Chris Evert's Spouses: Inside the Three Failed Marriages of the Tennis Star

Former world #1 seeded tennis player Chris Evert took a chance on forever love with three men and faced the bitter disappointment of divorce each time.

Legendary tennis player Chris Evert is one of the most successful athletes of all time -- at least on the court. Her forays into love and marriage proved to be less fortunate.

The elegant blond tied the knot three times and welcomed three children with her second husband. Chris battled the ovarian cancer that had claimed her sister's life, and one of her ex-husbands stood by her side.

Born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on December 21, 1954, she is the daughter of professional tennis player Jimmy Evert. Chris started playing at age five, and by 1969, she was the #1 ranked under-15 player in the United States.

Over the next twenty years, Chris built a brilliant career, reinventing and revitalizing women's tennis with her trademark baseline game and two-handed backhand stroke.

Chris won eighteen grand slam singles, including three Wimbledon Championships. Famous for her graceful game, Chris became an example for the new generations of powerful players, like Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Naomi Osaka, and Leylah Annie Fernandez.

Chris' life was centered on tennis, and through the game, she met her first fiancé, Jimmy Connors. The relationship ended in 1975 due to Connor's infidelity. It was through tennis that Chris met her first husband, British tennis player John Lloyd.

John Lloyd Once Confessed His Marriage to Chris Evert Was Doomed from the Start

John Lloyd was the UK's #1 player and met Chris at the iconic Wimbledon Tournament. The couple started dating in 1978 and married in 1979. Chris and Lloyd became tennis' golden couple. Years later, he would admit:

"I think if we were married ten years later, I think we might have had a shot, but we were both too young."

Part of the problem that ended up dooming their marriage was the level of Chris' fame. Lloyd was famous, but Chris was a superstar, and he was often referred to as Mr. Evert. Infidelity also played a part, even though Lloyd forgave Chris for her affair with pop star Adam Faith.

The two divorced in 1987, and Lloyd remarried the same year and had two children with his second wife. Lloyd revealed in his autobiography "Dear John" that he was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2017.

Despite the breakup, Chris and Mill remained in touch as they co-parented their three sons.

He feared that the prostate surgery would leave him impotent and told the surgeon not to remove the tumor if that was a danger. Fortunately, the surgery was successful at all levels. Curiously, Lloyd now lives in Florida, a few miles away from his ex-wife, with whom he is still friendly.

Chris Evert Broke a Lot of Hearts When She Divorced Andy Mill, Her Spouse of 18 Years

In 1988, Chris remarried another high-profile athlete, Olympic skier Andy Mill. The two had met a year before, while Chris' divorce was finalizing, at a party in Aspen.

Mill and Chris welcomed three children together: Alexander, born in 1991, Nicholas in 1994, and Colton in 1996. It looked as if Chris had finally found love and stability with a man who cherished her, but things fell apart 18 years after their wedding.

Chris had fallen in love with Mill's best friend, golfer Greg Norman, and she filed for a divorce, effectively tearing two families apart. Years later, she would admit:

"I was with Andy for 18 years. It was a good, solid marriage. When we were growing apart, I should have nailed it right then and there and communicated, but I didn't. And when someone came into my life, I just left."

Despite the breakup, Chris and Mill remained in touch as they co-parented their three sons. Mill was understandably angered by the divorce, Chris' infidelity, and his friend's betrayal. He said:

"Greg Norman at one time was my best friend, and a year and a half ago I would have taken a bullet for this guy. I didn't realize he was the one who was going to pull the trigger."

Chris would admit that she missed her ex-husband and that her years with him were the best in her life. Mill would prove to be a good and kind man. When Chris was diagnosed with Stage 1 ovarian cancer in 2022, shortly after her sister Jeanne passed away, Mill was there for her.

Mill took Chris to her chemotherapy, giving her the support she needed, even though he was in a new relationship. Chris frequently sends Mill shoutouts praising him for being an extraordinary father and friend.

In 2023, Chris announced that she was cancer free. Because she had tested positive for the BRAC-1 gene, she underwent a preventive double mastectomy.

Chris Evert and Greg Norman's Passionate Marriage Lasted Only 15 Months

Chris' third marriage started with a scandal. She had fallen in love with her husband Andy Mill's best friend, Australian golfer and entrepreneur Greg Norman. Their passion was mutual. They left their spouses and broke their families apart to be together.

The couple married in the Bahamas two years after their divorces, and it seemed as if they were living in perfect happiness, even though they never moved in together. Fifteen months later, the idyll ended when Norman left Chris. She said:

"I am the first to admit I need to hold myself accountable and responsible, which I am doing. But Greg needs to take accountability for the promises he made and the way he left."

The former tennis champ spoke about her priorities, which were very different from Norman's. According to Chris, she wanted stability, and Norman wanted adventure and freedom.

Norman had dished out over $100 million to his ex-wife Laura Andrassy over his first divorce, so he and Chris had signed a prenuptial agreement that left both their estates intact. The golfer remarried a year later to Kirsten Kutner.

Chris Evert Is Not Married Right Now, but She's Open to Dating Again

Chris is celebrating her health and is deeply involved in her charity work and a new venture into jewelry that has her collaborating with designer Monica Rich Kosann to create a tennis bracelet.

The former champ proudly shared a photo on Instagram of three of their creations: delicately designed diamond tennis bracelets, all of them enhanced with marquis cut emeralds.

Chris is a busy woman. At 68, she is extremely active, plays tennis, and works out to stay in shape. The youthful and energetic Chris coaches and mentors young tennis players and is a commentator for ESPN for the grand slams.

She is dedicated to raising money for organizations working to prevent drug abuse and child neglect in Florida through the Chris Evert Pro-Celebrity Tennis Classic and has raised over $25 million since its inception in 1989.

She is also deeply involved with her children's lives and close friends with her ex-husband Andy Mill. When asked whether she would be open to finding love again after three divorces, Chris replied wryly:

"I would be happy to date, but I have found that all of the good ones are married."

Even though Mills is now divorced from his second wife, there is no indication that the former couple is anything but the best of friends or ever will be.