The ongoing United Cup is a warm-up event leading to the Australian Open and will continue till January 8 – Chris Evert shares her take.
Chris Evert, a legend of women’s tennis, is overwhelmed by the friendship and camaraderie on display at the ongoing United Cup. The United Cup is a mixed-gender team event where both male and female players constitute a team and represent their nation. The tournament is currently taking place in Australia with players from 18 different participating nations.
“There’s a lot to be said for these team competitions like #UnitedCup in tennis…The men and women players cheering for each other. I’m watching Rafa screaming for Paula Badosa…. It warms my heart! So refreshing”, Evert wrote on Twitter. She is clearly referring to Spain’s match against Australia. Nadal and Badosa were in action in their respective singles matches. It’s a must-win match for Spain as they are coming off a 1-4 loss against Great Britain from their previous encounter.
Let us take a look at how fans on Twitter reacted to Evert’s tweet.
“Agreed. I would like to see the mixed doubles match perhaps sandwiched between the 4 singles matches, much like the old Davis Cup format. This would ensure more emphasis on the importance of those matches”, wrote a fan who agrees to Evert’s point of view.
“The format needs a revamp. Scheduling the mixed doubles as the last match in the tie makes it a dead rubber in many cases. It should be the 3rd match on day 1 or the 1st match on day 1. It needs to be important to the tie”, tweeted another fan.
“The problem with the United Cup is that it feels like an exhibition or a glorified practice session. The players are relaxed and having fun which shows it lacks the intensity of serious competition”, read a tweet.
“More please. More. And, maybe, if the men are more invested in the women as people on the tour, more bridges can be built someday. Maybe”, tweeted another fan, echoing similar thoughts.
Another fan wrote: “I was there live and he was also generally the only one in the Spanish box applauding the UK player (Dart) when she played a good point…such great sportsmanship!”
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