"Do you realize the other girl is not sleeping because she's got to play you": Chris Evert's ex-husband recalls quelling self doubt before matches

John Lloyd, former British No. 1 and ex-husband of Chris Evert, revealed the insecurities and doubts that the American tennis legend experienced before her matches. According to Lloyd, Evert struggled with anxiety attacks before her matches, even when facing lower-ranked opponents in the early rounds of tournaments.

Lloyd married Chris Evert in 1979, and they divorced in 1987. He was the first of the three husbands of the 18-times Grand Slam champion and was with her until the later years of her career.

Former British Davis Cup Captain from 2006 to 2010, Lloyd shared insights in an interview on the 'Rock n Roll Tennis' podcast, recalling the time when he was married to and coaching Evert, the former world No. 1 and multiple Grand Slam champion of the '70s and '80s. Lloyd mentioned that Evert had serious concerns before matches:

"I wanted to ask that because I'm fascinated by obviously great players and what their feelings are, what they feel about. And obviously when I was married to Chris Evert and was coaching her, the same thing as what you said, I was amazed sometimes before a match when she would be really worried about someone,” Lloyd said.

"And I'm talking about in the early rounds of these matches where I knew 99.9%, unless she tripped over, there was no chance that she could lose this match and yet she was worried about it," he Lloyd added.

The former tennis player recounted a night when Evert couldn't sleep due to concern about the upcoming match: "And I said exactly the same thing. It's not rocket science, I kept reinforcing it. I said, 'Do you realize, Chris, that the other girl right now is not sleeping because she's got to play you tomorrow. When she steps on that court tomorrow, you're already up 3-0 before you start. So take care of business on your side of the court trust me, you'll have no problem."

However, Lloyd mentioned that despite Evert's occasional self-doubt, once she stepped onto the court, she exuded confidence: "And it amazed me actually, not the lack of confidence because as soon as she got on the court, she was mind-boggling. But I thought to myself, if I was that good, would I have had those doubts? And it was just interesting to see," he concluded.