Chris Evert weighs in on sniping between Maria Sharapova, Caroline Wozniacki
As Maria Sharapova prepared to play Anastasija Sevastova on Sunday, the debate continued around tournament officials’ decision to feature the Russian player on the U.S. Open’s biggest stage.
In case you haven’t been following the drama surrounding Sharapova in New York, here’s the story. After Caroline Wozniacki lost a second-round match to Ekaterina Makarova on Wednesday, she complained about Sharapova being assigned to Arthur Ashe Stadium, while she played on an outer court.
Sharapova fired back Friday night after winning on Ashe. “I'm a pretty big competitor,” she said. “If you put me out in the parking lot of Queens in New York City, I'm happy to play there. That's not what matters to me. All that matters to me is I'm in the fourth round. Yeah, I'm not sure where she is."
ESPN analyst Chris Evert, who owns 18 Grand Slam singles titles, was asked about the sniping between the two.
“Caroline Wozniacki first of all has an opinion and I respect her opinion,” Evert said during the network’s Sunday afternoon broadcast. “But the thing is once Maria Sharapova is in this tournament, they should put her on Arthur Ashe Stadium every single match. They put Federer on (Ashe) every single match.
“This is up to the tournament. She’s the biggest draw anyway most of the time besides Serena Williams because of her record, because of her popularity, now with the drama surrounding her with the ban … Certainly the tournament is smart. It brings in the fans, it makes people want to turn on their TV.”
Ranked No. 146 in the world after serving a 15-month ban for using meldonium, Sharapova was granted a wild card into the U.S. Open. She’s the sixth player with a wild card to reach the U.S. Open’s Round of 16 in the Open era.