Chatting with Alize Lim at Roland Garros, tennis legend Chris Evert made a stunning confession: she doesn’t keep her old things, to the point that she doesn’t even know where a lot of her Grand Slam trophies are.
Ahead of the Coco Gauff vs. Ons Jabeur quarterfinal in Paris, Lim asked Evert if she had kept any mementos from her illustrious career. “Chrissie, have you kept one of your old rackets or outfits that you won tournaments with?” the inactive French player inquired.
Evert’s response was as surprising as it was candid. “I kept a wooden racket that I won my first Grand Slam, the French Open,” she admitted. However, she quickly clarified her stance on memorabilia, stating, “I’m not a hoarder. Whatever happened in the past, happened in the past. I don’t even know where a lot of my US Open trophies are. Trying to forget the past and move on to the future.”
The 18-time major champion Chris Evert is not the only tennis icon who doesn’t hold onto the objects representing her greatest career achievements. Serena Williams, with 23 Grand Slam singles titles to her name, has also misplaced several of her trophies. “I think one or two or three are missing,” the American said in one interview a few years ago.
The remaining ones are scattered across various locations, including Williams’ home and the residences of significant figures in her life, such as her father, Richard Williams, and her long-time coach, Patrick Mouratoglou: “My first Grand Slam, I actually left at my dad’s house at the time and said ‘You keep it because I am going to get another one’, that was at the US Open. Of course, I was able to get another one. My coach has a few in France and there are several in my house.”
Just like Evert, Williams does not get attached to things and lives by the philosophy – “You can’t take it with you when you leave.”
