meeting with his own father.

According to Norman’s former mother-in-law, Laurabell Andrassy, his children never warmed up to Evert. She told PEOPLE that Morgan-Leigh and Greg Jr. never said anything derogatory about Evert, but they weren’t happy with the marriage.

“It wasn’t a good relationship with the kids and her,” Laurabell said. “Chris and Greg both had big egos; they were both celebrities.”
October 2, 2009: Chris Evert and Greg Norman split

On Oct. 2, 2009, PEOPLE confirmed Chris Evert and Greg Norman had separated after 15 months of marriage.
“Chris and Greg will remain friends and supportive of one another’s family,” Evert’s rep, Tammy Starr, told PEOPLE, with Norman’s rep also confirming the split.
Mill — who proposed to Aspen homemaker Debra Harvick in 2009 — added, “Now that Greg is out of the picture, we are all fine, and I am ecstatic. Debra and I are always there for the children, and Chrissy and I are friends.”
Evert’s ex-husband Mill spent three years anguishing over the betrayal by his wife and best friend.
“Divorce is like a golf swing — it always makes someone happy,” Mill said.

December 8, 2009: Chris Evert and Greg Norman finalize their divorce

Two months after ending their marriage, Evert and Norman finalized their divorce on Dec. 8, 2009.
The exes completed the paperwork to dissolve their union in Key West, Florida, according to Reuters. The document reportedly stated Evert and Norman agreed to abide by a private pre-nuptial agreement between the two; the settlement also ensured no money would be exchanged.
“The bonds of marriage between petitioner/husband, Greg Norman, and respondent/wife, Chris Evert, are dissolved because the marriage is irretrievably broken and the parties are restored to the status of being single,” read the court decree obtained by Australian Associated Press (AAP), per Reuters.

2010: Greg Norman marries Kirsten Kutner after divorce from Chris Evert

Following his divorce from Evert, Norman quietly wed Australian interior decorator Kirsten Kutner in 2010 in the British Virgin Islands.

“Kirsten walked down the aisle on her own — we were all waiting for her,” Norman told New Idea magazine, per Yahoo! Life, of his bride at the time. “To me, she is the most beautiful woman in the world. She looked stunning.”

2019: Chris Evert says she is open to dating after divorce from Greg Norman

After her divorce from Norman, Evert vowed to look inward, make her own decisions and become more independent, telling PEOPLE in 2017 that she needed to be by herself. However, in November 2019, the Grand Slam champ told PEOPLE she was open to dating again.
“I would be happy to date, but I have found that all of the good ones are married,” Evert said. “My work this year is especially strong and successful, but I would like to date again if that should happen.”
She continued, “My life is good. I am grateful for everything I have, and I am enjoying it all.”