"Why are players losing control, breaking racquets & putting others in harm's way?": When Chris Evert was concerned about players' emotional outbursts
Chris Evert once noticed an increase in fiery outbursts among players during matches. The American expressed her belief that the issue needed to be addressed fast while reminding players that tennis was only a sport and not a matter of life and death.
Evert, who won 18 Grand Slam titles during the course of her career, was known as the 'Ice Maiden' during her playing days because of her composure on the court. As such, it wasn't surprising that the American was alarmed by the perceived rise in tantrums by players on tour.
In an interview with Eurosport in 2022, Chris Evert expressed concern about players having emotional breakdowns and smashing rackets out of frustration during matches. Although the former World No. 1 clarified that her aim wasn't to harshly judge players, she emphasized that such behavior was troubling to witness.
"I'm not making any judgements on the players, but it's an area of concern: why are players losing control and breaking racquets and putting others in harm's way?" Evert said.
"Why are they breaking down on the court emotionally? It's something that needs to be addressed. It's something that needs to be talked about. Tennis is a sport and it's not life," she added.
Evert's opinion followed on the heels of Alexander Zverev being defaulted from the Mexican Open for repeatedly hitting the umpire's chair with his racket over a disputed line call.
Similarly, Nick Kyrgios was fined $25,000 by the ATP for almost hitting a ball kid after he angrily threw his racket at the Indian Wells Masters. Days later, the Australian was slapped with another $35,000 fine at the Miami Open for arguing with the umpire and smashing his racket.
Chris Evert: "Now a lot of the women tennis players have sports psychologists and therapists, I think it's great"
In the interview, Chris Evert also pointed out that more and more WTA players were making the choice to include sports psychologists and therapists in their coaching teams.
Highlighting how tough it was to be a top player in the sport, the 18-time Grand Slam champion asserted that it was a positive step for players to address any mental health issues in a proactive manner.
"I noticed that now a lot of the women tennis players have sports psychologists and have therapists and that's a growing occurrence and I think it's great because they're addressing their issues and it's not easy. It's not easy living the life of a top player," Evert said.
That year, Chris Evert also expressed admiration for Iga Swiatek after the Pole announced that she would donate the $50,000 she earned from her Ostrava Open runner-up finish to a mental health charity.