Tennis great Jimmy Connors hints his former fiancée, America’s on-court sweetheart Chris Evert, got pregnant and then had an abortion as they became the biggest stars and the most popular couple in the sport.
The bad boy of tennis reveals in his new memoir, “The Outsider,” that just weeks before their planned wedding in 1974, “An issue had arisen as a result of youthful passion, and a decision had to be made as a couple,” Connors writes.
“Chrissie called to say she was coming out to LA to take care of the ‘issue.’ I was perfectly happy to let nature take its course and accept responsibility for what was to come.”
While Connors was 22 at the time, Evert was 19, and raised in a Catholic home. He wrote, “Chrissie, however, had already made up her mind that the timing was bad and too much was riding on her future. She asked me to handle the details.”
He said he responded, “Well, thanks for letting me know. Since I don’t have any say in the matter, then I guess I am just here to help.”
The situation directly led to the end of their relationship, he continues, and he found himself thinking he wasn’t ready to be married. “It was a horrible feeling, but I knew it was over. Getting married wasn’t going to be good for either of us.”
Connors recounts how he told her they were still young and should “take a step back.” He said she responded coldly, “OK, if that’s what you think. I’ve got a match tomorrow. Not a problem.”
He concluded that despite the fact they had battled to stay together, the problem was they were both rising stars. “Can two No. 1’s exist in the same family?”
In the tome, Connors, now 60, writes about his struggles with dyslexia, infidelity that “came that close to ruining his marriage” to Patti McGuire, and a gambling addiction. He also describes his relationships and rivalries with fellow tennis stars, including Andre Agassi, John McEnroe, Arthur Ashe, Vitas Gerulaitis and Bjorn Borg, among others.
Evert’s team did not get back to us for comment last night.