Rock and roll has the ‘60s, a long-cherished era of change, when a lively new form of music burst into public consciousness with color, sound, fashion and all the sizzle of those early years that continues to echo loudly.
Tennis’ long-cherished era came a decade later. In the ‘70s, the sport made a radical transformation from all-white acoustic garden party to a technicolor carnival of clutter, commerce and commotion.
During those lively tennis boom years, which stretched well into the ‘80s, John Lloyd was smack in the center of it all. As Great Britain’s best player, he naturally commanded ample headlines during Wimbledon, along the way becoming friends with such cultural icons as Princess Diana and Elton John. Lloyd’s public profile expanded even more when he married Chris Evert in 1979. Most central to Lloyd’s journey was that he competed versus all the greats of his time, including Bjorn Borg, Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe and Vitas Gerulaitis. A finalist at the 1977 Australian Open, Lloyd reached a career high ranking of No. 23 the following year, and won three Grand Slam mixed doubles titles alongside Australian Wendy Turnbull.
This year marked the publication of Lloyd’s autobiography, a collaboration with veteran journalist Phil Jones. Titled Dear John, the book deploys an innovative technique, several chapters opening with Lloyd writing a letter to himself, reflecting on the subject he’s about to address. Topics include education, Wimbledon, celebrity, parenthood and Evert.
“It’s best not to waste time trying to get a handle on fame,” writes Lloyd in his letter on celebrity. “You won’t work it out. Instead, just go with the flow. Keep your head down when the going gets tough.”