Serena Williams, Steffi Graf and more: When tennis legend Chris Evert built her perfect WTA player

Chris Evert is considered to be one of the greatest players of all time. A former World No. 1 and winner of 18 Grand Slam titles, including a record of seven French Opens, Evert has been working as a tennis commentator for decades now. While she often shares her insights, in one WTA video, she built her perfect player, choosing legends such as Serena Williams and Steffi Graf.

In 2016, she chose 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams for serve (“It would be silly to choose anybody else,” she argued) and for backhand. “Only because of the way she steps into it and hits the ball early,” she explained.

For the forehand, she chose Steffi Graf, the only player to have completed a Golden Slam in the same season. “She would hit winner after winner, after winner. She could hit inside out, down the line, and cross court. That was the greatest forehand of all time,” she said.

On mental strength, she once again named Graf. “She didn’t give an inch. She didn’t budge, she didn’t smile. She was focused, and she played every point like her life depended on it,” Evert said.

For athletic ability, Evert picked Martina Navratilova. “When she played well, she moved so well. She had the power, she had the touch,” she said about her long-time rival. Navratilova is the player with most titles in the history of the Open Era, having won 167 top-level singles titles and 177 doubles titles.

Evert’s legacy in tennis

As we mentioned before, Evert was one of the most successful players, dominating women’s tennis throughout the 1970s and 1980s. She was ranked World No. 1 for 260 weeks and finished as the year-end No. 1 seven times between 1974 and 1981. She won 157 singles titles, including 18 Grand Slam titles, with a record seven French Open wins and a joint-record six US Open victories.

Among her impressive stats, we can mention that she reached the semifinals or better in 52 of the 56 Grand Slam tournaments she entered, playing in a record 34 major singles finals. Also, she never lost in the first or second round of a major and only twice fell in the third. Evert holds the record for most consecutive years winning at least one major title, doing so in 13 straight seasons.