‘Glamour Does Sell Tickets’ – When Chris Evert Fired Back at a Former Player for Her Demeaning Comments on Anna Kournikova

The 18-time Grand Slam champion Chris Evert had a tremendous tennis career and many consider her as one of the best players in the history of the sport. Apart from being a great tennis player, she has also been one of the outspoken athletes. Once she slammed former French tennis player Nathalie Tauziat for making demeaning comments about the former Russian tennis sensation Anna Kournikova.

Notably, Tauziat accused Kournikova of using her body to influence the decisions of the chair umpire and linesmen. Evert came to the defense of the Russian tennis star while praising her.

Chris Evert defended Anna Kournikova over disrespectful remarks

In her book ‘The Hidden Side of Women’s Tennis’, Tauziat made many bold claims about the 18-year-old Kournikova. After seeing those claims, Evert said, “That is so disrespectful to the officials. It’s an insult to the umpires and the linesmen and what they stand for… And I’ve never even heard anyone insinuate that, either.“

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At that time, Kournikova was really popular on the tour, and fans used to turn up in large numbers to watch her matches. Speaking about Kournikova’s game and her glamourous side, Evert said, “Anna is a good, solid tennis player – she’s just not No. 1 in the world… As far as Anna goes, glamour does sell tickets, and tickets sell sponsorships. In that respect, it’s good for the game.”

It is worth noting that Kournikova did not have a great tennis career, despite having the talent. Her best result in Grand Slam tournaments came at the Wimbledon Championships in 1997. She achieved her best ranking, i.e. no.8 in 2000, and a year earlier, she became the world no.1 in doubles well. After suffering various injuries, she retired from tennis in 2003 and appeared in many music videos and movies after that.

Tauziat accused Evert as well

Meanwhile, the former world no.3, Tauziat accused Evert of influencing the umpires and linesmen with her outfits. However, Evert fired back at her and said that the linesmen were concentrating on the matches as they have always done that.

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In terms of Tauziat’s tennis career, she was a great grass court player, as she reached the Wimbledon final once and quarter-finals thrice in her career. Subsequently, she also reached the quarter-final of the US Open and French Open once in her career.

As for Evert, she had a legendary career, winning 18 Grand Slam singles titles. Along with that, she won 157 singles titles, the second highest number of wins behind Navratilova. Additionally, she won a Grand Slam title for 13 consecutive years, starting in 1974. In 1989, she announced her retirement from professional tennis. Currently, the tennis player is working as a commentator for ESPN, and she recently covered the US Open.