Martina Navratilova established herself as a bold and aggressive player during her career. She played the sport with full emotions and did not shy away from expressing her discontent if she arose. During her semi-finals match against Chris Evert in 1981, there was some debacle from the audience. Consequently, this disturbed the match. She did not shy away from shutting down the audience member who caused the commotion. However, even after that, Navratilova remained calm and continued with the same grit and won the match.
Navratilova before playing Evert.
Navratilova, after remaining stateless for years and away from her family, who were in Czechoslovakia, had finally gained some security. She had become a US citizen and was playing her first US Open after that.
Martina Navratilova on playing Evert during a furor in the audience.
There was a commotion in the audience who were under the influence. They were screaming, drinking, and shouting so much that the match had to be halted to maintain the decorum. Afterward, she said, “I don’t think I would take a vacation at Flushing Meadows.”
Navratilova's interaction with a spectator.
Besides that, one of the spectators also started bawling out at Navratilova. To this, she had a blunt reply. She said, “Go have another beer and shut up during the points!” However, she remained calm after that and defeated Chris Evert in the semi-finals.
The legendary rivalry between Chris Evert and Navratilova.
Evert is one of the all-time greats in tennis. She has won 18 Grand Slam singles titles. She was also ranked the world number one for 260 weeks. From 1975 to 1986, she was either ranked world number 1 or 2 in the WTA rankings, an astonishing feat indeed.