"Stop stereotyping" - Chris Evert gets told off by Ons Jabeur for comparing Karolina Muchova to men's tennis players

Ons Jabeur took a swipe at Chris Evert after the American compared Karolina Muchova to men's tennis players while commentating on the Czech's straight sets win over Naomi Osaka in the second round of the ongoing 2024 US Open. The Tunisian opined that Evert's comments were stereotypical, and urged for such stances to come to an end.

Muchova and Osaka produced a thrilling second-round match at the Arthur Ashe Stadium on Friday, August 30. While the Czech dominated proceedings in the first set to win it 6-3, things were much tighter in the second. Osaka had set points to square things up, but Muchova saved them and proceeded to turn the tables completely on the former World No. 1, eventually securing a 7-6(5) second-set win.

Chris Evert, who is on commentating duties for ESPN at the 2024 US Open, likened Muchova to men's tennis players during the match. The record French Open women's singles champion later received flak from fans over her choice of words. 2022 US Open finalist Ons Jabeur noticed Evert's words as well, and wrote on X (formerly Twitter):

"Muchova is an amazing talented player. She doesn’t have to be a guy to have great serve, volley, or movement. Can we please stop stereotyping based on gender?"

Jabeur and Evert have previously voiced contrasting takes on the WTA Finals taking place in Saudi Arabia.

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Ons Jabeur supports Saudi Arabia hosting the WTA Finals despite Chris Evert's reservations

Ons Jabeur at a 2024 French Open press conference (Source: Getty)

Earlier this year, the WTA struck a multi-year deal with Saudi Arabia to host the prestigious, year-end WTA Finals there. Evert, along with her fierce yesteryear rival Martina Navratilova vociferously opposed the move.

According to Evert and Navratilova, Saudi Arabia's questionable human and women's rights records make the nation the wrong choice as far as hosting the WTA Finals goes. The duo even penned an open letter to voice their objections, and urged authorities to reconsider their prospects.

However, Ons Jabeur welcomed the move and went on to laud the Princess Reema of Saudi Arabia for standing firm in the face of Evert and Navratilova's criticism. On the playing front, Jabeur's last outing came at the 2024 National Bank Open in Toronto, where she lost to Naomi Osaka in her opener. The Tunisian later pulled out from both the Cincinnati Open and the ongoing US Open due to injury.