Wimbledon 2024: Is This a Comeback for Chris Evert as a Commentator?
The 69-year-old American former tennis star, Chris Evert, is a legend in the sport! Her voice, and in-depth analysis were heavily missed by the fans during the first two Grand Slams of the season. But we finally have a good news. Evert is back in the commentary box! After battling with cancer twice, the three-time Wimbledon champion is yet again enlisted in the ESPN panel for commentary for the 2024 Wimbledon Championships. She’ll accompanied by John Isner, Nick Kyrgios, James Blake, Brad Gilbert, John McEnroe, Patrick McEnroe, Rennae Stubbs, and many more. Not many may know the real cause of her absence in the the Australian Open this year.
Tennis legend Evert was diagnosed with stage 1 ovarian cancer in December 2021, just two years after her sister Jeanne passed away from the same disease in February 2020. Evert, who turned 69 in December 2023, revealed this information in a statement released in January 2022. In May 2022, it was reported that Evert had completed chemotherapy treatment for her ovarian cancer. She stated that the doctor told her that there was a 90% chance that the chance would never return due to it being diagnosed so early, but that 10%! Later on, in December 2023 the American tennis legend announced that she had been diagnosed with a recurrence of cancer and she’ll now have to yet again undergo a treatment for it.
Evert’s cancer recurrence forced her to miss the Australian Open in January, but by May, she was back on the air for a week at the French Open, contributing her expertise to Eurosport. While announcing the same she also added, “I will be unable to join my colleagues when ESPN makes its return to Melbourne for the Australian Open next month. But I’ll be ready for the rest of the Grand Slam season!” Now, she is yet again ready to rock the com box. What a comeback after six months! She was at her house in Florida last week for almost less than a day. It was just a stopover before a flight to London.
For the next two weeks, her address will be at ‘The Square Mile‘. In that brief stay at her house, she managed to grab a few hours of sleep and also attend the charity she works with. This is a pure example of sheer commitment, love and dedication towards the sport! What does this profession mean to the tennis legend?
“I want to have a passion for what I’m doing” – Chris Evert speaks on her role in the commentary box
During an interview in February 2014, Evert said that she has earned enough money where she doesn’t need to work. However, she prefers to have something to do on a regular basis. “I don’t want to just be a lady having lunch, getting manicures and pedicures every day and that’s it. I want to have a passion for what I’m doing,” she said. However, not all days are good days in the office!
Several times she has been criticized by the fans for her commentary on players like Serena Williams. Addressing the same issue she highlighted the fact that how nowadays commentators have to watch out for everything they say. “You could say somebody was a clown and you wouldn’t get in trouble. You could say you know bad boys of tennis…and now it’s like Kyrgios is sort of a bad boy, but they are very cautious with how they explain it. You know, it’s just, it’s just so different. It’s just so different now,” Evert.
Following Wimbledon, she’ll head to New York for a double dose of tennis. First, she’ll lend her expertise to ESPN’s US Open coverage, and then she’ll attend the USTA Foundation’s gala fundraiser. How excited are you to see her back in the commentary box for Wimbledon?
