‘Don’t Always See That in Top of the Men’s Sport’- Tennis Legend Cites Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert’s Timeless Bond to Make a Stirring Point

Not all tennis rivalries end up in beautiful friendships, but some do. Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal were arch-rivals for most parts of their careers, but when Fed retired at the Laver Cup in 2022, Nadal couldn’t stop himself from bursting into tears. Another similar example is the friendship between Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert who competed fiercely on the court for years but developed a great bond off the court towards the end of their careers. While we find such examples in both men’s and women’s tennis, the former American pro-Tracy Austin has a slightly different opinion.

Austin was in conversation with Steve Weissman on The Tennis Channel Live Podcast yesterday, where she talked about Chris Evert’s incredible career milestone. Forty-nine years ago on November 3, 1975, Evert became the first ever player to secure the WTA number-one ranking. Recalling the memorable day, Billie Jean King, the founder of WTA, posted one of her photos on X alongside Evert, as she wrote, “49 years ago today, on November 3, 1975, @ChrissieEvert became the first-ever No. 1 ranked player in the @WTA. She would hold the No. 1 spot for a total of 260 weeks.”

Billie Jean King was Chris Evert’s idol. Although they were from different generation, they ended up locking horns quite a few times. Interestingly, it was Evert who got the better of her idol on more occasions, as she finished with a head-to-head record of 19-7 against King. Reflecting on King’s heartwarming post for Evert, Austin said, “We have to honor Chrissie. Always so classy, always so gracious, 18 Grand Slam titles and 49th anniversary. And there is such love. Isn’t it beautiful that the top women of sports always give each other tremendous respect?”