Interview with tennis legend and ESPN analyst Chris Evert

I sat down with Chris Evert to talk about how the women’s game is changing in a post-Serena Williams-dominant era, how many grand slam are left in Roger Federer’s career, and how the 63-year-old stays fit nowadays.

Chris Evert is one of the greatest tennis players in history, a complete legend in the field. She reached 34 grand slam singles finals, more than any other player (male or female) in history. She holds the highest career winning percentage in singles matches (89.97 percent) among men or women, and it’s even higher for clay, a whopping WTA-high 94.55 percent. It’s no wonder she’s referred to as the “Queen of Clay.” Clay season begins again next week, and Evert will be a staple at ESPN, covering the French Open, where she’s won a record seven championships.

The tennis legend spoke with us over the phone about the changes she’s noticed in the women’s game since Serena Williams went out due to maternity leave, reflections on the hard court season this year so far, and how the American tennis legend stays active with her tennis academy, fitness regimen, nutrition and with Osteo Bi-Flex,  a joint health brand that supports movement, flexibility and joint comfort.

First the Australian Open. The match between Simona Halep and Caroline Wozniacki was so close. What did you think of it?

That match, they were playing on fumes at the end. They were gulping air and they were moving so well, and putting so much effort into it, it was incredible. It was truly a woman’s tournament, I think. The women had so many close, exciting matches that it could have gone either way, really.

It’s captivating to me, the depth of women’s tennis now. No one player’s dominating. It’s just completely open. It’s an open field for anybody right now and that for me it makes it more interesting.

For the French Open and Wimbledon, how do you think Simona Halep can bounce back from such a hard loss and still try to find the way to win her first major?

When I won my first grand slam, I was 18 or 19. I lost, I think, the first three finals. I was so young. If you remember last year’s French Open, [Halep] lost to Ostapenko, and she was up three sets to love. She kind of let some slip away.

After listening to her press conference [at the AO], I think she’s very mature about it. And she feels like, ‘hey, it was only the difference of a few points. I was playing well. My mentality is good. I’m emotionally ready to win a grand slam. There are three more this year.’

So I think she can win this year. And victory will be sweeter.

Because she’s been through so many disappointing losses, just gut-wrenching losses, when she wins, it’s going to be an unbelievable feeling for her.

Do you think Caroline Wozniacki will be able to win more slams going forward?

I always thought Wozniacki was a champion. She was ranked No. 1 in the world for 67 weeks earlier in her career, she reached two finals in Grand Slams.

She unfortunately had Serena Williams in her era and I think Serena had her number.

For me, I was happy to see her win because I think she’s such a great player. She certainly earned it with her hard work. I think she can keep going. She’s not the kind of player that’s going to be like ‘win, win, ok, that’s good, goodbye, I’ve achieved my goal.’

She’s got a couple more.

Do you think Serena will be facing a new Wozniacki if they faced each other again in a Grand Slam?

I think Serena will come into an atmosphere of a different women’s game. I think the level has gone up in the last 15 months as she’s been away from the game. I think that she’s going to have to be better than ever.

Do I think she can do it? Serena’s a winner, she can still win another couple grand slams, I believe. But I think she’s going to have to be in her best shape. She’s coming back into to a brutal field.

What do you recommend for Halep after such a hard loss?

She’ll rest, take a vacation. Have a few glasses of wine [laughs].

One thing, if she can just shorten the points and come into the net a little bit more, when she has openings, that would enhance her game a little bit, get a bit more aggressive.

At the end of day, she’ll be fine, she’s doing everything right.

How often do you play tennis now?

I play at my tennis academy. I play with the kids. That’s one of the reasons why I signed on with Osteo Bi-Flex. As I get older, I feel like I don’t have the flexibility and the type of movement that I had before.

I think Osteo improves my joint comfort and flexibility. Because I’m playing tennis with these kids, I want to continue to do the things I love to do and stay active.

How do you keep fit now?

I try to mix it up. I want to play tennis for cardio. I do hot yoga for balance. I do weights for strength. I try something every day. At the same time, good nutrition is important. Everything in moderation. I’m not that stringent, I’m not that strict. I want to be active for as long as I can.

How do you retain a balance?

My work is playing tennis. That’s not a bad life. My kids are grown up so I have time to myself now.

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Roger Federer won his 20th grand slam in Australia. Did you ever think he would win so many? How many do you think he has in the future?

For four years, he didn’t win one grand slam so I was starting to wonder if he would ever win again.

I thought maybe he could win Wimbledon if he’s playing really, really well. I thought he had an outside chance at Wimbledon because of the four years he didn’t win a grand slam.

He changed and worked everything around. Definitely he could win another couple, another two for sure. For sure. He is such a great grass court player. I would put my money on him, definitely.

Do you think it’s fair that Federer has won so much, while nextgen players like Grigor Dimitrov, Tomas Berdych, and Dominic Thiem have come so close, but never won a Grand Slam?

You could say the same thing about Serena. Before she left the game to have a baby, she dominated.

We have the two greatest tennis players that ever lived, in this one era. It’s pretty cool.

Clay court season begins next week with the men at the Monte Carlo Masters. On the women’s, the first clay tournament begins April 23, the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, Germany. Chris Evert will cover the French Open for ESPN, which begins May 27.