Tennis legend Chris Evert says if she were to pick 10 women who had a chance of winning the US Open, Serena Williams would be there.
It's such a tough question to ask whether Williams is indisputably, the greatest player of all time, she said in an interview to The Guardian.
"In her era she is the greatest of all time. Then there’s the most accomplished career – how many tournaments you won and how consistent you were and I always include Steffi Graf and Martina Navratilova alongside Serena because in my era they were the greatest of all time," the 67-year-old Chris Evert said.
"Evert will be back at the U.S. Open, which she won six times, to work the broadcast for ESPN. It will be her second tournament, after Wimbledon, since announcing in May that she is cancer free, with a 90 to 95 percent chance it will never return. She will also host the U.S.T.A. Foundation’s gala on Monday, the first night of tournament," The New York Times reports.
Jeanne Evert Dubin, Chrissie's younger sister, also a former professional tennis player, died in February 2020. She was 62. The two sisters were racing through the airport to make their flight to the WTA Finals in Singapore in October 2017 when Chrissie realized Jeanne was out of breath and couldn't keep up.
"True to Jeanne's personality and like many other women, Jeanne was busy taking care of everyone else," Chrissie said in an interview to ESPN in January this year.
Jeanne promised to see the doctor as soon as they returned. She was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. It was late-stage and had spread. Chrissie describes watching Jeanne in treatment as "devastating and traumatizing." She says the memories of Jeanne's strength will motivate her own.
"When I go into chemo, she is my inspiration," Chrissie said in the ESPN interview. "I'll be thinking of her. And she'll get me through it," she added.