Chris Evert

Tennis star Chris Evert Lloyd became Chris Evert again today after a brief appearance in court to complete her divorce from British tennis pro John Lloyd. Bob Kain, agent for Evert, said that the financial agreement "is being kept private and confidential" and that Evert has gone back to her maiden name. Evert, No. 2 in the world in 1979, the first year of their marriage, ranked No. 1 in 1980 and 1981 but now is ranked No. 3 behind Martina Navratilova and Steffi Graf. John Lloyd was ranked No.

It was probably the most socially significant sports rivalry of all time. Certainly it was among the purest, the most intimate and longest-running. Over the course of 16 years, Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova faced each other over tennis nets around the world 80 times. From 1975 through 1986, they not only dominated women's tennis, they were women's tennis. Locked in a see-sawing battle for all the major titles, they commanded the post-Title IX spotlight not just for women's tennis but for women's athletics in general.

Chris Evert will compete at Wimbledon later this month, the Women's International Tennis Assn. announced today. Evert also has entered the Pilkington Glass Ladies Championships in Eastbourne, England, beginning June 19.

Serena Williams squints when she tries to picture the future, maybe 10 years from now when she is absolutely finished with tennis. She thinks she might be living with her older sister Venus, and lots of dogs. "I've always dreamed of having tons of dogs," Serena said Saturday. "I've proven myself difficult to live with." There was almost nothing Vera Zvonareva didn't find difficult about Williams on Saturday, not after Williams beat the overmatched Russian, 6-3, 6-2, a pummeling that took only 67 minutes on Centre Court in the Wimbledon final.

Chris Evert, disheartened after a disappointing season, announced today that she is pulling out of next week's French Open tennis championships and is re-evaluating her schedule for the whole year. "Right now, I don't have the heart to stay out there and fight all day," Evert said in a statement released by the Women's International Tennis Assn. "I just want to plan my schedule one week at a time." Evert, 34, was seeded third in the French Open, an event she has won seven times.

Chris Evert may have played her final match at Wimbledon, but she has a permanent place at the All England Club. The Wimbledon Museum today unveiled a portrait of Evert that will hang permanently in the facility. The oil painting is only the second commissioned by the museum, joining one of Britain's Virginia Wade.

Chris Evert says she will retire from women's tennis after this season and is considering an international farewell tour, British newspapers reported today. Evert, 34, who has won 18 Grand Slam singles titles, said she was concentrating on this year's Wimbledon championship, a tournament she has won three times. "I'll be preparing especially hard for Wimbledon because I want to go out on top--or very close to it," Evert was quoted as saying in four British dailies.

Women's tennis appears to be under fire. It also appears to be a mess. Today's semifinals of the U.S. Open will match Steffi Graf against Jana Novotna and Arantxa Sanchez Vicario against Gabriela Sabatini. All four are seeded--Graf No. 1, Sanchez Vicario No. 2, Novotna No. 7 and Sabatini No. 8. That would seem to be a pretty good faceoff of talents, and it could very well produce some of the best tennis and drama of the tournament. For the sake of women's tennis, let's hope that happens.

Just in time for fattening holiday meals is "The Great American Health Test," which focuses on finding the proper balance of health factors, including diet, exercise, stress, weight, workload and family genes. Included will be a look at acceptable cholesterol levels and general health issues. The special is co-hosted by Chris Evert and sports commentator Andy Mills, today at 11:30 a.m. on KNBC-TV Channel 4.

Tennis star Chris Evert Lloyd became Chris Evert again Tuesday after a brief appearance in court to complete her divorce from British tennis pro John Lloyd. The appointment to complete the divorce had been scheduled for Thursday, but she appeared at the judge's office two days early to wrap up the divorce.

Randy Wolf won't be the first former Pepperdine pitcher to start the opening game of a major league playoff series. . . . In 1986, Cy Young Award winner Mike Scott outdueled Dwight Gooden in Game 1 of the National League Championship Series, helping the Houston Astros defeat the New York Mets, 1-0, in the Astrodome. . . . Scott also won Game 4 and was named MVP of the series even though the Astros lost in six games. . . . Matt Holliday of the St. Louis Cardinals is the Manny Ramirez of 2009, the midseason pickup of the year.

