LEGENDARY TENNIS COACH JIMMY EVERT PASSES AWAY, HE HELPED HIS DAUGHTER CHRIS FIND THE CHAMPION WITHIN

Written by: Staff on 24th August 2015

LEGENDARY TENNIS COACH JIMMY EVERT PASSES AWAY, HE HELPED HIS DAUGHTER CHRIS FIND THE CHAMPION WITHIN |

Jimmy Evert, the man who taught tennis at the Holiday Park courts in Fort Lauderdale for 49 years and was supremely influential in the stellar careers of not just his 18 Grand Slam singles title winning daughter Chrissie but also Jennifer Capriati, Frank Froehling, Brian Gottfried and Harold Solomon, has died at the age of 91 years of age.

Evert passed away on Friday after suffering from pneumonia with Chrissie and Colette, his wife of 62 years, at his bedside along with other children John, Drew, Clare and Jeanne.

Chrissie, who will be part of the ESPN commentary team at next week’s US Open, told the Fort Lauderdale Sun Sentinel newspaper: “Dad always said he started us in tennis to keep us off the streets. He was a very private, humble person who was low-key and happy to stay in the background.”

“He handled the parent-coach relationship very well and it can be difficult. He never got mad at me or my siblings when we lost, but he would be furious if we gave up or didn’t try in practice.”

And in the Miami Herald she was quoted as saying: “In a nutshell, my Dad created the ideal environment for me to compete. He gave me the space I needed and in his own quiet way brought out the best in me by not asking me to be more than myself. As great as he was as a coach, he was even greater as a father. He read to us and sang to us and took us swimming and. . . took us to church.”

Born in Chicago, Evert was an All-American player at Notre Dame in the 1940s and reached No.11 in the U.S. rankings. In 1947 he won the men’s singles title in the Canadian Championships. However he truly made his mark known in tennis circles when he began coaching and all five of his children reached at least the final of a national junior championships.

Capriati was to follow in Chris Evert’s footsteps and in 1990 her father, Stefano who himself passed away just four months ago, explained he wanted his daughter to be influenced by a coach who was a wise man that had already been through the process of guiding a young prodigy and knew the psychology required to work with a little girl.

The Holiday Park courts in Fort Lauderdale where he worked for so many years were named in his honor as the Jimmy Evert Tennis Center in 1997.

Stacey Allaster, the WTA’s chairman and chief executive said: “The WTA and the tennis world lost a legend with the passing of Jimmy Evert. We send our condolences to Chrissie and all of her family. Jimmy Evert’s devotion to his wife and children and his impeccable character and integrity will always be a cornerstone of his legacy. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family.”

And Chrissie’s greatest rival Martina Navratilova added: “When people look up the definition of a Tennis Dad, a photo of Jimmy Evert should be next to it – an amazing, gentle man, husband, father and coach… nothing but respect for him at every level.”

A funeral mass for the late Jimmy Evert will be held on Wednesday at St. Anthony Catholic Church in Ft. Lauderdale.

Story from Bob Larson Tennis News

Topics: Chris Evert, Jimmy Evert, Sports, Tennis Coach, Tennis News

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August 24, 2015 at 3:05 pm

LEGENDARY #TENNIS COACH JIMMY EVERT PASSES AWAY, HE HELPED HIS DAUGHTER @ChrissieEvert FIND THE CHAMPION WITHIN- http://t.co/VxdlK69Tet