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Martina Navratilova Shares Excitement Upon Getting Hold of a Historic Piece of Fashion Worn by Long-Time Friend and Rival Chris Evert

Published 09/20/2022, 2:03 PM EDT

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Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert had one of the best rivalries in the history of tennis. Despite their on-court rivalry, they had a great bond off the court and have managed to develop a close bond of friendship over the years. Recently, Navratilova got her hands on Evert’s famous bracelet collection, as she posted about it on social media.

Notably, Evert was a fashion icon during her playing career in the 70s and the 80s, as she wore a unique bracelet. Later, that bracelet became to be known among the masses as the ‘tennis bracelet’.

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Martina Navratilova can’t contain her excitement as she gets her hands on Chris Evert’s bracelet

Earlier on Twitter, the 18-time Grand Slam champion, Navratilova, posted a picture of Evert’s bracelet, and in the caption, she wrote, I am so excited to have this fabulous bracelet from the #TennisBraceletCECollection, about time Chris has the chance to tell her story about the tennis bracelet- this one with a great clasp.

It is worth noting that Evert famously lost her bracelet during the 1978 US Open and the officials had to stop the match momentarily to find the piece of jewelry. Since then, it has become one of the most famous pieces of jewelry worn by an athlete. Recently, the famous jewelry designer Monica Rich Kosann collaborated with Evert to release a new collection of those iconic bracelets.

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Talking about wearing those bracelets, Evert said, “When I competed, I wanted to wear something that gave me confidence and empowered me, both as a woman and an athlete.”

It seems like Navratilova is one of the very first people to get their hands on those bracelets and she felt really excited. Also, she showed support for her friend and long-time rival Evert by sharing her new product on her social media.

Navratilova and Evert’s amazing rivalry

Interestingly, Evert and Navratilova won the same number of Grand Slam singles titles, i.e. 18. However, Navratilova had an overall better career than Evert, as she played much longer than the American tennis player.

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Watch This Story: Chris Evert looks back at her astounding rivalry with Martina Navratilova and the negative impact of her 13-match losing streak

In 1989, Evert retired from professional tennis. Before that, Evert and Navratilova had arguably the greatest rivalry in tennis. For almost 15 years, they played 80 matches in total, where Evert had the upper hand as she got the better of Navratilova in the beginning.

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However, things started to change in the late 80s as Navratilova started to dominate Evert. The ‘Ice Maiden’ was a better clay court player and Navratilova was a master on grass courts. Hence, Evert won 7 French Open titles and Navratilova won 9 Wimbledon singles titles, the most by any player, male or female. In the end, Navratilova had a better head-to-head record (43-37) against Evert.

Despite their rivalry, they have always been best friends off the court. Moreover, many still consider them as two of the best female players of all time.

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Written by:

Debkinkar Maity

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Debkinkar Maity is a Tennis Author at EssentiallySports. His desire to become a sports journalist inspired him to take up a degree in journalism and mass communication, and he hasn't looked back ever since. Following the sport for over a decade now, Debkinkar has an ardent love for Roger Federer.
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Edited by:

Tony Thomas