Chris Evert makes known her concern on the mistreatment of tennis umpires during matches in recent times


Chris Evert makes known her concern on the mistreatment of tennis umpires during matches in recent times

Chris Evert

In recent times, umpires have faced a lot of heat from the players, which has tender to outbursts and insults directed towards the umpire on court by the players. Recently, Nick Kyrgios received a fine of $US 60,000 ($80,000) for a series of enraged outbursts at the Indian Wells and Miami Open competitions. Also, following a doubles loss, German Alexander Zverev received an omission from a tournament in Acapulco in February. He repeatedly bashed his racquet against the umpire’s chair. 

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In the wake of the rising amounts of such mistreatment of the umpires, Chris Evert has raised her voice on the topic.

Chris Evert laments treatment of umpires in tennis

Chris Evert
Chris Evert

Former world number one Chris Evert has called for discussions on the toll tennis is taking on players’ mental health following a spate of angry outbursts and emotional breakdowns on court.

ATP this week warned of stricter punishment for on-court misconduct but Evert said she is worried about the players.

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The American revealed that it was concerning that so many players were losing their cool and control on the pitch nowadays, which is a topic which needs to be talked about more.

“I’m not making any judgements on the players, but it’s an area of concern: why are players losing control and breaking racquets and putting others in harm’s way? Why are they breaking down on the court emotionally? It’s something that needs to be addressed. It’s something that needs to be talked about. Tennis is a sport and it’s not life,” Evert told Eurosport.

Former world number one Victoria Azarenka retired from her match in Miami and said she should not have played as her personal life had been “extremely stressful” in recent weeks. Four-times major winner Naomi Osaka brought the issue of athletes’ mental health into the spotlight when she pulled out of Grand Slam events and chunks of the 2021 season.

“And have therapists and that’s a growing occurrence and I think it’s great because they’re addressing their issues and it’s not easy. It’s not easy living the life of a tennis player,” added Evert.

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