Ajla Tomljanovic, Marta Kostyuk celebrate second drop of Chris Evert’s Monica Rich Kosann tennis bracelet collaboration

FLASHBACK: Evert visited the Tennis Channel Live Desk during the 2022 WTA Finals to raise awareness about ovarian cancer.

NEW YORK—Jewelry isn’t just decoration for Ajla Tomljanovic. It’s spiritual.

“I love wearing jewelry most when it’s a piece someone has given to me,” she explains at Wilson Columbus Circle, preparing to play her first tournament of 2023 at the US Open.

The Aussie is flashing her stack of tennis bracelets from The Tennis Bracelet-CE Collection. Born 1978. Finally Authentic, a collaboration between mentor Chris Evert and jewelry designer Monica Rich Kosann.

“First of all, Chrissie is my favorite human being on the earth,” said the former world No. 32, who has spent much of the year rehabbing from knee surgery. “She’s like my second mom. So, to be a part of this collection and wear it for the second year in a row is such an honor.”

On hand to celebrate the line’s launch last August, Tomljanovic wore the bracelet Evert gave her when she scored a career-defining win over Serena Williams, sending the 23-time Grand Slam champion into retirement at the 2022 US Open.

“I haven’t taken this one from last year off; I sleep and shower in it. I had it on when I beat Serena, so maybe it was good luck!”

Tomljanovic was joined by fellow players Maria Sakkari and Marta Kostyuk, another jewelry fanatic who found herself a recent convert to the “Finally Authentic” collection, one born from Evert’s famous invention of the tennis bracelet. Each bracelet is marked by an emerald and tear-drop diamond—representing the green of the court and the sweat on her face, respectively.

“I’ve seen Ajla posting pictures about this collaboration with Chris Evert. But when Monica handed me the bracelet, I was like, ‘Wow!’” exclaimed the Ukrainian. “It’s probably time to start stacking with more bracelets on this arm!”

Collaborators Evert and Kosann spoke with reverence for one another at the reveal of The Tennis Bracelet-CE Collection…’s second drop, which features rock crystal in both mine and antique cuts, diamonds and green tourmaline, and a new design in 18K gold and pink sapphires in tribute to Evert’s battle with ovarian cancer. 50% of the proceeds from the sale of that bracelet will be donated to the Prevent Cancer Foundation.

“She’s amazing,” Kosann told Baseline, joking that the two have taken to exchanging emoji-filled texts through the design process. “I adore her. She is so wonderful to work with. She’s so real, so authentic, and I roll with that. I love that. The two of us can go back and forth and say, ‘I don’t like this, but I like this.’ We can be very honest with each other, which is very important in a design collaboration. If she doesn’t like something, she feels comfortable to tell me, and we try something different. It’s a very open relationship, and it’s wonderful. I love working with her.”

For Evert, the line and location for Thursday evening's drop were each of major significance, given she played with Wilson racquets throughout her career.

“My first racquet was the Billie Jean King wood racquet,” recalled Evert, dedicating the night to King, who appeared alongside partner Ilana Kloss. “You could really hit the ball hard with that wood racquet! That’s why we didn’t miss a ball, because we couldn’t put one away!

“I waited 45 years to have my own collection, and it’s an authentic collection,” she later told Baseline. “I was the one who dropped my bracelet on the court, and when the press asked me the next day, I told them about my tennis bracelet. It means a lot to have a hand in developing and creating it, designing the stones.

“I’m a jewelry girl. I love pretty jewelry. I think playing tennis is a very athletic, physical sport. You’re sweating out there, you’re being tough. But you can still be a lady out there. Wearing my bracelets is that gentle reminder.”

The night concluded with the announcement that Wilson would auction a custom-designed racquet on CharityBuzz, signed by Evert and decorated with her 18 Grand Slam victories.

“You could have had more,” King muttered when Evert joked about winning the elusive 24.

“Let’s not get into that!” replied Evert, who later described the three generations of players in attendance as “a sorority.”

“We’re all in this together,” she said later. “Billie Jean was here and she mentored me, so if I can help any of these girls with their tennis, with their mindset, I’d like that very much.”

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