Rivalries in tennis are as renowned as in any other sport. Tennis is an individual sport that only intensifies the rivalry and the fandom is ardently supportive of their favorites. Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova are the two players whose rivalry has stayed in the hearts of not only tennis enthusiasts but even people outside the realm of tennis.

Both the players met each other 80 times on the court and Chris Evert had talked about the first time she lost the Wimbledon grand slam title to Navratilova because of love.

A grand-slam that Chris Evert lost because of love

In 1978 Wimbledon, Martina Navratilova was in brilliant form. She had won against Evert in Eastbourne International too. However, Chris Evert at that time was in love with John Lloyd. And once the unwavering ‘Ice Queen’ was distracted because of her attachment to her love interest. She had said, “If you’ve ever been in love, you’ll know how that match didn’t mean all that much to me.” 

Martina Navratilova was someone who treated tennis as her only solace. No matter what, she always focused on getting her game right. However, Evert on the other hand was not like this.

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If life was getting difficult or overwhelming for her she could not focus on tennis. She had said, “My heart isn’t in tennis, and I don’t even want to go on court.” Later on, Chris Evert and John Lloyd married in 1979 and got divorced in 1987.

Evert and Navratilova carried the name of women’s tennis

The legendary rivalry between the two players started in Akron Ohio in 1974 and ended in Chicago in 1988. The players faced each other 60 times in finals out of their total 80 encounters.

Interestingly, both the players have 18 grand slam titles each under their name. The players admire the legacy that their rivalry has created.

WATCH THIS STORY: ‘Seems to Get Injured a Lot’ – Martina Navratilova Once Used Serena Williams’ Example to Talk About the ‘Fragmented’ Nature of Women’s Tennis. 

It brought an astounding amount of fame to the sport. Despite, their long-lasting rivalry, both Evert and Navratilova never misses out on expressing their admiration for each other.