Can you beat Chris Evert today?

Gundam said:
First of all, it is not to start a heated debate. I am just curious.

There was an article I read in the Tennis Magazine that says Chris Evert still can beat 95% (or was it 99%?) of all the male tennis players in the world. Of course she wouldn't be able to win a match against any ATP players or College players. But what about very good players who used to play seriously?

I picked her because I always thought she was a kind of mystery (to me). Compared to Graf or Navratilova or even Austin, she didn't appear to be that athletic or strong. She was consistent, mentally tough, solid techniques-also, even though she didn't look superfast as Grat, it seemed she was always in a good position to hit probably due to her excellent strategy and anticipation.

What kind of strategy would you use to defeat Chris Evert today? Since I don't belong to that 5% of all the male players in the world, I don't think I have a chance, to be frank with you.
Click to expand...

I don't know about Chris Evert beating 95% of guys but a former british WTA pro Sam Smith who had a high 45 ( I think) she lost to a guy called Tony Hawks, who is an author ( he wrote a book about playing the entire Moldavian soccer team at tennis), comedian and t.v. personality, he's described as an avid player who plays more than 3 times per week and apparently he beat her quite easily. This guy wasn't a former collegiate or pro at any level just a guy who grew up playing tennis. So the point i'm trying to make is that a guy who is proficient with no back ground at the highest level could most likely beat Chris Evert
 
I would have to believe that I could overpower her. How well does she move? I feel like I have too many advantages. The gap between men and women is quite large.
 
LOL, Evert 'moves' just fine. She just isn't as showy about how she gets there, as Navratilova or some others. I think most of guys here who think they are going to 'overpower' Evert or muscle her off the court with big serves and volleys, aren't likely to do much better than the guys who are trading groundies. Somehow, mysteriously she will always be where your approach shot lands, in just enough time to do her thing. Those bombing serves, well, she'll have trouble for your first service game, maybe the second. then they will all come back over the net, heading just where she wants them to go.

Its a myth that she had more trouble beating s/ers than baseliners. Soon enough you'd be pressing too much and she'll be snacking on your UE. In the end, she just be smiling sweetly just as an earlier poster said.

Chris Evert ALWAYS looked deceptively easy to beat from the time she was 16 years old.
 
Last edited:
Cool vid..:)
Can ChrisEverts, a former No.1 WTA 7.0 level player, who's practiced against men's 5.5's all her life, beat a 3.0 man?
 
Gundam said:
First of all, it is not to start a heated debate. I am just curious.

There was an article I read in the Tennis Magazine that says Chris Evert still can beat 95% (or was it 99%?) of all the male tennis players in the world. Of course she wouldn't be able to win a match against any ATP players or College players. But what about very good players who used to play seriously?
Click to expand...




Gundam said:
What kind of strategy would you use to defeat Chris Evert today? Since I don't belong to that 5% of all the male players in the world, I don't think I have a chance, to be frank with you.
Click to expand...

eh, nevermind. Who knows.
 
tennis playa said:
I don't know about Chris Evert beating 95% of guys but a former british WTA pro Sam Smith who had a high 45 ( I think) she lost to a guy called Tony Hawks, who is an author ( he wrote a book about playing the entire Moldavian soccer team at tennis), comedian and t.v. personality, he's described as an avid player who plays more than 3 times per week and apparently he beat her quite easily. This guy wasn't a former collegiate or pro at any level just a guy who grew up playing tennis. So the point i'm trying to make is that a guy who is proficient with no back ground at the highest level could most likely beat Chris Evert
Click to expand...
With respect, I think you'd have to take this result with a pinch of salt. Admittedly I'm commenting without having seen the match. Firstly, I don't think Smith would have taken this too seriously as it was no doubt for charity/media event.
Secondly, I've seen them both play, & I would hazard to say that I'm definitely better than Hawks, but not even close to Smith.
As an aside, Sam Smith is now an exceptional commentator with great insight of the game. Also, she's not afraid to criticise where others fear to tread. Given that her playing record was mediocre at best, its refreshing that she doesn't get bumped from the commentary box by 'bigger' names. Testament to her ability.
Re Evert, I think Brian Turner has it spot on. But I generally do.
 
