Chris Evert once shared her thoughts on Serena Williams resuming her bid to win her 24th Grand Slam title after welcoming her first child with husband Alexis Ohanian. Williams had endured life-threatening complications while giving birth to her daughter Olympia in September 2017, but she still made her highly anticipated return to professional tennis during the 2018 season.
After falling just short in the Wimbledon final upon her comeback, Williams set her sights on going one step further at the US Open. Apart from chasing her 24th Major, the American was also looking to break her tie with Chris Evert by clinching a record seventh title at her home Slam. Ahead of Williams’ campaign in New York, Evert shared her thoughts on the former World No. 1’s return to the tour.
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Speaking to the WTA, Chris Evert expressed her deep admiration for Serena Williams' efforts to juggle a successful tennis career with motherhood. The 18-time Grand Slam champion, who welcomed three sons after her retirement from the sport, admitted that she couldn't even envision herself doing the same.
"It's not easy for Serena Williams as a mother. I couldn't have played professional tennis with a child. I just can't imagine it. Once I had my first child, I didn't want to leave its side. So I admire her for trying to be really successful at both - as a tennis player and a mother. It's difficult. As a father, you don't really know how difficult it is for a mother," Evert said.
Evert also highlighted the challenges of returning to professional tennis after becoming a mother, pointing out that the problems were more than just physical. She expressed her belief that Williams likely wouldn't have expected how hard it would be to deal with the emotional connection to her daughter, since it was tough to transition from being warm and loving at home to being competitive on the court.
"I don't think Serena thought it would be as tough as it is, once all the emotions start. It's not the physical side. After having my first child, I was in better shape than when I was on the tour. I got my body back. But the emotional tug that you feel, you can't always transition from being soft and warm and cuddly and loving to being a fierce competitor on the court. That transition is very difficult," she added.
Nevertheless, Chris Evert revealed that she observed that Serena Williams had "two polar opposite personalities," one when she was caring for her daughter Olympia and another when she was on the court.
"That would be pretty narcissistic" - Chris Evert on why she wouldn't feel sad if Serena Williams surpassed her US Open record
During the same interview, Chris Evert candidly disclosed that she didn't feel any distress at the thought of Serena Williams breaking their tie by winning her seventh US Open title. The former World No. 1 said that it would be "narcissistic" for her to not want her record to be broken and shared that she would be especially happy if Williams achieved the feat after becoming a mother.
"I wouldn't feel any sadness if Serena were to win a seventh US Open. At my age, I think that would be pretty narcissistic. Records are meant to be broken. I broke some and people are going to break mine. I would be very happy for Serena to break that record, especially as she is making a comeback after having a child," Evert said.
The 23-time Grand Slam champion delivered a stellar campaign at the New York Major, beating the likes of Camila Giorgi, Venus Williams and Karolina Pliskova to reach the final. However, the American failed to clinch the title as Naomi Osaka claimed a 6-2, 6-4 victory in a match that was overshadowed by Williams' heated confrontations with the chair umpire.
Following the controversy, Chris Evert showed her support for Serena Williams by arguing that the umpire should've simply given her a warning instead of harshly penalizing her in such an important match.
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