Chris Evert Fires Back: “I’m Not Even On That Call!”

Look, we’ve all been there. You’re watching a match, getting annoyed at the commentary, and you fire off that angry tweet without double-checking who’s actually behind the microphone. Well, tennis legend Chris Evert just served up a reality check to one particularly confused fan who blamed her for commentary she wasn’t even doing.

The Mix-Up That Had Tennis Twitter Buzzing

The drama unfolded during Taylor Townsend’s nail-biting three-set battle against Barbora Krejčíková at the US Open. Krejčíková eventually pulled through 1-6, 7-6 (13), 6-3, but not before one fan decided to take his frustrations out on the wrong target.

Eric Barnes, clearly worked up about what he perceived as biased commentary favoring the American Townsend, went straight for Evert’s throat on X (formerly Twitter). “Chris, I loved watching you but the way you’re commenting about the CZE girl is just evil,” Barnes wrote. “We know your bias is with Townsend, but try to mask it would you.” The problem? Evert wasn’t even in the booth.

Evert’s Epic Clap-Back

The 18-time Grand Slam champion didn’t hold back in her response, delivering what might be the most justified all-caps tweet in tennis history: “I AM NOT COMMENTATING THAT MATCH!!!!!!!!” Complete with a perfectly placed eye-roll emoji.

Talk about awkward. It’s like yelling at the wrong waiter for bringing you cold soup. The real kicker came when another user jumped in to clarify that the actual commentator was CoCo Vandeweghe, not Evert. “That was CoCo. She is a bit snarky. Not the class act that Chrissy is,” they wrote. Ouch.

Why Everyone Assumes It Is Always Evert

Evert has become the lightning rod of tennis commentary. Whether she is actually calling the match or not, fans seem ready to pin any controversial call on the 70-year-old legend. And honestly, it is not entirely without reason.

Evert’s Track Record of Commentary Controversies

Despite retiring from professional tennis 36 years ago, Evert has kept herself busy stirring up debate in the commentary booth. Last year’s US Open saw her claim that Karolína Muchová “plays like a guy,” which went over about as well as you’d expect. Players like Ons Jabeur and Nick Kyrgios weren’t having it, and Evert had to walk back her comments.

Then there was the French Open final between Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff, where fans accused Evert of being repetitive and biased against Sabalenka. At Wimbledon, she caught heat for speculating about Emma Raducanu’s love life during a match.

The criticism reached peak absurdity during the Wimbledon semifinal between Sabalenka and Amanda Anisimova, when Evert offered this brilliant tactical advice: “Don’t make unforced errors.” Revolutionary stuff, Chris. One fan sarcastically tweeted, “If only Amanda would have thought of that! Genius!”

The Burden Of Being a Broadcasting Pioneer

Look, Evert’s transition from court legend to commentary booth hasn’t been seamless. Her insights carry the weight of someone who won 18 Grand Slams, but her delivery sometimes lands with all the grace of a double fault. For some viewers, she is a knowledgeable voice bringing championship experience to the broadcast. For others, she has become the embodiment of everything wrong with tennis commentary – biased, obvious, and prone to unnecessary drama.

The constant criticism has created a situation where Evert gets blamed for commentary sins she didn’t even commit. It is like being the designated driver who still gets yelled at for everyone else’s bad decisions.

The Real Lesson Here

This whole mix-up perfectly captures the current state of sports discourse on social media. We’re so quick to fire off hot takes and assign blame that we sometimes forget to check basic facts – like who’s actually doing the talking.

Evert may have her commentary flaws, but she deserves criticism for things she actually says, not for words that come out of someone else’s mouth. As for Eric Barnes, maybe next time he should take a deep breath and make sure he’s got the right target before going on the attack.

After all, in tennis and in Twitter feuds, accuracy matters. And in this case, Evert served an ace with her response while her accuser double-faulted spectacularly.