How did Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova, two fierce opponents in tennis, grow to be such close friends both on and off the court? Fortunately, we have got the answer covered. Recently, the 18-time Grand Slam champion revealed the point when their friendship began to truly take off.

There was always a race going on between the two tennis giants to compete against each other, win more titles, and be the best in the sport. And knowing how their passion for sports is the same, they eventually became good friends off the tennis court even though they were adverse rivals while playing against each other.

Chris Evert opens up about her friendship with arch-rival, Navratilova 

Recently, on the occasion of the WTA’s 50th anniversary, the Tennis Channel released a special tribute video, including Evert and Navratilova. In that video, the 68-year-old tennis star opened up about a saturation point in her rivalry with Navratilova, that gave rise to the beautiful friendship between the archrivals. Not only that, she also talked about how the rivalry enhanced their individual tennis legacies.

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She 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.”

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Additionally, in the same video, the 59-time Grand Slam champion also talked about how grateful she was to share a beautiful rivalry with Ice Maiden.

Navratilova is grateful to share a rivalry with Evert 

The 66-year-old former tennis player remembered that before they became close friends both on and off the tennis court, she had faced her archrival, Evert, approximately 80 times. She also gave credit to their rivalry for helping them get to know one another better and develop a strong friendship.

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Significantly, she also emphasized her gratitude for being a part of an on-court rivalry that resulted in such a lovely friendship. Building up on their friendly relationship, the two tennis giants frequently tease one another while divulging untold details about the other. Similarly, there were moments when the 18-time Grand Slam champion revealed an unknown personal aspect of her good friend.

What do you think about the Navratilova-Evert rivalry that eventually blossomed into a beautiful friendship off-court? Let us know in the comments.