Former tennis star Martina Navratilova is one of the best tennis players of all time. The 65-year-old had an illustrious career and has 18 Grand Slam titles to her name. She had an intense rivalry with fellow American legend Chris Evert.

The factor of rivalry kicks in the added interest for spectators and fans to follow the game. However, the same has been missing from Women’s tennis in the recent past.

In a podcast, Navratilova gave her opinion on the situation.

Why there are no good rivalries in modern-day Women’s tennis?

Replying to the question from the host, the 65-year-old accepted that the rivalry factor has been missing for quite some time now. Further, she tried to figure out the reason or the same. “It’s kind of an in-between state right now, the older players and the younger generation coming in. But yeah, tennis thrives on not only who is gonna win but also rivalries. You need those rivalries,” she said.

Adding to that, Navratilova gave an example of men’s tennis to explain the importance of rivalries.

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‘I’m Snuggling Up to Her..’ – When Chris Evert Made a Hilarious Caption After Spending Time With Martina Navratilova and Her Wife

“Imagine, instead of Roger Federer and Djokovic, there would have been 20 people that won majors instead of three. You would have had more stars, but you won’t have superstars. To have a superstar, you need that rivalry,” she added.

Further, she also spoke about the importance of rivalries in improving the quality of the game. “Also, in tennis, you can’t hit great shots if you are not forced to hit great shots. So you need those rivalries for the quality. It’s been lacking in the women’s side for the past 10 years for sure,” she concluded.

The rivalry between Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert

The best of friends today were the harshest of rivals in their playing days. The two have entertained with 15 years of super competitive tennis. They played 80 matches against each other. The number itself is the highest for any pair in Women’s tennis history.

The first time they came face to face was in 1973, while the last encounter between them was in the Chicago Open in 1988. Today, Women’s tennis has got many promising players but such rivalry has been missing for a long time now.

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. 

While the young crop of players like Iga Swiatek, Naomi Osaka, and Emma Raducanu have done well lately, the consistency that the likes of Serena Williams have shown is missing.