American tennis legend Chris Evert didn’t have a great love life. The 67-year-old married thrice. Her first marriage was with John Lloyd. The marriage lasted eight years. Later she married Andy Mill. The couple has three children together, and they had an 18-year-long marriage.

Later, in 2005, Evert divorced Mill to marry Greg Norman. However, this ended up being her shortest marriage, and they parted ways in only 15 months. The latest heartbreak had Evert on the verge of depression and she sought professional help for the same. Here’s what, according to Evert, was the main problem.

Chris Evert was in constant need of approval

In her therapy session, Evert understood the underlying problem. It was not with Andy Mill or Greg Norman. The problem was within herself. Here’s what Evert said about it later in an interview, “When you go into therapy, you go back to your childhood. You realize it, and you get over it, You don’t continue that relationship into your next relationship, like I did. You don’t look for that confidence from others. It wasn’t a need for love, because I had that. What I needed was approval, affirmation. I think that’s probably why I always needed to be in a relationship.”

She further added, “A lot of it was my neediness. In a way, I’d always gotten my way. I wasn’t as independent as I should have been—a quality I wish I had developed at a younger age. It wasn’t Andy—it was all me.”

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After therapy, Evert has looked stronger than ever. The 67-year-old lives her life by her own rules and is still single. She has kept herself busy with work and focused more on strengthening her relationship with her three sons.

Evert was reluctant to seek professional help for her mental health

After the COVID-19 lockdown, attention toward mental health issues has increased. After star players like Naomi Osaka and Nick Kyrgios came forward and accepted the challenges they faced, more athletes are following in their footsteps. However, mental health didn’t have the importance that it has today when Evert was facing the same problem.

The 18-time Grand Slam champion was going through a tough phase because of her troubled marriage. However, she was reluctant to accept her anxiety issues and rather opted for the treatment of hypertension. Later, the tennis great understood her mistake and went for therapy sessions.

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Evert’s case is a clear example of how ignoring mental health issues can be severe for a person. It is completely normal to have problems and one should never hesitate to seek help in such situations.