The United States is the most successful team of all time in the history of the Billie Jean King Cup. So many players have exceptional individual records as well. When it comes to the singles category, the most successful player is surprisingly not Serena Williams, who won 14 straight singles matches at the Billie Jean King Cup from 1999-2020. Neither is it Lindsay Davenport, who won the Billie Jean King Cup 3 times and will be captaining the team in the 2024 edition. It is actually BJK’s good friend and tennis legend, Chris Evert.
From 1977-1986 and 1988-1989, Chris Evert played in more Billie Jean King Cup matches for the United States more than anybody else. She represented the USA in 42 matches during that time and won 40 of those.
Although Martina Navratilova has the best winning percentage of all, Chris Evert rules when it comes to most number of wins, by a significant margin. Evert has also been part of 57 total victories of the USA and she also holds the record for the most consecutive matches won in the tournament i.e. 35 matches.
Lindsay Davenport comes next after Chris Evert in this list. From 1976-1982, when Team USA won 7 straight titles in the Fed Cup, Chris Evert was part of the last 6 of them. The USA didn’t win for the following 3 years when Czechoslovakia won. But it did reach the final in 1985, courtesy of Evert’s contributions. In 1986, when the USA won again, Chris Evert beat Maria Jose Llorca of Spain in the final, 6-1, 6-0.
Evert participated again in 1988 and 1989. She was part of the winning team in 1989 too, when the USA beat Spain 3-0 in Tokyo. Evert beat Conchita Martinez 6-3, 6-2 in the final. In total, Chris Evert has been part of the USA-winning team 8 times.
Serena Williams carried forward Chris Evert’s legacy in Billie Jean King Cup
Serena Williams never lost a match in the competition, always ensuring that Team USA advanced further. Her first loss came after an unbeaten 21-year streak in 2020. She lost to Anastasija Sevastova of Latvia by 6-7 (5-7), 6-3, 5-7 (4-7).
Williams’ record is also an incredible one. It all started in 1999 when she defeated Rita Grande of Italy 6-1, 6-1. 21 years later, before losing to Sevastova, Serena Williams beat Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia by 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (7-3). These wins sort of bookend her remarkable career in the Billie Jean King Cup.
