After a strong rivalry on the tennis court during their heydays on the WTA Tour, Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova have turned into close friends off the court. The closeness of their bond was on show when it came down to life and death for both players. They were there for one another, particularly during their struggle with cancer. And recently, the 59-time Grand Slam winner cited a touching confession in which she explained how she would never leave her best friend’s side.

When Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova were playing tennis, they genuinely wanted to bring the other person down. But, as time went on and they began to see the bigger picture, the two tennis icons helped each other through a lot of problems that were much more serious than their rivalry.

Martina Navratilova’s emotional confession regarding her friend, Chris Evert 

The Czech-born American tennis legend recently sat down to have a conversation with renowned British journalist, Piers Morgan. In the casual interview, she talked about how her cancer journey has come to an end, after battling two cancers at the same time. While talking about how probably the greatest rivals of all time in tennis supported each other during their cancer journey, the greatest all-format player of all-time made a heartwarming confession. Martina Navratilova opened up about how, even after 50 years of being together, she longs to spend more time with her friend.

Navratilova said, “I mean, we are still dependent on each other. We made each other better, we made each other better humans as well. We were always there for each other, no matter what. And I guess we’re going to the sunset together.”

During that emotional confession, Martina Navratilova opened up about the precious necklace Chris Evert gifted her. The nine-time Wimbledon champion confessed how she always wants to keep that necklace close to her heart.

“Chris gave me this little necklace, I was wearing it for a while then took it off for a while then Chris got sick. I put it back on. I’m not gonna take this off until she gets well. So I never take it off.”

READ MORE – ‘God, I’m Such a Softie’–Close Friend Chris Evert Saying ‘Lean on Me’ Shatters Martina Navratilova Amid Tough Cancer Battle

The former world number one also discussed how their competitiveness on the WTA Tour inspired them to become better people in their off-court life. However, this is not the first time the International Tennis Hall of Famer has talked about Evert’s precious gift.

When Navratilova stayed true to the necklace out of concern for Evert 

Last year, the ‘Ice Maiden’ learned that she was suffering from stage I ovarian cancer. During that time, her great rival, Navratilova, talked about their friendship on the tennis court in an interview with Andy Cohen on the show Watch What Happens Live.

Navratilova revealed how she was holding on to the necklace given to her by her good friend on her 60th birthday. Keeping her fingers crossed, she addressed the fact that Evert will be fine. Since then, the Czech-American legend has always kept the precious necklace with her.

WATCH THIS STORY – Chris Evert Looks Back at Her Astounding Rivalry With Martina Navratilova and the Negative Impact of Her 13-Match Losing Streak