‘Fluctuate a Lot More’ – Martina Navratilova Argues for Strong Rivalry in Women’s Tennis Just Like Hers and Chris Evert

Over the years, tennis has produced many famous rivalries. From Serena Williams vs Venus Williams to Roger Federer vs Rafael Nadal, these battles have made the sport more enticing to watch. Amongst them was the rivalry between Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert.

The two battled an astonishing 80 times against each other. While Evert dominated the early part of their rivalry, Navratilova came back strongly to have a superior head-to-head record against Evert. Further, of the 80 matches played between them, Navratilova went on to win 43 matches. Recently, she opened up on her rivalry with Evert.

Martina Navratilova reminisces her battles against Chris Evert

During an interview, the 65-year-old talked about rivalries in women’s tennis. She said, “Chris [Evert] and I, that’s a rivalry for the ages in terms of longevity. The women fluctuate a lot more with their ability and that means you don’t get the rivalry because they don’t play one another enough at the top of the game, and you need that.”

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Further, she added, “In tennis, you are only as good as the ball you are hitting – you can’t hit great shots unless you are forced to hit great shots, so you need those rivalries. Hopefully, we are heading that way again.”

Martina slams Wimbledon for banning Russian and Belarusian players

Earlier this year, Wimbledon Championships announced a decision to ban Russian and Belarusian players in the wake of the Eastern European conflict. As a result, players like Daniil Medvedev and Aryna Sabalenka will be absent from the grass-court Grand Slam tournament this year.

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However, this move was criticized by Navratilova. Talking about the ban, she went on to say, “It’s a mistake.” Further, the tournament has faced sanctions from tennis bodies due to its ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes. The ATP and the WTA announced a decision to strip Wimbledon of ranking points this year.

The 2022 Wimbledon Championships get underway today. Novak Djokovic is the top seed in men’s singles. On the other hand, the women’s singles draw is headed by Iga Swiatek.