PDJ said:
With respect, I think you'd have to take this result with a pinch of salt. Admittedly I'm commenting without having seen the match. Firstly, I don't think Smith would have taken this too seriously as it was no doubt for charity/media event.
Secondly, I've seen them both play, & I would hazard to say that I'm definitely better than Hawks, but not even close to Smith.
As an aside, Sam Smith is now an exceptional commentator with great insight of the game. Also, she's not afraid to criticise where others fear to tread. Given that her playing record was mediocre at best, its refreshing that she doesn't get bumped from the commentary box by 'bigger' names. Testament to her ability.
Re Evert, I think Brian Turner has it spot on. But I generally do.
Click to expand...
I hear what you're saying and even though I haven't seen Tony Hawks play, sam smith seemed to be impressed with his game, she actually said forget the argument about a woman being able to beat a guy, the discrepancy in power was too great not to be a deciding factor. It would be interesting to see a county standard player take on a former top 10 WTA pro
 
tarheels2323 said:
I can tell you that McEnroe is better than a 5.5. I saw him play in Boston last year and although he certainly wasn't up to top 10 standards, he was playing pretty damn well.
Click to expand...

The guidelines are for former top 400 pros self-rating for USTA league play (which is kind of a silly concept anyway). If the average top 400 pro is a 5.5 level rec player when he is 50, then I would think a former #1 slam champion should be higher than that since that player was also much better during their pro career.
 
So, guys, this match between me and, uhm, Chrissie....

heycal said:
My money would be on Allen Iverson...
Click to expand...

Are we talking about practice?

goober said:
My money would be on Allen Iverson...
Click to expand...
We talkin' 'bout practice.

35ft6 said:
...Allen Iverson...
Click to expand...

We talkinbout practice. Not a game. Not a game. Not a game.
grizzly4life said:
... allen iverson (how did he get in here?)......
Click to expand...
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=d29VsG35DQM

we talknbout practice, man.

Okay, we talkin' about a weird, interesting matchup. I just think it is funny that we apply the ntrp as a basis of comparison, then we base other examples (mac) on that basis.

We talkin'bout practice?

Edit:
Sorry if that seemed off topic. I am not in fact, Allen Iverson. But that was a quality rant from about ten years ago. The guy was as funny as he was skilled.

Now, back on topic....Chris has aged, but she looks fairly fit and still hits a decent passing shot, so she would have a chance against a 5.0 with poor volleys. i would be surprised if her mental game was intact after all these years of being a dedicated wife and mother....and a really forgettable commentator and editor.
 
Last edited:
J_R_B said:
The guidelines are for former top 400 pros self-rating for USTA league play (which is kind of a silly concept anyway). If the average top 400 pro is a 5.5 level rec player when he is 50, then I would think a former #1 slam champion should be higher than that since that player was also much better during their pro career.
Click to expand...

Those are guidelines for minimum self-ratings, they do not define the levels - meaning if you don't have a rating in the system that is the lowest you could self rate. Once you play enough matches you establish a computer rating.

Anything above 5.0 is moot anyway because at that point you just play open.
 
tennis playa said:
I hear what you're saying and even though I haven't seen Tony Hawks play, sam smith seemed to be impressed with his game, she actually said forget the argument about a woman being able to beat a guy, the discrepancy in power was too great not to be a deciding factor. It would be interesting to see a county standard player take on a former top 10 WTA pro
Click to expand...

Before they get a shot at a former #1 or top 10 they should first have to prove they wouldn't be embarrassed by a former top 100.
 
goran_ace said:
Before they get a shot at a former #1 or top 10 they should first have to prove they wouldn't be embarrassed by a former top 100.
Click to expand...

Just as a matter of interest; how do you think a male player ranked top ten in his state/county of say 35 y/o would fare playing a former pro like Mary Joe Fernandez for example?
 
BTURNER said:
LOL, Evert 'moves' just fine. She just isn't as showy about how she gets there, as Navratilova or some others. I think most of guys here who think they are going to 'overpower' Evert or muscle her off the court with big serves and volleys, aren't likely to do much better than the guys who are trading groundies. Somehow, mysteriously she will always be where your approach shot lands, in just enough time to do her thing. Those bombing serves, well, she'll have trouble for your first service game, maybe the second. then they will all come back over the net, heading just where she wants them to go.

Its a myth that she had more trouble beating s/ers than baseliners. Soon enough you'd be pressing too much and she'll be snacking on your UE. In the end, she just be smiling sweetly just as an earlier poster said.

Chris Evert ALWAYS looked deceptively easy to beat from the time she was 16 years old.
Click to expand...

I agree with what you say but don't you think a male player ranked in the top 10 statewide who was say 35-40 years old would have a chance at beating Evert? I mean lets be clear, Evert has to be a bit over 60 now and I'm pretty sure a guy 20 plus years younger, is a 5.0 will have more than a good chance of winning and I'm not talking about 'overpowering' her with 'big serves' either, tennis is about skill as much as power and Ive watched a lot of her matches and absolutely loved her consistency but it doesn't mean that she has the same type of consistency now as she did then. You make good salient points but I think a 5.0 would beat her.
 
