50 years ago Chris Evert and Bjorn Borg changed tennis

When Chris Evert arrived in Paris for the 1973 French Open, she was an 18-year-old making only her second trip outside the United States. So she’s still baffled as to why Philippe Chatrier, then the president of the French Tennis Federation, decided to take her and her mother, Colette, to Le Lido, the legendary burlesque theater on the Champs-Élysées.

“He took us out to dinner, and it was a dance club with half-naked women,” Evert said by phone from her home in Florida in April. “They had their breasts visible. My eyes were like saucers. I had never been exposed to anything so advanced.”

For Bjorn BorgThe ultimate Parisian experience was celebrating his first French Open championship in 1974 with a private dinner in the Eiffel Tower.

It’s been more than half a century since Borg and Evert first played the French Open, but this year marks 50 years since they won their first major championships in Paris. Evert went on to win 18 Grand Slam titles, including a record seven at the French Open, six at the United States Open, three at Wimbledon and two at the Australian Open. Borg won six French Opens from 1974 to 1981 and five consecutive Wimbledons from 1976 to 1980.

Borg was just days away from his 17th birthday when he lost in the round of 16 to Adriano Panatta at Roland Garros in 1973. It was only his second appearance in a major tournament, after losing in the first round at the 1972 US Open.

“When I started playing tennis at 8, 9 years old, I had three dreams,” Borg, who turns 68 in June, said from his home outside Stockholm. “One was to play the Davis Cup for Sweden, one was to walk on Centre Court at Wimbledon and the third dream was to win a Grand Slam tournament. Those were my dreams when I hit the ball against the wall. So it meant a lot to me to come to Paris and play my first match in that beautiful stadium.”

After reaching the semifinals of the 1971 US Open and the semifinals of Wimbledon and the US Open in 1972, Evert made her first appearance at the French Open the following year. She reached the final, where she was a set ahead of No. 1 seed Margaret Court and led 5–3, just two points off the championship in the second set, before losing 6–7(5), 7–6.(6), 6–4.

“I just didn’t have that intense feeling,” says Evert, who turns 70 in December. “Everyone thinks I had that killer instinct, like I did in the juniors with girls my own age. But when I got to the women’s tournament, for some reason I was just more relaxed and felt like I had time on my side. I didn’t have the will to win that match.”

A year later, Borg and Evert were ready.

Borg recalls trailing 4-1 and breaking service twice in the deciding set of his first-round match against Jean-François Caujolle. He then needed five sets to beat Erik Van Dillen and Raul Ramirez before facing Manuel Orantes in the final. After dropping the first two sets, Borg rallied to win 2-6, 6-7 (4), 6-0, 6-1, 6-1.

“Before the tournament I would definitely say I wasn’t the favorite to win,” Borg said. “I surprised myself by being in my first Grand Slam final. I was a little nervous, but I think he felt more pressure than I did. Moreover, he became very tired. And the more we played, the more tired he became and the more pressure he felt.”

Evert can’t remember who she played on her way to winning her first French Open in 1974. She can’t remember knocking out Virginia Ruzici, who would go on to win the 1978 French Open and then lose to Evert in the final in 1980. Or not dropping a set on her way to the title, which she won 6-1, 6-2 over her friend and doubles partner Olga Morozova. She does, however, remember having a very different attitude that year.

“I was a different person,” Evert said. “I had the experience of the year before, of letting it slip, of not closing it out like I should have, and I learned from that. I was mentally stronger and I knew that if I had that chance again, to close out the match and win a Grand Slam, I would do it.”

Evert won again in 1975, and after skipping the tournament for three years to play World Team Tennis, she won back-to-back championships in 1979 and 1980. Her biggest win came in 1985, when she upset top-seeded Martina Navratilova 6-3, 6-7(4), 7-5 in a nearly three-hour final that allowed her to regain the world No. 1 ranking. She defeated Navratilova again in the 1986 final for her last major victory.

Evert and Borg showed tangible similarities. Both were introverts by nature and, for the most part, unflappable on the field. Together with Jimmy Connors, they hit with the then new two-handed backhands, spawning generations of double-fisted players. And they both almost never missed.

“I think we introduced the world to the way we played,” Borg said. “Chrissie and I liked to play from the back court. We had two-handed backhands, and not many players did that.”

For Evert, who knew how to play her backhand with two hands and was encouraged by her father Jimmy, a professional teacher, Borg was always the star.

“In Paris they were a bit behind in terms of equality, women’s liberation and celebrating female athletes,” said Evert, who won at least one major every year from 1974 to 1986. “It was all about men’s tennis. And Bjorn was like a rock star, like one of the Beatles. He had to have guards around him. The girls screamed and cried and tried to grab him. I have never seen anyone as honored as he is. To this day I still think he is the biggest star tennis has ever had.”

Even the current generation of players recognizes the impact Borg and Evert have had.

“Bjorn Borg? I mean, he was a freak,” said Frances Tiafoe. “He was unreal. Insane records in a short time. He didn’t say a word, the silent killer. His movements, great form, he changed the game so it could be played more from the back of the field. He was a real rock star, the kind of man I like.”

Jessica Pegula called Evert a legend.

“She changed the game with her two-handed backhand, not just for girls, but for boys too,” Pegula said. “She was a trendsetter, and that’s pretty cool.”

Evert said she believed her legacy in the sport was more than just her backhand and steely determination.

“My real legacy was bringing girls into tennis,” she said. “Bjorn and I were the first teenagers to make it big. And we brought a new generation of kids into the sport.”

As for the 50th anniversary of their first Roland Garros titles, Borg and Evert are amazed at how quickly time passes.

“It sounds scary when you say it, very strange,” said Borg, who will retire as captain of the Laver Cup team Europe after this year’s event in Berlin in September. “Fifty years is a long time, but I remember it like it was yesterday, and it’s good to have that memory.”

“When I hear it, I can’t believe it,” said Evert, who recently completed chemotherapy for a relapse of ovarian cancer and is returning to the ESPN broadcast booth at the French Open and Wimbledon. “I’m in the last trimester of my life now and yeah, it makes me feel old.”