‘Soften Your Edges’ – Chris Evert’s Bold Prediction About Serena Williams’ Success on Tour Right After Olympia’s Birth in 2017

Serena Williams dominated women’s tennis for over two decades and the 23-time Grand Slam winner set standards that will be improbable to reach for years to come. She played her last match against Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic and eventually lost that match in the third round of the US Open 2022.

Unsurprisingly, things haven’t been easy for her and she has had to battle many hardships post the birth of her child, Olympia. A few years back, tennis legend Chris Evert predicted Serena Williams and her success post-motherhood.

Chris Evert on Serena Williams and her success post childbirth

Back in 2018, Evert spoke about Serena Williams and the comparisons between players from different eras with CBS Sports. She further went on to predict Serena’s success as a player post the birth of her child. “I’m sorry, but being a mom, she’s in a different emotional place than she has ever been in her life.” said the 67-year-old.

She further went on to say, “Can she compartmentalize all of that and be almost robotic? Will she regain that focus that she’s famous for? It’s understandable. You soften your edges. That’s gonna be the big challenge.“

READ MORE: ‘You’re More Aggressive’- Chris Evert Details How Serena Williams’ Blockbuster US Open Debut Changed the Fate of Women’s Tennis

Chris Evert also made a conscious effort to talk about the wage difference between men and women, the impact of parenthood, and her favorite players at Wimbledon.

Evert and Serena backed their other American compatriot in the US Open 2022 

It has been an inexcusably long time since an American player won the US Open tournament and brought the title home in the men’s circuit. So this year, when Tiafoe surpassed everyone’s expectations, fans from around the world couldn’t help but admire him.

There were many popular American players who took to social media to express their gratitude. One of them was Chris Evert. She posted on Twitter saying, “You made us PROUD, @FTiafoe and you WILL win the @usopen one day…”. 

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On the other hand, Serena Williams, who has won the US Open an incredible six times, congratulated her fellow American on his incredible run in the tournament. But eventually, Tiafoe couldn’t keep the moment going. He finally went down to Carlos Alcaraz of Spain in a match that was full of suspense and excitement.