Tennis has seen many wonderful friendship tales among the fiercest of rivals. The likes of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are a perfect example. Over the years, the two played some of the most intriguing matches but maintained a healthy bond on and off the court. Further, another name that comes to mind when thinking about the friendship between tennis rivals is that of Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova. The duo had a great rivalry between them but are great friends now and have mutual respect for each other. Additionally, they also became a pillar of support for each other during their respective cancer battles. Last month, Evert and Navratilova were involved in a conversation at Ralph Lauren’s event where they beautifully described the true essence of their friendship.

Ralph Lauren hosted an awareness event to fight against cancer. During a conversation there, Evert reflected on her rivalry with Navratilova while making a candid revelation about their friendship as well. She said, “I know that you’re only a phone call away. We have such a rich history of again competing and especially towards the end of our career we we became very very close because we realized that we weren’t only competitors that we were people with feelings as well and emotions. You’re one of my best friends and I know that I can always count on you.”

During their illustrious careers, the two played each other an astonishing 80 times, with Navratilova prevailing on 43 occasions. Nonetheless, their matches were always keenly fought. Their friendship though goes beyond the tennis court. After their legendary careers, both Navratilova and Evert suffered from cancer. While the former had throat and breast cancer, Evert suffered from Ovarian cancer. Nonetheless, they successfully fought the disease and remained close as they went through that journey.

The cancer awareness event wasn’t the first time that Navratilova and Evert described the wonderful bond between them. Last year, during another event, Evert spilled the beans about her friendship with her once arch-rival, Navratilova.

Chris Evert amazed by the synergy of her life with Martina Navratilova

Last year, the WTA celebrated the 50th anniversary of its inception. On that special occasion, it released a video, showcasing some of the greatest female players of all time. Evert and Navratilova were among them and they described their wonderful careers while taking an ode to their friendship.

Describing her bond with Navratilova, Evert said, “There was a real camaraderie. There when you’re in your late 20s or early 30s. I think you realize you’ve become secure enough with yourself. That you realize it’s not affecting your individual legacy. If anything, it’s adding to it and it’s a legacy in itself. Once I had gotten to that point, we formed a great friendship. And even to this day, we’re even closer than we were when we were competing.”

Not only during good times but Evert and Navratilova were together during tough times as well. Both supported each other through their respective cancer battles, as they successfully overcame the disease. Indeed, such a close bond between two great rivals is rare, in any sport. Do you recall other such examples across sports? Let us know in the comments below.