Chris Evert picks her three stars who could dominate the game in the post-Serena Williams era
Tennis legend Chris Evert believes three young stars will be vying for supremacy at the top of the game in the post-Serena Williams era.
While 23-time Grand Slam champion Williams remains a force in the game at the age of 39, Evert has picked out newly crowned French Open champion Iga Swiatek, US Open champion Naomi Osaka and teenager Coco Gauff as the stars of tomorrow.
The rise of Swiatek has surprised Evert, as she admitted the Polish star did not stand out when she first saw her in action, while she has backed Gauff to overcome the issues that have affected her in 2020 to fine-tune her game as she matures.
“I didn’t really notice Swiatek last year as much,” said Evert at a Eurosport event. “She’s got tremendous potential. No doubt about that.
“When I was asked to pick out my future star a couple of years ago I went for Naomi and I’m still going to go for Coco Gauff to win a lot of titles.”
Gauff’s form has been a point of discussion in tennis after her breakthrough year in 2019, but Evert is convinced the young American will find a way to reach the pinnacle of the game.
“I don’t know what’s going on with her service,” continued Evert. “I mean I know what’s going on with her service, I know she’s doing technically wrong and I think that she’s in her sophomore year on the tour and I think things are a lot different now than they were last year when she could play with a lot of freedom and no pressure.
“Now we can tell she’s nervous out there, she’s double-faulting, 16 or 17 times a match. But I still think that in two years’ time, it’s very possible she will win a Grand Slam.
“I’m a believer in her, her ability and her mindset right now. In saying that, there are so many players, there are so many depths right now that’s incredible, and so many young players are coming up.
“It would be easier to tell if there wasn’t a pandemic and there were tournaments every single week because then you could really see how good these players are. It’s just tough right now but Coco would be my pick.”
Eurosport is the home of Grand Slam tennis and the Australian Open will be live on the network in January.
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