‘Not a Very Good Excuse’ – When Chris Evert Voiced Her Disapproval of King Charles’ Wimbledon Snub
Chris Evert was a courageous player who overcame all odds to carve a niche for herself in tennis. During the 80s, she was a force to reckon with in women’s tennis, and often reached the business end of the tournaments. Further, at the Wimbledon Championships, Evert was a big fan of the Royal family and loved to perform in their presence. However, after one such match there, she expressed her displeasure at the absence of a key member of the Royal family. Evert’s ex-husband, John Lloyd’s book, ‘Dear John: The John Lloyd Autobiography’ was shortlisted for the Sunday Times Sports Book Awards 2023. In that book, Lloyd described an interesting incident when Evert was displeased at King Charles missing her match.
Talking about that incident, Lloyd wrote, “Diana walked down the stairs accompanied by one of her security guards, with Chrissie standing just in front of me. Before I had a chance to take stock of the regal situation, Chrissie dived in with: ‘Thanks for coming out to watch today.’ I’m already bowing behind my wife, thinking: ‘Oh my God, she should have waited until she was asked a question or something.’ Diana said: ‘It was my pleasure. It’s nice to see you play.’” Further, he went on to add, “Chrissie responded with: ‘What about your husband. How come Charles isn’t here?’ I was having another OMG moment. ‘Well, he doesn’t really like tennis that much,’ the Princess explained. Chrissie said: ‘Tell him that’s not a very good excuse and that I expect him to be here the next time I play.’”
Evert went on to win three Wimbledon titles in singles during her illustrious career, apart from reaching numerous finals. Further, Evert has often spoken about the Royal family and how people are fascinated by them. Reasoning out this age-old tradition, Evert once said, “I’ve asked many of my British friends and the reply is always the same “ they lift us up and give us hope.” Lloyd has also spoken about several other interesting tales in his autobiography pertaining to Evert. He revealed how he and Evert shared similar thoughts on parenthood.
Back in 1979, Evert married John Lloyd, a British tennis player. Evert was at the top of her game and still had many golden years left ahead of her. However, when it came to her personal life, she didn’t want tennis to come in between it. As a result, Evert didn’t want to return to the sport after becoming a mother. “When we decide to start a family, I think that’ll be the end of my tennis,” Evert once said. Her ex-husband shared similar views and said, “I don’t want her to have a child and come back on the circuit. If she has nine months off, it’s much harder to come back then. And we would need a nanny to bring the baby around with us. That’s not the way to do it.”
However, the pair divorced in 1987 and had no children together. “I went into a world that was way out of my league. I think I had a little bit of preparation, but I wasn’t the same as being married to a world star who was famous beyond belief,” Lloyd once said when asked about his divorce. Nonetheless, the pair became one of the most-talked-about couples during their time together, and their tales are still heard today.
