Tennis great Chris Evert has reacted to the comparisons between her and Jimmy Connors, and the much-talked-about duo of Carlos Alcaraz and Emma Raducanu. Even though Alcaraz or Raducanu have always said they’re just friends, the tennis world continues to hype up the duo.
This comes just a few days ahead of Alcaraz and Raducanu’s doubles showdown at the US Open 2025. They will face the duo of Jack Draper and Jessica Pegula on Tuesday (August 19) at the Arthur Ashe Stadium.
When asked to draw similarities between Alcaraz-Raducanu and herself and Connors, Evert bluntly stated that the former duo are not in a relationship. Notably, Jimmy Connors and Chris Evert were a celebrated tennis couple during their active years in the sport in the 1970s. The couple broke up in 1975.
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Additionally, the former WTA No.1 also remarked that she is happy to have played in the 1970s due to the public scrutiny and fandom culture in this current era. Evert said (via ESPN):
"No, because they're not having a relationship. I'm so glad I came up in the '70s, not in this day and age. Because, I mean, jeez, you're controversial and talked about no matter what you do."
Before their doubles match at the US Open, Carlos Alcaraz has a strong opponent waiting for him in Jannik Sinner at the Cincinnati Masters. It will be their first meeting since their Wimbledon final last month, where the Spaniard lost to the Italian.
Carlos Alcaraz opens up about Jannik Sinner's prowess which makes the Italian a powerful opponent
Carlos Alcaraz opened up about Jannik Sinner's prowess, which makes him a special opponent. Notably, the two have produced some hard-fought matches in the last few months, with the French Open 2025 final being a standout.
After his Cincinnati Masters semifinals victory, Alcaraz stated that Sinner doesn't have a particular weakness that can give him the edge. The Spaniard added that when playing against Sinner, he has to fight for every point. He said (via ATP Tour):
"The ability of not having any weakness. It is crazy, the way he always plays at his best. It seems like you have to earn every point every game. He makes you suffer since the first point of the match until the last ball. The capacity of being there mentally, point after point, not having up and downs on the match makes him really, really special."
Notably, Carlos Alcaraz has been on an impressive run at the Cincinnati Masters, and defeated the likes of Andrey Rublev and Alexander Zverev en route to the final.
