THE SIDELINES : Bush Gives Evert Hyman Award

President Bush presented the fourth annual Flo Hyman award today to Chris Evert, saying the retired tennis star represented the game as well as “your country with great sportsmanship and dignity.”

“We will all miss you on the professional tennis circuit. (Tennis rivals) Martina Navratilova and Pam Shriver may not miss you,” Bush said, drawing laughter from a gathering of standout female athletes. “But we will.”

The Flo Hyman award for courage and dedication is named for the Olympic volleyball star who died in 1986. It is sponsored by the Women’s Sports Foundation.

Evert, 35, retired from professional tennis last year after winning 18 Grand Slam events.

“Chris, you long represented not just the game of tennis but your country with great sportsmanship and dignity,” Bush said. “You are a role model for our nation’s young women.”