"Funny how everyone is a champion when Americans lose" "Nonsense": Fans slam Chris Evert for calling Taylor Fritz & Jessica Pegula US Open 'champions'
Chris Evert's congratulatory message for Jannik Sinner, Taylor Fritz, Aryna Sabalenka, and Jessica Pegula after the 2024 US Open has not gone down well with tennis fans. Evert sparked controversy by hailing Pegula and Fritz as 'champions' alongside the actual title winners.
After her heartbreaking loss to Coco Gauff in last year's US Open final, Sabalenka redeemed herself by claiming a 7-5, 7-5 win over Pegula to clinch her maiden title at the New York Major. The World No. 3 also secured her second Major title of the season, having triumphed at the Australian Open title earlier this year.
Sinner also won his first US Open title and second Grand Slam crown of the year, defeating Fritz 6-3, 6-4, 7-5 in the final. With his win, the Italian dashed the home crowd's hopes for an end to the 21-year title drought for American men at the Majors.
Chris Evert recently penned a congratulatory message for all four finalists, lumping in Taylor Fritz and Jessica Pegula as 'champions' alongside the winners, Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka.
"Congratulations to @SabalenkaA @JPegula @janniksin @Taylor_Fritz97 Your ALL champions !" Evert posted on X.
Fans did not take kindly to Chris Evert's remarks, arguing that the former World No. 1 was only counting Fritz and Pegula as 'champions' alongside Sinner and Sabalenka because the two runners-up were Americans.
"Is it because the two losers are Americans, that they are considered champions??🤣🤣," one fan commented.
"Funny how suddenly everyone is a champion when americans lose," another fan chimed in.
"Nobody would ever say this about non americans lmao," said another.
They continued to complain about the 18-time Grand Slam champion's "nonsense" take, with one fan asserting that it was yet another example of her "biased commentary" towards fellow Americans throughout the tournament.
"First off it's You're! Not your and secondly and more importantly, they are not all champions! That's not how winning majors work! 2 persons won and they're the champions. Two persons lost and they're the runner ups! You're too big for this level of nonsense. Where's your sense," one fan posted.
"There are only two champions and two runner ups," another fan wrote.
"No, only two are champions. What a stupid tweet," a fan remarked.
"Would you be posting this if the Americans were the runner ups ? I think not. Your biased commentary throughout the past 2 weeks was glaring . It’s unfortunate, as I think you could offer a lot of insight," said yet another.
Chris Evert amazed by Aryna Sabalenka surpassing Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, and Novak Djokovic in forehand stat at US Open 2024
Amid Aryna Sabalenka's impressive run at the 2024 US Open, her average topspin forehand speed of 129 km/h stood out, setting her apart among her fellow competitors in the women's draw and the men's as well.
The Belarusian's average speed outpaced the top three seeds in the men's draw, with Carlos Alcaraz clocking in at 127 km/h, Jannik Sinner following closely with 126 km/h and Novak Djokovic producing 122 km/h.
The remarkable statistic caught the attention of Chris Evert, who expressed her amazement at Aryna Sabalenka's impressive achievement.
"Wait, what? 👍👏💪🏼," Chris Evert posted on X.
While Sabalenka and Sinner triumphed at the New York Major, Alcaraz crashed out in the second round and Djokovic's title defense ended in the third round.