The American legend reminisces on her long and incomparable career, and chimes in on Serena Williams and the US Open.

It feels almost uncomfortable to even attempt to summarise the achievements of today’s guest, because Chris Evert’s career is so extraordinary that it would require oodles of metaphorical ink. Anyway, here it goes, in a very compressed rendition: 18 Slam titles (seven at the French Open, six at the US Open on two different surfaces, three at Wimbledon, two at the Australian Open) with at least one victory for 13 straight years (she didn’t even compete in every event, nor were the Majors the biggest priority for female players back then, as she told us during the interview); 260 weeks as the world N.1 (she finished the year as the top-ranked player seven times); 52 semis and 54 quarters reached out of the 56 Slams she entered; 125 consecutive wins on clay with a final win percentage of 94.28 on the dirt – in short, Evert exegete Steve Flink and I had a chat with Tennis History herself. Nowadays, she helms a successful Academy in Florida with her brother John (it actually bears his name), works as an analyst for ESPN, and also serves as a publisher for “Tennis”.

THE COMPLETE INTERVIEW

VIDEO SCHEDULE

Minute 00: introduction. After all this time, does Chris ever get bored while hearing her accomplishments listed over and over again?

03:49: “Luckily, I have so many unforgettable moments for me! Perhaps the one I cherish the most is the first time I entered the US Open, or the last two French Open titles. However, my rivalry with Martina will always hold a special place in my heart…”

07:26: Were the Slams as important back then? “We were the first professional league for women, so we had a duty to promote that…”

13:44: Steve Flink is the greatest living Evert expert, but does he know how many times she won in Rome?

17:00: Serena Williams and Margaret Court’s 24-Slam record: “You have to feel for her, just look at how her four final opponents played…”. Is she still competitive?

25:40: Was Serena’s defeat against Roberta Vinci at the 2015 US Open the biggest upset ever?

30:42: Her broadcasting career: “I had a few initial hiccups, but after opening an Academy with my brother…”

36:56: What does the women’s game need to stay relevant – a rivalry, a Serena-style dictatorship, or competitive balance?

41:53: “My longevity at the top is something I’m exceedingly proud of!” Her final Wimbledon run, and a bout she refused to concede…

47:34: “My father was the driving tennis force in my family – my sister Jeanne played on the Virginia Slims Circuit like me, and my other three siblings all won tennis scholarships!” Throwback to when she needed to phone her parents after her matches because they didn’t go live on TV.

50:52: Her career-revamping win against Tracy Austin, who had beaten her five times in a row, at the 1980 US Open: “I had some good advice from former Australian player Don Candy…”. How important is it to know the opponent’s game?

58:06: Is the US Open going to happen? Who had the better behaviour during the lockdown, the WTA or the ATP?

01:01:52: Will Nadal go to New York? What about Djokovic?

The Ultimate Tennis Showdown ended a few days ago with Matteo Berrettini’s victory against Stefanos Tsitsipas.

A few hours before the semi-finals, UbiTennis’s Ubaldo Scanagatta and Alessandro Stella interviewed via Zoom the man behind the event, Patrick Mouratoglou, to discuss the success of the first iteration of his experiment (the second is already in the works, and will take place before the US Open), a subject that was covered in a separate piece, which can be read here.

However, Mouratoglou is notoriously outspoken, and delved into several themes, including some of the hot topics circulating around the tennis stratosphere, which are summarised in the next few lines.

THE COMPLETE INTERVIEW

VIDEO SCHEDULE

3:45 – Was the UTS a success? Mouratoglou has no doubts whatsoever.

7:15 – A few technical notes: how were the viewers profiled? Was a new viewership lured in by the rule changes? What was the impact of social media? “I’m a salesman, not a liar,” he quipped.

9:19 – “The ATP and the WTA weren’t happy about my comments on the age of tennis fans growing higher? We have data to back it up, so I’m surprised they took it that way.” Are the people who go to watch tennis the same who follow the game on TV?

13:45 – More comments on social media: “I’m not saying they will be our future, but we certainly need them…”

17:38 – A few decades ago, it was easier for journalists to gain access to the players – is this the kind of proximity that the game has lost?

21:51 – Should the players be allowed to express their emotions and perhaps lose their temper? Wouldn’t it be counterproductive for their game? “Well, just look at John McEnroe…”

23:55 – “According to my staff, 80-90% of a tennis match is “dead air”, mostly revolving around the players’ routines – the ball is in play for just 10-20% of the time.”

27:45 – “The players need to understand that press conferences are vital to their personal brand…”

30:14 – “We’ll be hosting the second round of the UTS before the US Open. We want to have some female players in there.” Can the UTS run besides the main tours?

31:53 – “Everybody wants to play a Slam, but will the players have to quarantine once they get back from New York? If that will be the case, I believe that many will skip the US Open.”

SERENA WILLIAMS

34:45 – Was she a little too optimistic when she was asked about the US Open? “When she spoke, the situation was looking far better than it does now…” Will the tournament actually happen now?

