"The tennis/education combination": Chris Evert disagrees with John McEnroe telling kids to choose college over tennis

Saturday, 11 November 2023 at 12:00

Former world number one Chris Evert has expressed disagreement about the comment of seven-time Grand Slam winner John McEnroe.

The 64-year-old recently made a comment where he advised youngsters who are interested in playing tennis to opt for college rather than joining tennis academies.

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"All studies show, both physically & mentally, it’s healthier for kids to play other sports," said McEnroe. "For every person you hear that succeeds, there’s a million that don’t. Not everyone’s Carlos Alcaraz, he’s one in a billion. He’s just a freak. He’s an incredible player, but most kids have no business doing that.”

Evert, who is often regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of women’s singles tennis in the Open era having won as many as 18 Grand Slam titles in her illustrious career, while responding to McEnroe in a post on her official account on the social media platform X — previously known as Twitter — disagreed with those comments and suggested that tennis academies can help youngsters in getting scholarships as well.

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"I agree with John on many levels, but not every Tennis Academy’s goal is to grind out professional tennis players, but to help kids earn tennis scholarships to get into good colleges. The tennis/education combination is the goal!"

Chris Evert

@ChrissieEvert

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I agree with John on many levels, but not every Tennis Academy’s goal is to grind out professional tennis players, but to help kids earn tennis scholarships to get into good colleges. The tennis/education combination is the goal!

The Tennis Letter

@TheTennisLetter

John McEnroe says Carlos Alcaraz is ‘one in a billion’ & urges young athletes to go to college: “I grew up in Queens. The best thing that ever happened to me was not going to a Nick Bollettieri-style camp. I would’ve quit the game at 16 or 17. I love to play other sports.. All

12:20 PM · Nov 10, 2023

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Azeem Siddiqui

Azeem Siddiqui is a seasoned sports journalist and data analyst with a strong background in both digital media and live sports production.

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