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Chris Evert has revealed which side she is on amidst the disagreements regarding the fresh craze for racquet sport — pickleball.
It started with the emergence of news revealing investments in America's Major League Pickleball (MLP) by tennis players like Nick Kyrgios, Naomi Osaka, and Kim Clijsters. Former Australian player Rennae Stubbs expressed her strong dislike for the new sport and the fact that tennis stars were investing in it.
"Just to let everyone know, I will NOT be investing in a Pickleball franchise & will never turn a tv on to watch Pickleball. I would rather watch paint dry. Why all these tennis players think Pickleball is worth investing in & not the game that made them all the $$$ is beyond me," Stubbs tweeted.
Retired US tennis player James Blake offered to debate with Stubbs, arguing that both tennis and pickleball could exist and flourish separately. He also stated that there is a huge section of people who like the sport.
"Would be happy to discuss, but don’t understand why it has to be one or the other. They can exist separately and both be successful. Was anyone upset that I invested in basketball too? If you don’t like it, that’s cool, but tons do, including me," Blake wrote.
Responding to Blake's comments, 18-time Grand Slam champion Chris Evert advocated his point of view, saying that she loved pickleball for its social aspect and due to the fact that older people also enjoyed it.
"I agree, and I see a lot of older people playing it and loving it, the competition, the exercise, the social aspect. I’m a fan," Chris Evert responded.
The racquet sport was invented in 1965 but has started to gain popularity in recent years. MLP was formed in 2021.
Chris Evert hails Andy Murray for winning the Humanitarian Award
Earlier this week, Andy Murray was honored with the 2022 Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award for his help to the children of Ukraine amidst the Russian invasion. This is the second time that the 35-year-old has received the award, with Roger Federer, Andre Agassi, and Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi being the other players to have earned the prize twice.
Murray contributed over $630,000 of his earnings from this year's tournaments to UNICEF, which has worked tirelessly in keeping the children of Ukraine safe.
Chris Evert took to social media to praise the Brit for always being empathetic and compassionate.
"I second that, a history of always showing empathy and compassion for others," Evert tweeted.
