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‘Got To Be a Little B**chy’- Chris Evert’s ‘Mean’ Advice to Australia’s Top WTA Star Who Sent Serena Williams Into Retirement

Published 01/17/2023, 7:32 AM EST

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Sometimes, you got to be a little feisty with what you want. It’s so simple. Ajla Tomljanovic has always dreamt of winning a Grand Slam tournament since she was a 7-year-old young kid. But what’s that one point, that is pulling her back even after trying her 100 per cent on the tennis court? The 18-time Grand Slam champion Chris Evert, who has literally seen her turn into a professional tennis player, has a suitable answer to this question. 

Being a part of the tennis world is not an easy road to take. There are millions of young people trying to create a name. But it feels like the world number 33 needs to buckle up a little more to achieve that brilliant feat she has always dreamt of. The tennis player came into the limelight after she defeated Serena Williams in her last tournament. 

Chris Evert’s advice for Ajla Tomljanovic

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The Australian tennis player started playing tennis at the age of 6. To learn more about the sport, she moved to Boca Raton in Florida where she met the 18-time Grand Slam champion and found a true mentor in her. However, recently in the Netflix Docuseries ‘Break Point’, the American tennis legend talks about what’s that one component that is missing for the 29-year-old tennis player.

via Reuters

The former world number one met the Australian tennis player when she was just 12 years old and always believed that she has a lot of potential to do great in tennis. She said, “I grew very close to her and became like her mentor. There are more than, like, 10,000 women pros, and to get to the top 50 it’s a big achievement. But she could be top ten. I always thought the thing missing from her was her toughness. I said, You are too nice. You know, you’ve got to be a little bitchy out there sometimes. You’ve got to be mean.”

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This is not the first time when the American tennis legend talked about the lacking toughness. Notably, last year, the tennis player made her way to the Wimbledon quarter-finals. She highlighted some of the greatest advice or lessons she received from the American legend.

When Tomljanovic shared Evert’s advice with the world

The 29-year-old tennis player said in a podcast interview from last year that she consistently gets good luck texts from Evert before the first round even begins. She went on to say that the former world champion served as a constant source of inspiration for her to pay attention to her game.

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In addition, she frequently told her that she was not finished and that she would want to give her a few days off so that she could clear her head and concentrate on the forthcoming matches. The Wimbledon quarterfinalist also thinks that she is one of those people who never lose the will to accomplish more.

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Written by:

Pratishtha Prakash

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Pratishtha Prakash is a Tennis writer at EssentiallySports. She has completed her Bachelor’s degree in Mass Media and Journalism from MIT ADT University, Pune. In the past, she has interned at the sports desk of The Hitavada, a regional English daily newspaper.
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Edited by:

Hitesh Nigam