36:00 – “She’s planning to play the Cincinnati Masters in New York; it can be dangerous to play a Slam without some match time in your legs…”

39:00 – Will he go to New York to coach her? “There are no restrictions for Europeans going to the US, so I should be able to go. I believe she can still win a Major; however, she needs to be at her best.” Is she training now? Does Patrick have any way to oversee her preparation?

THE MEN’S GAME

42:35 – “Berrettini really impressed me during the UTS. I didn’t know him beforehand, but his motivation level is outstanding, and his backhand has improved a lot…”

44:20 – Will there be a new Slam champion in 2020? “I heard that that Spanish bloke is going to play in Paris, so the only question is who he will win against! However, if Nadal and Djokovic don’t go to New York… I think that Medvedev and Thiem might have a chance. The issue is that to win a Slam you need to beat at least two of the greatest of all time…”

47:18 – The Djokovic affair now: “Life in Europe has almost gone back to normal, but if you’re a superstar like he is, you are supposed to be a role model. I think he made a mistake, but who doesn’t? It’s far too easy to criticise him while sitting on a couch.”

50:52 – On Kyrgios: “This is him; he tends to exaggerate and to be incendiary. That is why people gravitate towards him, he’s interesting and people love that – how many players can sell out a stadium crowd besides him?” Would he be a good fit for the UTS?

BACK TO THE WTA

54:30 – Who would be his picks for a female version of his league? “You know who the first one would be – a hint: I work for her! Then Coco Gauff, Cornet, Putinsteva, Giorgi… The idea is to have players with different playing styles, that’s why I called Feliciano Lopez.”

56:25 – Is it true that female players tend to have more interesting personalities? “Coaching is allowed, and that’s the key…”

59:30 – Closure with Serena – did motherhood change her? – and some banter about the infamous Mouratoglou-induced rant during the final against Osaka in New York…

UbiTennis’ latest exclusive video chat with Ubaldo Scanagatta and Steve Flink’s includes a guest who really needs no introduction.

Mats Wilander is one of the most recognisable tennis figures. He is arguably the greatest player to speak with Ubitennis in our special series so far and is also the face of tennis on Eurosport. His résumé includes 33 singles titles, 7 Slams in the singles (plus one more in the doubles), he was the 1988 world champion, when he clinched the first-ever Australian Open played on hardcourts as well as the French and the US Open, winning the longest final in Flushing Meadows history (tied with the 2012 one).

A three-time Davis Cup champion, he spent 20 weeks at the top of the rankings after becoming the youngest Slam champion ever (he was subsequently overtaken by Becker and Chang), and was just the second man to win a Slam on three different surfaces after Connors (he and Nadal are the only ones to have won multiple titles on each surface, though) – the list could go on. In addition, he had a decisive role in the creation of the ATP Tour, starting the Parking Lot Revolution just outside the US Open’s grounds in 1988, when he announced the split of the players from the Grand Prix, spear-heading the first ATP Tour edition in 1990. Nowadays, when he isn’t anchoring “Game, Schett & Mats” on Eurosport, he coaches at a club in Hailey, in Idaho.

THE FULL INTERVIEW

VIDEO SCHEDULE

Minute 00: Introduction. A quick glance through Wilander’s resumé while he talks about his life in Idaho.

5:51: Moving from New York to Greenwich thanks to some unexpected advice from a rival… Why did he move to Idaho next?

6:51: Djokovic and the Adria Tour fiasco – who’s to blame, and will the tennis season suffer from this mishap?

11:18: Why is Djokovic alone getting most of the criticism?

13:21: US Open or US Closed? Will it be a proper Slam tournament?

15:18: On Kyrgios and his sudden moral high ground…

17:07: Should Djokovic resign from the presidency of the Player Council? Why the political engagement of the Big Three is a good thing…

20:16: 1988, the best year of his career…

22:18: … followed by a sharp downturn – what happened? Mats reminds us that all players are human…

25:28: How his game changed through the years, and his best match – an impromptu hit…

29:14: Why did he often beat Lendl in Slam finals? Also, go to the 31:17 mark to catch his impression of the Czech champion…

31:43: Borg’s influence on Swedish players, and what the two had in common…

34:30: The respect that the greatest players have for each other, plus an infinite Davis Cup tie against John McEnroe that sent his confidence through the roof…

39:11: His great record against Jimmy Connors, countered by a subpar tally against Miloslav Mecir…

42:52: An unprecedented moment of sportsmanship at the 1982 French Open, which his brothers didn’t take well… Also a few words about fellow countryman and friend, Stefan Edberg.

49:08: How was it to coach Marat Safin? His broadcasting job on Eurosport, and the type of player he sympathises with, as well as a few missteps vis-à-vis his choice of words in the past.

59:17: Mats concludes with a passionate manifesto of what he looks for in the game, and what the players should do as public figures.

Article written by Tommaso Villa