Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova gave tennis one of the most celebrated rivalries. The 18-time Grand Slam champion brought crowds of the audience to women’s tennis through their game. No individual who is a part of the tennis fraternity can neglect their contribution. Therefore, a recent mistake from Novak Djokovic’s end is causing rucks amongst the fans.

The 21-time Grand Slam champion, Chris Evert made a claim that garnered a lot of attention on social media. So much so that Evert herself got indulged in the discussion. Here are the details.

Chris Evert responds to Djokovic’s claim

The ATP this season suffered the retirement of Swiss legend Roger Federer. He alongside Rafael Nadal and Djokovic formed the big three, and his departure sparked the talks of the other two’s rivalry. Speaking about which, the Serb said, “We played the most matches against each other of any other rivalry. So the rivalry is very special, and it keeps going.”

Though the message didn’t carry the intention, it did undermine the WTA legend’s record. Therefore, when pointed out by a fan, Evert responded, “Oops…”

Read more: ‘She Was Like the Pussycat’ – Chris Evert Sets the Record Straight on Fans Projecting the ‘Villain’ Tag to Martina Navratilova

Both the former world no.1s have locked horns a total of 59 times up till now. Out of that, Djokovic has a slender lead of 30-29. Therefore, their rivalry is of sure one of the most thrilling and entertaining ones. However, at the same time, it isn’t the biggest in terms of matches played. As Evert and Navratilova’s rivalry flares a record of 80 tussles.

A peek into what Evert and Navratilova created

The veterans shined at the time when WTA needed the most. They executed a rivalry that still stands strong and acts as a parameter. Speaking of which, Evert was already dominating the sport when the Czech-American joined the tours.

Therefore, the unpolished Navratilova incurred 16 defeats in her first 20 clashes. Though once she managed to gain a grip on her game, Navratilova snatched dominance on hard and grass courts from the seven-time French Open champion.

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Also, by the end of Evert’s career, she dragged the head-to-head to 43-37. But Evert’s hold on the clay remained unrivaled till the very end. Navratilova only managed to draw three wins in their 14 clashes of red dirt.