I don't think any rating system applies to former pros. For example Mcenroe has kept his pro level while a guy like Vilas has not and could probably lose to a good 5.0. As you get older your body does not cooperate and each pro is different. Some have continued playing, some have not. It appears Chris Evert is in decent shape and has continued hitting with juniors and celebrity events. But there is a world of difference in "real match" play and even more of a difference in real tournament play and having to play consecutive days. Could Chris Evert win a match against a good 5.0?..possibly on clay. But i seriously doubt she would win a national USTA tournament against men in her age group.
 
Last edited:
comeback said:
I don't think any rating system applies to former pros. For example Mcenroe has kept his pro level while a guy like Vilas has not and could probably lose to a good 5.0. As you get older your body does not cooperate and each pro is different. Some have continued playing, some have not. It appears Chris Evert is in decent shape and has continued hitting with juniors and celebrity events. But there is a world of difference in "real match" play and even more of a difference in real tournament play and having to play consecutive days. Could Chris Evert win a match against a good 5.0?..possibly on clay. But i seriously doubt she would win a national USTA tournament against men in her age group.
Click to expand...

well said and rational, of course this is just our opinion but I think its a valid opinion.
 
Saw her up close at some charity event last year. She looked much older than I recalled (don't we all) but once she was on the court it was obvious no pace or serve was going to bother her. Movement wasn't all that great; a consistent 4.5 guy with good placement might give her trouble.

Fantastic volley skills.
 
For sake of clarity the video I posted was 2 yr ago when C E was 56.

There are 3 or 4 posted on YouTube from the same session.

One think for sure she still has a lot of fun on the tennis court..... No different from most of us.
 
tennis playa said:
I hear what you're saying and even though I haven't seen Tony Hawks play, sam smith seemed to be impressed with his game, she actually said forget the argument about a woman being able to beat a guy, the discrepancy in power was too great not to be a deciding factor. It would be interesting to see a county standard player take on a former top 10 WTA pro
Click to expand...

Thats interesting re Smith's comments about power.
Re county standard- depends on the county!:)
 
hrstrat57 said:
For sake of clarity the video I posted was 2 yr ago when C E was 56.

There are 3 or 4 posted on YouTube from the same session.

One think for sure she still has a lot of fun on the tennis court..... No different from most of us.
Click to expand...
It's so strange to see Evert's attitude on court now given how incredibly focused she was as a professional. I think her attitude to playing now reflects how she regards her playing career- she often gets her own achievents wrong- to her own detriment. Clearly very relaxed now. And good luck to her. Def one of the greats regardless of what % of chaps feel they can beat her.
 
You can see in the vid she has a problem with putting away half court balls. That's gonna cost her against a decent 3.5.
 
tennis playa said:
Just as a matter of interest; how do you think a male player ranked top ten in his state/county of say 35 y/o would fare playing a former pro like Mary Joe Fernandez for example?
Click to expand...

MJ Fernandez would destroy him. If he's playing 35s or 40s age division he's still likely a 4.0-4.5 player. Check out your district and sectional rankings on tennislink. There may not be enough players to have a top ten. The bottom guys might have a losing record and are probably computer rated 4.0s.

I've participated in local pro-ams for charity and we brought in some girls who back in the day were All Big Ten in college but nowhere near the pro tour. They stayed in shape but don't really play much tennis anymore. These girls owned any and all of the 'ams' - sure some of the better guys could hit harder but it really didn't bother them at all. They were just too steady. Now these girls would probably get beat by the male 'pros' (mostly teaching pros and some known former college players) but it wouldn't be a slaughter, we'd have to work for it.
 
That said, adult rankings can be tricky because there are nowhere near the number of competitors as you see in juniors. Back when I played 16s you could says count on a full 32 or 64 draw. In adults often divisions are cancelled or merged because you only have 4 or 5 guys sign up and you never know what you get. The topo seed is pretty much who played the most tournaments recently and the best guy might be unranked/unseeded.
 
