Fans are all eyes and ears for Coco Gauff at this year’s Wimbledon. But along with her are other tough competitors such as Iga Swiatek, Elena Rybakina, and even the former Wimbledon finalist, Ons Jabeur. However, when tennis legend Chris Evert made up a bold Wimbledon prophecy, she picked the 20-year-old American tennis player, among all the four potential participants.

When put on the spot during an ESPN broadcast, Evert confidently stated, “I will pick Coco Gauff to win this tournament.” Evert is well-known for being a staunch advocate for Gauff, and American players in general, which speaks to her respect for US women’s tennis. But it’s not always well received.

Even though the odds point to a difficult road ahead for the US Open champion, supporters are somewhat irritated by Evert’s steadfast support despite her position as a supposedly neutral pundit. On the other hand, while the current world number one recently came out winning the French Open, Jabeur is hungry to grab her first Wimbledon title after reaching the finals two times. Nevertheless, Evert’s Gauff bias remains contentious.

Earlier this year, Gauff was in tears, and American tennis legend Chris Evert was furious after a contentious ruling made by umpire Aurélie Tourte during Swiatek’s match against Gauff in the French Open. A Swiatek serve that was initially ruled “out” was overruled by the umpire, which caused Gauff to object and exclaim, “You are wrong, and it’s the second time it has happened.” 

Gauff said that her comeback, which was unsuccessful, was impacted by the first contact. Chris Evert, displaying her partiality, expressed her deep dislike of the choice as well, calling it “awful” and expressing her sadness over witnessing Gauff cry.

She stated, “She(Coco) is right, by the way. Coco Gauff is right, absolutely. She would never, ever tell a lie to the umpire. She is crying. That is awful, awful officiating, the umpire’s decision. She is saying that she had a play on it.” 

Evert’s remarks, though, drew criticism for what was seen as prejudice for Coco Gauff. Some observers thought the seasoned pundit was overly fixated on the World No. 2, spending more time speculating about Swiatek’s possible reactions to face Gauff than dissecting the real final.

Chris Evert’s biases towards Coco Gauff causes fans to fume in anger 

Elise Mertens and Gauff faced off in the US Open’s third round in September of last year. Evert is said to have praised the 20-year-old American competitor while ignoring Mertens. Even back then, fans brought attention to how bad this behavior seemed to be.

This time, however, a lot of people sympathized with Gauff and believed the umpire had made a mistake in calling the match. They did, however, also hold Evert responsible for her altruistic support of her fellow citizens, which has occasionally extended beyond the comment section to her social media accounts.

Many tennis fans are displeased with Evert’s commentary sessions since they are constantly centered around Coco Gauff’s antics both on and off the court. “Chris Evert is the most annoying commentator 🤬 all she does is notice Iga’s ‘oh she should be here by now, oh she’s taking her time blah blah,’” a fan wrote, expressing their frustration with the perceived favoritism.

Nevertheless, what are your thoughts on the biased comments? Do let us know in the comment section below.