Sitting in his Orlando, Fla., home Sunday, watching the Buffalo Bills fall behind the Miami Dolphins by 28 points, ex-Bill Darryl Talley turned to Twitter to voice his frustration. First he tweeted: "Does anyone out there have 1 billion I can borrow? I'd like to buy the Bills and give back to the good people of Buffalo the team they deserve." Then he added: "The Bills need to fire more than a coach. I see a few players who need to be sent packing." Bills owner Ralph Wilson had less to say than Talley about his team's 38-10 defeat.

Five things to look for on the professional golf scene: 1. PEBBLE BEACH -- Chris Evert won 18 Grand Slam singles titles in tennis and Greg Norman won two majors on the golf course, but they've never been at an official PGA Tour event together -- until today. Evert and Norman, who were engaged in December, are on hand for the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, where Norman and his son, Gregory, 22, are playing together in the first round at Poppy Hills. Evert, who has never attended a regular PGA Tour event, will walk along, with two of her sons, Alex, 16, and Nicky, 14. So it's something of a golf coming-out party for Evert and Norman, who are moving on together after their long marriages ended.

Monday's decision by major league baseball players to postpone setting a strike date is no reason to canonize them, says Bernie Lincicome of the Rocky Mountain News. "My word," Lincicome wrote, "you would think [they] had decided to give blood, fund orphanages, fight wildfires, something brave and noble. They are, by unanimous decision, going to keep playing baseball. At least until the end of the week.

Natalie Exon denies she looks like Chris Evert, though she has donned pigtails before--and she refuses to admit she watches videotape of Evert in her spare time. But Exon can't deny her style could be mistaken for the former queen of tennis. "I think it's my flat strokes," said Exon, who will be a senior at Woodbridge High next year. "All the coaches say it's stupid, but it's just something that I do." Chris Ganz, Exon's coach, said there are many more similarities Exon probably isn't aware of.

For someone whose game was basic baseline--some called it boring--Chris Evert sure made a showy entrance into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Former President George Bush did the honors Sunday, presenting Evert with her enshrinement certificate at the site where America's first national championship was held. "This weekend is not only about the results, but the beginning," Evert said. However, the results of her 18-year career were staggering.

Chris Evert was routed from the quarterfinals of the Pan Pacific Open tennis tournament today as fellow American Lori McNeil repeated her performance in ousting Evert from the 1987 U.S. Open. Playing before 3,200 spectators on artificial courts at Aoyamagakuin Memorial Hall, seventh-seeded McNeil outscored third-seeded Evert 6-2, 5-7, 6-4. In the day's second upset, American Mary Joe Fernandez, ranked 14th in the world, romped over Gabriela Sabatini of Argentina, ranked No. 4, 6-2, 6-2.

Chris Evert became the first player to win 100 matches at the U.S. Open tennis championships when she beat Patricia Tarabini 6-2, 6-4 today. Evert, a fixture at the Open since 1971 and a six-time winner, was surprised to learn she had reached the century mark in victories. "I didn't realize it until I heard it on the court," she said. "That's a lot of matches." It was yet another highlight in Evert's final appearance at a major tournament. She will retire from the tour after the Open.

Time was in sports when veterans spoke and rookies listened, hoping to glean useful advice. These days, even recently retired players are lucky if anyone remembers their names. It's a waste of resources and it's rampant in tennis. Chris Evert reflected on this the other day at the State Farm Evert Cup. "I think the tour has not done a good job of using its resources. No one has contacted us," she said, echoing what Martina Navratilova has said since retiring last November.

Time was in sports when veterans spoke, rookies listened, hoping to glean useful advice. These days, even recently retired players are lucky if anyone remembers their names. It's a waste of resources and it's rampant in tennis. Chris Evert reflected on this the other day at the State Farm Evert Cup. "I think the tour has not done a good job of using it's resources. No one has contacted us," she said, echoing what Martina Navratilova has said since retiring last November.