I played the British No 2 when she was ranked in the top 50 in the world and she reached a career high WTA ranking of 33.
I was a good county/state player when I played her in a practice match, I beat her 6-1, 6-1.
We chatted afterwards and she said I would beat all the women ranked outside the worlds top 10/20 This was 1988/89...
Serena Williams wouldn't beat a top college player let alone any man with a world ranking. It's not sexist it's just a fact!
 
hawk eye said:
Yeah The guy in he red shirt is pretty big now that you mention it..Cheers.
Click to expand...
I shd have said tall rather than big.
The reason evert isn't putting mid court balls away is because she's clearly hitting the ball back so he can hit it. There's a clear difference in their respective levels although both seem to be having fun.
 
PDJ said:
I shd have said tall rather than big.
The reason evert isn't putting mid court balls away is because she's clearly hitting the ball back so he can hit it. There's a clear difference in their respective levels although both seem to be having fun.
Click to expand...

Well i'm not too fond of excessive smiley use, but in this case i could have put one in i suppose :)
 
goran_ace said:
MJ Fernandez would destroy him. If he's playing 35s or 40s age division he's still likely a 4.0-4.5 player. Check out your district and sectional rankings on tennislink. There may not be enough players to have a top ten. The bottom guys might have a losing record and are probably computer rated 4.0s.

I've participated in local pro-ams for charity and we brought in some girls who back in the day were All Big Ten in college but nowhere near the pro tour. They stayed in shape but don't really play much tennis anymore. These girls owned any and all of the 'ams' - sure some of the better guys could hit harder but it really didn't bother them at all. They were just too steady. Now these girls would probably get beat by the male 'pros' (mostly teaching pros and some known former college players) but it wouldn't be a slaughter, we'd have to work for it.
Click to expand...

Ok, i'm not sure if she would 'destroy' a 5.0 but I guess we'll never know, one thing I do know is that former pros don't put much time and effort into maintaining fitness as much as some amateur players so I'm guessing that a 5.0 who was in good shape and was a sound match player would have more than a shot, the issue with most guys is when they play a woman they try to win with power, they hit her off the court, they hit harder than they would against another guy. It seems as if power is the way to win as opposed to figuring out the player and winning with skill... just an opinion.
 
You can beat ChrisEverts if you play at the top of 5.0 levels, and have some big shots.
If you're just a 5.0 with no strengths besides tenacity, better plan on a long day of running and changing directions.
Smart's accounts for something.
She's got smarts.
 
LeeD said:
You can beat ChrisEverts if you play at the top of 5.0 levels, and have some big shots.
If you're just a 5.0 with no strengths besides tenacity, better plan on a long day of running and changing directions.
Smart's accounts for something.
She's got smarts.
Click to expand...

Perhaps the steadiest, most consistent and most mentally tough of the all time greats. incredible ability to use all of the court, all of the time. Yes, this dude will be very, very tired.
 
Only a 5.0 and better player can drop shot her.
Her depth of placement coupled with weirdo slight topspin would throw any player less than 5.0 off his game.
And she can put away any drop shot deeper than mid service line/net.
 
90 percent of the people on here wouldn't have a clue what to do with off pace shots, drop shots and some of those wide shots
 
chandler bing said:
Chrissie is nearly 60 years old. Just drop-shot her to death.
Click to expand...


By all accounts, the woman is in superb physical shape even if she isn't remotely match tough. I'd be worrying more on how you were going to retrieve her drop shot than how she was going to retrieve yours. The woman is used to this tactic, can anticipate a dropper better than probably anyone you ever met, and knows what to do with one.



I swear this thread is full of stereotypes based on age, and cliche ridden superficial understanding of Evert's game .
 
Last edited:
They are World Class players with obvious professional volleying and ball placement skills. The only thing they can possibly improve on is singles fitness conditioning.
 
Just a couple of points.

First, Chris was clearly not playing competitively in the provided video. She was powder-puffing the ball so her opponent could practice hitting balls.

Secondly, Chris Evert would most assuredly beat most men 4.0 and below today.

Watching that video brought back vivid memories of how technically superb Chris was with her groundstrokes. Balanced and fluid. While Chris might downplay her overall accomplishments in tennis, she is without a doubt one of the best that ever played the sport.

#ChrisNation #ChrissyConnors #ChrisReynolds

AngieB
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Riosfan
Chris Evert classic interview
2
Replies
54
Views
10K
montrealforum
montrealforum
Mike Bulgakov
Chris Evert 1971 Match
Replies
13
Views
3K
Regord
R
C
Why Doesn't Chris Evert's Legacy Receive Respect Today?
Replies
23
Views
5K
boredone3456
boredone3456
kiki
The Austin-Evert rivalry
3 4 5
Replies
219
Views
28K
kiki
kiki
kiki
70 ladies top ten: 1/Evert
Replies
23
Views
3K
urban
U
Back
Top