Tennis legend Chris Evert gave a blunt statement after being asked whether Emma Raducanu’s relationship with Carlos Alcaraz is similar to the relationship she had with Jimmy Conners. Evert and Conners were engaged in the 1970s but ultimately called off the wedding.
Alcaraz is set to team up with Raducanu in the US Open mixed doubles, with the duo scheduled to take on Jack Draper and Jessica Pegula in their opening match on Tuesday evening. The Spaniard has confirmed he will play, despite the fact he appeared in the Cincinnati Open final on Monday. And the pairing are among the favourites to clinch silverware, with the tournament being played over just two days ahead of the US Open singles.
Evert spoke to ESPN for an article on ‘shipping,’ a term that describes the phenomenon of fans promoting romantic pairings between their idols.
The 70-year-old, who won 18 Grand Slam titles throughout her career, was asked whether there were any parallels between her relationship with Conners and the relationship Alcaraz and Raducanu have.
And the three-time Wimbledon champions bluntly replied: “No, because they’re not having a relationship.”
Alcaraz and Raducanu have been forced to contend with rumours about their relationship status since announcing their US Open partnership, with the Briton previously stating they are “just friends”.
Bizarrely, Cameron Norrie was even asked if he was dating Raducanu during this summer’s Wimbledon, despite the fact his long-term partner Louise Jacobi was in attendance to cheer him on.
And discussing the apparent obsession with her love life during an interview with The Guardian at the end of last week, Raducanu explained: “I guess it comes with the territory, people being so curious. I think they’re more curious about this news than any tennis results and tennis news.
“But I just keep to myself, my private life to one side. It’s always funny when people try to find something out, but I try not to read into it so much.”
And addressing her friendship with Alcaraz, she told the Daily Mail: “He’s so nice, very happy, amazing values and just a really positive light to be around. I’ve known him for years.
“Wimbledon 2021 was the first time I started getting to know him. He was always playing the day before me, I would see him win and then I would have motivation to win and get myself into that position too.
“It was really cool to go through that tournament together and then I kept going through the US Open, we were staying in touch for the whole time and, yeah, it’s nice.
“We have a good relationship still. He’s obviously overtaken me a lot, but it’s nice that we have that from a while ago.”