Shivangi Sinha
Chris Evert has long been regarded as one of tennis’s greatest champions, a player whose consistency helped her overcome countless challenges on her way to the top. While her achievements on the court earned worldwide admiration, her personal life often attracted just as much media attention. During the 1970s, her relationship with fellow tennis star John Lloyd made the pair one of the sport’s most celebrated couples, with their romance frequently making headlines on both sides of the Atlantic. Netflix’s ‘Chris & Martina: The Final Set’ touches on this chapter of Evert’s life. It explores how her experiences away from tennis helped shape the person she was during those years and influenced her journey both on and off the court.
John Lloyd and Chris Evert’s Relationship Was Heavily Covered in the Media
Chris Evert and John Lloyd first met during the Wimbledon Championships. Lloyd was also a professional tennis player who regularly competed at the highest level and had reached the final of the 1977 Australian Open. The pair began dating around 1978 and quickly became one of tennis’s most beloved couples, adored by both fans and the media. Around that time, Chris stepped onto the court wearing a diamond line bracelet Lloyd had gifted her. During a match, the bracelet came loose and fell off, prompting a brief halt in play while she searched for it. The incident became one of the most memorable moments in tennis history and helped popularize the term “tennis bracelet,” the name by which the piece of jewelry is still widely known today.
On April 17, 1979, Chris and Lloyd married and instantly became one of the most famous power couples in sports. Following the wedding, she officially changed her name to Chris Evert Lloyd. Wherever they went, media attention followed, but the constant spotlight also placed considerable strain on their relationship. In 1984, the couple separated for six months before reconciling and attempting to make the marriage work. However, rumors of Chris’s affair with Adam Faith soon surfaced. Both later acknowledged that they worked hard to save their marriage and even sought counseling. That same year, they published ‘Lloyd on Lloyd,’ a book that discussed the pressures they faced as a high-profile couple and the reconciliation that followed their marital difficulties.
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John Lloyd and Chris Evert Share a Cordial and Platonic Relationship to Date
On April 17, 1987, Chris Evert and John Lloyd officially divorced. Over the years, both have spoken candidly about the factors that led to the breakdown of their relationship. Lloyd admitted that he struggled at times with being married to the sport’s biggest star, while Chris later acknowledged that her primary focus during those years was her tennis career and that she did not devote enough attention to her marriage. Both have often joked that they were simply too young when they married and that things might have turned out differently had they met a decade later. Lloyd remarried later that same year, while Chris married Andy Mill in 1988. Despite their divorce, the former couple remained on good terms and have maintained a friendship. They even lived relatively close to one another in Florida and have a relationship that goes back ages.
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