The legendary Chris Evert suddenly finds herself at the center of a brewing storm. Her recent comments about Karolina Muchova haven’t gone down well with many, and now Ons Jabeur has joined the fray, taking a stand against Evert’s remarks. The tennis community is buzzing, with Jabeur’s response adding fuel to the fire.

Muchova advanced to the third round of the US Open after defeating Naomi Osaka in straight sets. But what followed after the match was quite surprising as Evert, who was on commentary during the match, compared the rising star’s style to that of male players, which is now making her face immense flak. 

Speaking about Muchova, Evert said, “She plays like a guy. She wants to play like a guy. The guys have bigger serves than the women, they have better volleys for the most part, and they move a little bit better.” Muchova’s display of flawless serve-and-volley game was evident during both of her matches at the US Open, as she advanced to the third round without dropping a set. But Evert’s statement was seen as a stereotype remark, and Jabuer was not happy about it.

Sharing a post on X, Jabeur wrote, “Muchova is an amazing, talented player. She doesn’t have to be a guy to have great serve , volley or movement. Can we please stop stereotyping based on gender?” The Tunisian tennis player has been extremely vocal about gender equality in tennis.

Ons Jabeur has often spoken about the disparities that exist within the tennis community and has demanded more respect and inclusivity for female players. “I feel like they need to respect women more and they need to respect how we are playing,” she said in April this year. She also credited players like Billie Jean King, Serena Williams, and Maria Sharapova, who have represented the game differently and have been vocal about the advancements needed in Women’s tennis. 

Chris Evert though might not find a place in Jabeur’s list, especially after her latest remarks. But this is not the only controversy that Chris Evert has found herself engulfed in at the ongoing US Open. 

Chris Evert faces hot waters over commentary

The US Open has continued to bring troubles for the former pro-Chris Evert. Besides receiving flak over her remarks on Muchova, the 69-year-old has also been accused of mocking Naomi Osaka’s culture and over-supporting Coco Gauff.

While Evert was praising Osaka’s outfit, saying “I like the dress…it suits her, it suits the Japanese culture,” many fans didn’t like it, as they took it as a dig at the Japanese culture and slammed Evert.

Again, during Gauff’s match against Elina Svitolina, Evert was constantly hyping up Gauff and praising her despite Svitolina’s sensational performance in the first set. That made the tennis fans furious as well. The Ukrainian star dominated the proceeding early on in the match, winning the first set comfortably 6-3, but Evert wasn’t praising her, at least not as much as some of the fans wanted her to.

While some of the criticism that has been directed at Evert may not be accurate, it would be interesting to see if she refrains from making any more controversial remarks going ahead in the tournament, after all the criticism that she has received.