The ongoing US Open has been full of surprises, and not just on the court! This year, the commentators are sharing the spotlight as well, but not always for the best reasons. Amidst the fierce competition and thrilling matches, some of the commentary has sparked its own set of controversies. Chris Evert, a legend in her own right, has found herself at the center of the latest uproar. And it’s only gotten worse with every match.
It started with Naomi Osaka’s first-round match against Jelena Ostapenko. Since she came back after giving birth, Osaka has been experimenting a lot more with her outfits, and as she returned to Arthur Ashe Stadium, the 26-year-old made a statement: she walked in wearing a green Nike cut-off jacket with a layered tulle skirt. But what caught everyone’s attention was the numerous bows she sported, right from the ones on her headphones and shoes, to the giant one on her waist. Looking at Osaka’s outfit, Chris Evert said, “I like the dress…it suits her, it suits the Japanese culture.”
While the 69-year-old may have just been praising Osaka’s fashion sense, many in the tennis community didn’t take too well to it and accused Evert of being insensitive toward the Japanese culture. That said, the latest installment of tennis fans disapproving of Evert’s commentary came during the fourth-round encounter between Coco Gauff and Emma Navarro.
In what was a rematch of their Round of 16 encounter at Wimbledon – where Navarro won in straight sets – everyone was expecting another thrilling encounter between the American compatriots. And the high-stakes match was living up to its expectations. However, Chris Evert wasn’t, and that seemed to have agitated everyone, owing to the former player’s continuous commentary.
Taking to X, several fans expressed their anger and requested Evert to cut down on her commentary during the match. In his autobiography, But Seriously, John McEnroe highlighted how Wimbledon has a rule against commentating during a point. While other Grand Slams and tournaments don’t have such strict restrictions, commentators usually follow this unwritten rule every time. And viewers have gotten used to it. So, when the former World No. 1 spoke multiple times during points, many didn’t take it too well.
They even tagged ESPN, hoping that the broadcaster would do something about it. After all, this wasn’t the first time Chris Evert’s commentary has come into question, especially in regards to Coco Gauff’s matches. Let’s take her third-round match against Elina Svitolina, for instance. The Ukrainian started the match with the upper hand, proving to be the better played of the two. But despite her dominance in the first set, which she won 6-3, Evert constantly praised Gauff and didn’t say much about Svitolina.
There have been other instances where the tennis community has called out Evert for her ‘bias’ toward Coco Gauff. But this time, more than favoring Gauff, it was the legend’s commentary in general that came under the scanner.
Chris Evert ‘ruined’ Coco Gauff and Emma Navarro’s match for fans
One user wrote, “@espn can someone tell Chris Evert she doesn’t have to constantly yap – sometimes being quiet and letting tennis happen is perfect! her constant dribble is killing the vibe.” The match between Navarro and Gauff was an anticipated one, and it was living up to the hype. Having gone into a deciding set, it was Navarro who came out on top yet again, but it wasn’t without a fight. However, Evert’s commentary made some want to watch it without sound.
Taking a dig at it, the netizen wrote, “Me: Turns on TV to watch Coco play TV: Chris Evert starts speaking Me: Mutes TV -continues to watch the game, but WILL not unmute Her commentary tortures me to listen 😭😭😭😭 Sigh…😔.” Commentary is a critical aspect in making a match-watching experience fun. But fans believe Chris Evert isn’t the right person to help achieve that.
Moreover, Evert is well-known for being a staunch advocate for Gauff and American players in general. Even ahead of the US Open, when she was put on the spot during an ESPN broadcast, she confidently stated, “I will pick Coco Gauff to win this tournament.” But this hasn’t been received well by the fans.
One more user joined in the fray and wrote, “Chris Evert is so constantly negative towards the women on the court whose matches she calls. She and Martina need to go away. #USOpen.” Evert also found herself in controversy for her remarks against Karolina Muchova at the US Open. Speaking about Muchova, the American legend said, “She plays like a guy. She wants to play like a guy. The guys have bigger serves than the women, they have better volleys for the most part, and they move a little bit better.”
For this statement, Evert received immense criticism from not just fans, but also players like Ons Jabeur. The backlash continued. Taking to X, one more user commented, “@espn Only @cbfowler and Chris Evert could ruin this great match between Navarro and Gauff. Please shut up!”
Well, Chris Evert is someone who always speaks her mind and although there has been a lot of criticism around her commentary at the US Open this year, one can expect the veteran to continue speaking her mind.
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