Chris Evert on her iconic tennis bracelet moment and her favorite workouts off the court

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Every tennis fan knows the name Chris Evert. The 18 time Grand Slam winner started turning heads in the tennis world when she was just a teenager, and she continues to be a major part of the international sports community.

We sat down with Evert this month at the BNP Paribas Open in sunny Indian Wells, California, and we caught up with her on everything from her favorite ways to workout off the court to why she turns to Osteo Bi-Flex when it comes to her joint health and what advice she has for young athletes. Read the entire interview below!

AOL: There are so many trendy diets and supplements out on the market right now from collagen pills to turmeric lattes. Why do you turn to and trust Osteo Bi-Flex when it comes to taking care of your joints?

CE: Well [Osteo Bi Flex] has been around for 20 years, that's the thing. It’s been proven, it’s been tested. A lot of former athletes have used it, and, you know, everybody’s living longer, it’s just amazing. At 50 you’ve lived half of your life now -- 20 years ago you were in your old age. I do believe that if you can get a healthy edge once in a while with products that are pure and that have been tested, I think that's a really good idea. I mean it happens to everybody -- you wake up one morning, and you realize "oh my god." Whether it's the over use of the body or you’re getting older. everybody needs a little help.

When you aren't playing tennis, what are some of your favorite ways to stay active?

I do hot yoga. I do that like twice a week. And not just yoga, hot yoga, because i like to sweat. And then I have a tennis academy, so I hit, I play with a lot of the kids and I do that every morning. I feel like I need to get 3 things: I feel at my age I need to get cardio, I need to get that flexibility, which I get from yoga, and then I need to get strengthening from a CrossFit class or I'll do weights twice a week. I try to do tennis four times a week, weights twice a weeks and yoga twice a week. I'm lucky because I have the time, because I work periodically. I'll go to tournaments and do some commentating, but I mean I'm fortunate that I don’t have to work full time and I'm squeezed for time to work out. I feel lucky that I have that luxury.

What is your favorite part of commentating and broadcasting?

My favorite part about broadcasting is, I think, just trying to get across or explain exactly the intangibles of what is happening on the court, you know, mentally in the players’ minds -- how they’re feeling pressure-wise, how they’re feeling emotionally, because I’ve been there. I think that I'm better at the mental and the emotional aspect of explaining what a player is going through, because I think most tennis fans are pretty educated and they know, "well duh, she’s missing a lot of forehands," so that sort of comes in second to what I'm trying get across.

This tournament has some of the best tennis players in the world competing. Who are some of your favorite players to watch?

Roger Federer is my favorite player to watch; I think he’s everybody's favorite. It's gonna be a sad day when he retires. I love watching him and I'm in awe I think of Serena [Willlam's] power when I watch her -- how she can just clock the ball with so much power and pace. And that serve is so explosive. She’s such an explosive player — I wasn’t, so that's why I can appreciate that.

Looking back at your own professional career, does one particular moment or win stand out as a clear favorite of yours?

I think when I was 15 and I beat Margaret Court. She was the number one player in the world. It was a tournament in Charlotte, North Carolina, and she had just won the Grand Slam, meaning she just won four in a row, and she was the number one player in the world. I beat her 7-6, 7-6, and that I think was the start of my career. And I was by myself, I was alone -- I didn’t have any parents with me. I had my best friend with me, and that was the first tournament that my parents let me go alone, so I was really happy about that.

You started playing tennis when you were 5 years old, what advice would you give to young athletes who are trying to pursue a professional sports career and are really just starting out?

It's a commitment. You have to give up things. It's a commitment and you have to be disciplined. You have to be disciplined enough to get your sleep and eat the right foods and to get the right team around you and put in your practice hours. And to be really good at anything now, you have to commit and you have to follow through and not cut corners. You have to put in the hours and practice, and hopefully enjoy it at the same time or else it's tedious.

And I have to ask, you are legendary for giving diamond tennis bracelets their name; do you still wear your tennis bracelet whenever you play?

No, I don't! I never got one free tennis bracelet, by the way, and I feel like I kind of had something to do with it! Nobody ever gave me a free tennis bracelet -- no jewelry company or anything. I feel like they made a lot of money off that. *Laughs* I just dropped my bracelet on center court at the US Open and that's when they called it the tennis bracelet.

An iconic moment to say the least.

“Osteo Bi-Flex encourages joint comfort, flexibility and movement and Chrissie Evert has partnered with the brand because as a former athlete she knows first-hand how important it is to keep moving and stay active in order to continue doing what she loves.” Learn more about Chris Evert's partnership here.

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