Chris Evert

Evert's personal life also changed in this time period. She was married to John Lloyd, a British tennis player, in 1979, and was known as Chris Evert-Lloyd until their divorce in 1987. There were problems in marriage in part because she wanted to continue her career in earnest and he did not. Winning was more important to her than Lloyd, and she felt she had more game in her.

In the early part of her marriage, Evert's victories proved this to be true. In 1980, she was again the number one ranked player in the world, winning both the French and U.S. Opens. In 1981, she was again the number one player in the world, and won Wimbledon. But there was a fall-off in the early part of the 1980s after this. She lost in the third round of Wimbledon in 1983, the first time she had lost before the semifinals in her thirty-four Grand Slam appearances as a professional. Though she had a stomach virus, her game was not as potent this time period as the players she faced were more athletic. At that time, Evert changed her training to work on the weak parts of her game (second services, attacking short-balls) and included weight work and aerobics. Her game soon improved. Even during this transition, however, Evert did win at least one Grand Slam, including three French Opens in 1983, 1985, and 1986.

By 1988, Evert was nearing the end of her playing career. She married Andy Mill, an American downhill skier that year, and also played for the U.S. Olympic tennis team, though she did not medal. Evert did not play well during her last two years on the women's tennis tour. She even skipped the French Open in 1989 because she was not playing up to her standards.