Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova’s rivalry is not only remembered for the intensity that it carried, but also for its longevity and its impact on the sport. The duo clashed for around 80 matches between 1973 and 1988, and Navratilova led by 43-37. This rivalry even got to the pages of the Guinness Book of World Records for the most tennis Grand Slam singles meetings (female), with the number amounting to 22 matches. Again, Navratilova led by 14-8. Now, as the stars have retired, their 15-year-old rivalry has also come to an end. And all that remains now is a reminiscence of the former fury that raged in them. Well, that’s what they claimed during their recent meeting. 

With the help of Ralph Lauren, Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova got the chance to reconnect. Not as rivals on the court, but as two former champions, reflecting back on the golden days. That’s when the Czech-American star pointed out that she laid her eyes on Evert on a USLTA tour for the first time. While Evert won the first tournament, Navratilova still impressed her. The ESPN commentator remarked, “That’s when you left a big impression. I was like, ‘Whoa! This girl is really good!'” But all Navratilova wanted to do was make her opponent remember her name.  

Reacting to that, Chris Evert claimed, “You really came on the radar, I think, with everybody. And I felt very threatened. Especially on a fast court, you had all the weapons. And I hadn’t seen a player like you, ever.” She continued to reflect on their early rivalry. It was a time when Evert dominated the court as the world number one. “I think I won the first five or six, and then ended up winning 15 out of 16,” she commented. 

And that was when Navratilova brought Renee Richards into the picture. And before the fans knew it, she began beating Evert. Navratilova recalled, “I had a plan and I had the game for it. Those were some sweet years there that I’ve almost felt like I couldn’t lose.”  Well, it was as if something had snapped in the Czech-American.

She lost one match in a year, and then for two consecutive years, she kept beating Chris Evert. Evert even remembers losing to her 13 times in a row. And the ESPN commentator admitted that she lost the games as she stepped onto the court. Why? She blamed Navratilova’s aura, confidence, and game. According to Evert, her opponent’s athleticism was unmatched. But the real reason for the Czech star’s rise was always Evert. Navratilova confessed, “You were the motivation for me to get better.” But that’s just what happened on the court. 

In sickness and in health: Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova’s friendship

While the rivalry leaned a bit in Martina Navratilova’s favor, both Evert and she ended their career with 18 Grand Slam singles titles each. Evert called it a day in 1989, while Navratilova continued to play doubles till 2006, even after retiring from singles in 1994. With the net gone from between them, they became fast friends.

In fact, the signs were there even before they hung up their respective rackets. After all, it was Navratilova who introduced Evert to skier Andy Mill, to whom the latter was married from 1988 to 2006. Now they talk on texts, drink wine together in between commentary gigs. But perhaps what stands as a true testament to the strength of their friendship is how they stood by each other when both found themselves confronted with a common nemesis.

Shortly after she lost her sister Jeanne to ovarian cancer, Evert was diagnosed with the same disease. Of course, Navratilova was by her side, and she always had a Cartier charm necklace for her friend’s luck. But in 2022, when Evert was still fighting her own battle, the Czech-American, too, was diagnosed with early-stage throat and breast cancer. But as Navratilova would deliver food and make Evert eat when the latter would come home without an appetite from her chemotherapy, Evert would return the favor.

While their contemporary rivals in John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors can still barely stand each other, Navratilova and Evert’s relationship really proves that it is, in fact, possible for rivals to be friends. And while you ponder your friendships, do visit the EssentiallySports Live Blog!