Chris Evert has made a bold admission about what she thought would happen in the women’s US Open final last night.
After all, she made a claim during the coverage which suggested that, even before Aryna Sabalenka and Amanda Anisimova took to the court, she knew what would decide the match.
In all honesty, it was a thought that likely many tennis fans had.
Alas, she has admitted her error, admitting that she was wrong about the pivotal area of the match that pushed it in the Belarusian’s favour.
Chris Evert makes admission after US Open final
Speaking live on ESPN midway through the match, as it started to feel like the writing was on the wall for Anisimova, Evert made her admission.
After all, she, along with most of the tennis community, had likely expected the same thing regarding which area would decide this match.
And yet, in the end, it was the solidity of Sabalenka that proved pivotal, combined with the errors that flew off the racket of the American.
Evert claimed: “So I kind of got this wrong.
“We were thinking of whoever hits a bigger ball, whoever takes the initiative, but really, it’s almost like whoever makes the least amount of errors is winning this match.”
Evert also pointed out a weakness she noticed in Anisimova, which likely contributed to this failed prediction.
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Speaking in her on-court championship interview, Sabalenka was enthused.
And yet, she still found the time to praise her opponent and make a bold prediction about what the future holds for Anisimova.
She claimed: “It was crazy. All those tough lessons are worth this one. I am speechless right now.
“First of all, I want to say congrats Amanda on reaching back-to-back finals on the Slams. I know how much it hurts losing in the final, but trust me, the moment you are going to win your first one – and you are going to win it – you are playing incredible tennis. Congrats to you and your team on the things you have been able to achieve since your comeback.
“And, girl, you are going to enjoy it even more after this tough loss in the finals.”
She then took time to thank the US Open crowd, adding: “I love it. I love the support. I feel like throughout the years we build a relationship, and you guys give me so much support.
“My first year here, when I saw I had to play back-to-back against Americans, I was like, no way guys. I was like I don’t want to play! And then coming back next year, I had to play back-to-back against Americans but I felt a bit more support and this year I felt even more support.
“So I am super excited to come back next year and I hope you are all going to cheer for me! Thank you for bringing the best atmosphere.”
